Goo Goo Dolls-A Feast For Goo-Eyed Fans
European jaunt reveals heavily
female audience at root of
former indie rocker's growing
popularity.
Contributing Editor Gianni Sibilla reports:
MILAN, Italy -- The Goo Goo Dolls'
John Rzeznik knows he's no
ordinary-looking Joe.
Wandering through a hotel lounge here after being made up for a
photo session, the comely young rocker looked closely at himself in
a mirror a couple of times to see if everything looked perfect.
And he's got a good reason for wanting to look perfect.
"Our audience is 70 percent women, many teen-age girls, and then
a few guys," Rzeznik said, with demographic insight perhaps rare
among rock 'n' rollers.
While that kind of attention has not always
worked in the band's favor among their more
hardcore followers, the thrice
Grammy-nominated Goo Goo Dolls have risen
from indie rock icons a few years back to a
bonafide mainstream success. Much of that
is due to their more polished image and
sound including the hit single "Iris"
(RealAudio excerpt), from the film "City of
Angels" and the band's recent album, Dizzy
Up the Girl.
And Rzeznik is not offering excuses for that
success. He's just glad to be a part of it.
"Many bands' biggest hits were very mellow
songs," he explained, answering critics of
the Goo Goo Dolls' newer, more sentimental
tracks. "Ballads cross over. Straight rock
songs never get as big commercially as
ballads do, but they fit into a larger body.
To me, they're necessary components of making well-rounded
albums."
In Italy, where the Buffalo, N.Y., power-pop trio -- which includes
Robby Takac, 33, on bass and Mike Malinin, 31, on drums --
recently spent a week playing shows, talking on radio and TV and
speaking to the press, the attention being lavished on them is no
less intense than it is elsewhere.
Much of that attention has focused on the blond singer/guitarist's
physical gifts. And Rzeznik, 31, seems OK with that. "Fine with me.
Looking at a room full of women is far better than looking at a
room full of fat guys," he said.
But Rzeznik also underplays the special notice he gets from
women. "This is a part of what I do as a musician," he said. "I'm
not that concerned about who's gonna listen to me; I'm thankful
for everyone that's gonna listen to my music."
"I'm not trying to change the whole world with my music, I'm just
making my personal statement, and it's an honest statement, so I
don't give a sh-- if it's not cool. We'll see what happens," he
added.
On Tuesday, playing to a packed crowd in a local Milan club, the
Goo Goo Dolls proved that while music may be the main point,
other, more visual, factors most certainly anchor the band's
appeal.
Rzeznik, dressed in a white vest and black leather pants, grabbed
the lion's share of the attention, caterwauling across the stage as
the band drew heavily from the rock side of their repertoire with
songs such as the new single "Slide."
Even when bassist Takac took the mic to sing "January Friend,"
the blond guitarist seemed to bask in the spotlight.
The audience, true to Rzeznik's demographic breakdown, was
composed mostly of girls in their late teens and early 20s. But
there were a few older, male listeners in the crowd.
"I know them because of 'Iris,'" said male club-goer Ruggero
Diaferio, 27. "And I'm obviously not interested in the singer's
beauty. They have been a good surprise anyway. Their concert is
full of energy and not only made up of melodic tunes, as one would
imagine thinking of 'Iris.'"
Still, mellow tunes such as the 1996 hit "Name" (RealAudio
excerpt) from the album A Boy Named Goo generated a healthy
response from the audience. And when the band hit the opening
chords of "Iris," their other radio-friendly pop song, it set off a
frenzy of screams and hoisted lighters.
The Goo Goo Dolls, who've been nominated for three Grammy
awards, including Best Record and Best Song of the Year, will
participate in the awards ceremony on Feb. 24. Then, in late
March, they'll be featured as an opening act for the Rolling Stones'
current U.S. tour. After that, they'll launch a U.S. tour in April
alongside alternative poppers New Radicals.
The band has no immediate plans to work on new material, Rzezink
said. "We're not gonna record anything for a while, not until after
2000. I'm gonna try to write some songs on the road. I've never
done that before. I'll have to, because there's no time. If I don't
like any of what I've written on tour, I'll go home and I'll do some
writing there."
As for their reception in Europe since the release of "Iris," the band
has no complaints.
"Europe has been great so far. We sold out many shows here. I
don't know if we could ever become a big band here, because here
only dance music seems to be popular. But it's better than
nothing. The audience here are way more affectionate. They love
you."
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