There were a couple of pretty funny answers cut out of the print version of today's Q&A with Toadies lead singer Vaden Todd Lewis, so I'll go ahead and just give you the entire convo here. I talked to him a day or so before the band took the stage at Lollapalooza (above). Things I found out: Young fans make him feel old and he hates Rage Against the Machine. Read on:
Q: The new album has universally been called a return to form, but what about it feels new for you?
A: Let's see ... That's an interesting question. ... Huh. ... That is an interesting question. [Laughs.]
Q: Well, did you do anything differently when making it?
A: The approach that I took it on was, like you said, a return to form. Rubberneck was real bare-bones, with minimal overdubs. In my opinion, kind of punk rock in its attitude. In the second record, we expanded on the production aspect a bit, and when I got into the Burden Brothers [band], that whole production thing just went crazy. But I decided for this to get back to the original bare-knuckles approach.
Q: Does the word "comeback" amuse you, since you've never really stopped making music?
A: I guess it's inevitable. I've gotten the question a thousand times about what I think about all these bands reuniting. Funny thing is, I've gotten that question since 1992. It's just what bands do. They make music, part ways, get back together.
Q: What is your assessment of the state of rock music now?
A: I think it's still strong. But it's hard to find, unless you want to go online. That's just the way it is. But hopefully radio will turn a corner and figure out how to broaden a bit. I feel like, right now, there's a lot of the same stuff being played. But when you get to satellite or Internet radio, it blows your mind as to how many new things are going on and what we aren't being exposed to.
Q: In regards to the industry, you've done the major-label thing, and now you're with a smaller one. Have there been unexpected advantages to working with Kirtland on this new CD?
A: It's great. It's basically what you'd get with a major as far as getting things done. But on a major they have their in-house guys, and then they end up farming a lot of things out. So why would I give them a share of my record sales when they aren't even doing the work? At an indie, I've ended up working with a lot of people I've known over the years.
Q: What's the live reception to the new material been like so far?
A: I've been blown away. I didn't want to be the band that comes out and plays only new material; nobody wants to see that. People want to hear songs they're familiar with, and I'm cool with that. But on the new ones, people went nuts. I was surprised. Another thing is, I ask during the shows how many people have seen us before and how many are first-timers. And the first-timers far outweigh the diehards.
Q: It's probably a lot of folks who've gotten used to "Possum Kingdom" on the radio long after you guys parted ways the first time.
A: Yeah, and people we meet after shows tell us they started listening to us in middle school, or that their parents turned them on to us. On one hand, that makes me feel real old, but on the other hand [laughs], it's kick-ass!
Q: One of the tracks on No Deliverance that stuck out in my mind was "Song I Hate." What inspired that one?
A: That was the last song I wrote for the record. We had all the music for it, but I could not seem to make the words happen. It was pissin' me off. I just wanted to get it done. It was the song I hated, so I decided to be literal about it. That's the way I usually approach writing lyrics -- I put a relationship spin on them to make it easier to discuss what I'm really thinking about.
Q: What are some songs that you actually can't stand to hear?
A: I can't think of a specific title right now. Just about anything from the Chili Peppers. It's the same thing as Rage [Against the Machine]. I'm not going to make any friends here. But Rage and the Chili Peppers are great until the singing starts, and then it makes me want to hurt people. Just my opinion.
Q: To flip it, who are your favorite rock vocalists?
A: Back in the day it was Bon Scott. He's the guy who made me want to start doing rock 'n' roll. He had an attitude and was super-unique. Other than that, my vocal hero is Chris Cornell. He's amazing. I wrote that he's my favorite on my MySpace, and people get really pissed off about that for some reason. They tell me that I can't be serious. And I'm like, "it's my opinion, and it can't be wrong, so shut up." [Laughs.]
Q: Cornell eventually struck out on his own. Have you ever considered a solo project?
A: Definitely. I started out with this wanting to do a solo record, but I got into it, and the songs I was writing all sounded Toadies-ish. So I got a wild hair and called the guys, and here we are. But yeah, I still want to do solo stuff someday. Who knows how it will sound or come across? It'd be something that people wouldn't get, but I don't care.
Thank goodness I didn't play any Rage or Chili Peppers when Vaden was over at my studio for the photo shoot!!! I decided to play some Baboon instead. His response? "I like Baboon."
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Thank goodness I didn't play any Rage or Chili Peppers when Vaden was over at my studio for the photo shoot!!! I decided to play some Baboon instead. His response? "I like Baboon."
Posted by: Jason Janik | August 19, 2008 6:12 PM