Interviews

Robert: It's just funny, being in the studio and hearing an assistant engineer say, "Hey man, this is the first record I've worked on where [the artist] actually played their instruments in about a year."
Dean: Do you believe that? It's horrid.
Robert: It surprises me. I feel like technology is great, it's just how you use it as an individual. But I think it's all about performing and playing and writing songs. I guess we are a dying breed when it comes to that.
MTV: So the album's done, it's out, and Scott's not around. What do you guys do? When does he come back, and what will happen when he comes back?
Robert: I think the good news right now is, he's getting the proper treatment, and we know where he is. That's the main thing. The question is, what frame of mind or what health is he going to be in when he gets out? I think that's what we're really concerned about. And if health prevails, we'll be touring this summer, hopefully.
MTV: That's good to hear. The last thing, I think, that anyone wants to see is this thing happening again. If going on the road is the worst thing for him coming out, it's not something you'd want to do.
Robert: Believe me, our number one concern here is everybody's health before we do anything. We are not gonna have a car waiting for him outside the facility to pick him up and put him right on the road, man. We want to make sure everybody's health is intact and we will supply a very nurturing and controlled atmosphere for him.
It's really interesting, man, 'cause it is a real drag that he can't be here, and we miss him greatly. On the other hand, it's a real relief to know where he is, because if he wasn't in there, I'd lay down good wages that he wouldn't be here. And I think he's glad of where he's at. This stuff stopped being fun for him a long time ago, man. He's in a very nurturing atmosphere right now, receiving professional help, and I think he really wants to come out and obtain his sobriety.
MTV: Is it a tough thing for you guys to deal with, since this sort of thing has happened a couple of times...
Robert: It's been tough. I mean, I think the three of us have certainly learned a lot. I think we've matured a lot, and I think we deal with things differently now. It's so easy to take things, as a human, very personally. I think sometimes when Scott has been in a situation when he has the responsibility of making a record or being on tour and he's gotten high or fallen off the face of the Earth, it's hard not to take that personal. It's hard not to take on the weight of the world in that case, and I think we've gotten over that and kind of realized that sometimes there is two people you're dealing with there: there's Scott, who is wonderful person, and then there's the guy with the horns. It would have been nice to have been on our seventh or eighth record right now instead of our fourth record, but I think we made a decision a long time ago not to work or be around that guy with the horns. It's very emotionally draining to be around that person.
MTV: Is it cool now, having four albums out? 'Cause now it's like, there's a body of work to look at. That's an accomplishment.
Dean: Yeah, and there's also the "12 Bar Blues" record and the Talk Show record. There's this whole little family of things there. Yeah, it's interesting, man, it's quite a dichotomy, because Robert and Eric and I don't lead our life the way Scott does, and we like making plans for the future. We have aspirations and goals we want to achieve. When you're dealing with somebody that has to lead their life like that, you can't make plans. You can't strive for future goals. It's almost like this, I hate to say it, but it's that "one day at a time" thing. And that's not how we lead our life, man, so it is a drag in that aspect. Like Robert said, and I hate to be redundant, but if things were a little different, we probably would be talking about our seventh record now. Literally, a decade has passed. Fortunately we have that Talk Show [album] to chalk up, like a fifth one there. [Laughs]

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