(Our favorite drummer sat down for a chat with one of our east coast correspondents...)
DD: Well, quite actually, we got news from Capitol that they were planning to do it, and it was just as simple as that, really. No news to go along with that. I guess they figured we're off the label, they want to make some money back. We've had enough, I guess, substantial "airplay cuts," so to speak, to fill up a pretty solid collection of what you might call a "Best Of."
Q: How much input, if any, did the band have in the collection?
DD: We had a lot of input, actually. We supplied them with a lot of photos and whatever help we could offer. The track listing was run by us, so everything was on the up and up as far as we were concerned. We had total input and total consent to things.
Q: A lot of fans wondered why you didn't write the liner notes yourself, as you've done on past Smithereens reissues.
DD: Well, I could have, I guess, if I'd pushed for it. I thought it might be interesting to have a package that somebody from the outside could give their own perspective of things. Somebody, in this case, Brett Milano, who has really been following and covering the band, and been a good supporter of the band for many years. It was a good choice. So I felt like stepping aside for a second and letting somebody else do it. I'll pick up the ball in the future.
Q: And you really did a great history of the band on some previous reissues.
DD: Thank you, I really appreciate that.
Q: Tell me a little about the new rarities collection.
DD: Capitol is also issuing ATTACK OF THE SMITHEREENS, which will collect a lot of the B-sides that we've put out, and some unreleased things. Things that come from our own personal archives. There's a tune from the first show we ever did...I have a tape of our first show ever...and demos, a recording from our first "in-store" ever from 1983, a track from our first EP GIRLS ABOUT TOWN, so it's going to cover the whole spectrum of the 15 years that we've been together.
Q: You could almost fill 2 or 3 CD's with the amount of B-sides you've done over the years...how did you choose the ones that made the cut?
DD: It actually took quite a bit of work. We were very much involved with this project, again with graphics and with the liner notes. Pat actually wrote some things regarding the liner notes, and I filled in a couple of points here and there. Selecting the tracks wasn't all that easy, because like you said, there is a lot of material to sift through. It was just a matter of weighing each cut with what made sense historically, and what was important to the band.
Q: Any favorite rarities that you had to reluctantly drop from the line-up?
DD: Geez, without looking at a list I can't think off hand...I'm sure there is. And maybe if this one does well, there'll be more volumes to follow...you never know.
Q: You mentioned that the Smithereens recently celebrated their 15th anniversary. Some of the songs on BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS are about that old. How do you keep some of those old songs fresh after performing them all this time?
DD: Geez, I don't know how to answer that...we just do it! (chuckles) They're fun to play, I guess that's a big part of it...it's a tough question to answer, I guess we're able to do it.
Q: Along those same lines, you've been on tour for almost a year now... in fact, when did the A DATE WITH THE SMITHEREENS tour end, and this one begin?
DD: Well no, actually the tour in support of A DATE WITH THE SMITHEREENS technically ended somewhere in the autumn of last year...I forget exactly when. Since then, we've been doing a couple of spot dates here and there, but nothing that you'd consider a continual tour. We started up this tour in support of the "Best Of" BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS compilation on April 13th. There have been a few scattered dates in between, but nothing that constitutes a full-fledged tour.
Q: Anyway, a most of the band now have families...has the road become a bit more of a hassle as time has gone by?
DD: I don't think so...we do what we do...like John Fogerty said... "Travelin' Band!"
Q: What's the band's current label situation? You're still on RCA?
DD: That's right.
Q: And will there be a new RCA album soon?
DD: Yeah, we'll be going into the studio late summer, early autumn, with a release looking towards January of '96.
Q: How about a live album?
DD: Well, you never know. There's nothing in the immediate future, but we talk about it every once in awhile. I'm sure it will happen at some point. We've been pulling some old tunes out of the hat in the last couple of weeks that we've been on the road, so you never know what we'll be playing during this tour.
Q: I almost hesitate to ask this one..."Too Much Passion" is still the band's biggest actual "hit single," yet it gave some people the wrong idea about the band. Has the song become sort of an albatross for the Smithereens?
DD: Oh, no...not really.
Q: I note that it doesn't get played much live anymore...
DD: Well, we do it once in awhile. There's a lot of songs that we don't do all the time, you know, that we might pull out of the hat once in awhile.
Q: I notice an E-mail address in the liners for BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS, are you guys getting onto the "information superhighway?"
DD: Yeah, why not? It's a new era, it really is, so we want to be a part of that.
Q: Do any of the Smithereens actually own a computer?
DD: Pat does.
Q: I've heard that the Smithereens are going to be a part of one of the John Lennon tribute albums, what can you tell us about that?
DD: I don't know if that's happening or not. I don't know what the update is with that.
Q: If it does go though, what song will you do?
DD: I really don't know...
Q: We'd bantered about "Gimme Some Truth" on the computer nets...
DD: That would be a great choice, I really love that song.
Q: And you're doing the Conan O'Brien show tomorrow night...what song will you do?
DD: I think we're doing "Blood And Roses."
Q: Any plans for more TV appearances to promote the albums?
DD: Not that I know of at the moment...you know, I think there might be talk of another commercial video compilation to be released as well. We have, in addition to the videos that we did for our records, a pretty extensive band archive of things that span the years. It probably will be a couple of months down the line.
Q: The Smithereens were one of the first bands to do MTV UNPLUGGED, and I wonder if you have any thoughts about what the show has become in the years since you've done it...I recall Pat as having some rather strong words about the show during one of your concerts.
DD: I think it's veered quite a bit from its original concept. I think the original idea was pretty much to have it as we did it, where you had no drums, you played congas or bongos or percussion, and play acoustically. Now there's augmentation from choirs and orchestras. Just because you don't have an electric guitar plugged in, and you embellish it with all these other things...I think it's veered off it's course a bit. We're doing some specific numbers in our set like that.
Q: Since I've got you on the line, I'd like to know a little bit about some of your outside projects...it seems like every time I pick up a reissued compilation, or see a music documentary on TV, you're name is somewhere in the credits!
DD: Sometimes a lot of those things, I'm really happy to have credit on those projects, but many times, it's just a little favor I do, where I might put somebody in touch with somebody, or make a suggestion, or loan an album cover for reproduction, you know, stuff like that. Other times I do consulting work of some kind. In some cases, I actually compile records. I've done compilations for Capitol...I compiled the Four Frehsmen CD for the "Capitol Collector's Series," a Louis Prima one...I worked on a Stan Kenton one, but I don't think it's going to come out because they've discontinued the series. There's a couple of other things that are not quite "in the can" yet, but are in the works. We'll keep you posted when they're more together.
Q: Some fans are a bit puzzled why the Smithereens our touring behind a Capitol project, especially after the rather unceremonious way the label dropped you. What's the strategy here?
DD: Well, it's a record with our material on it, so naturally it's in our best interest, and their best interest to promote it...it's a chance for us to go out and play.
Q: And obviously RCA doesn't mind, because they gave Capitol two tracks for the album...
DD: That's right...exactly.
Q: Any Smithereens songs that you don't think have gotten the recognition they deserve?
DD: Oh, geez, I don't know off hand...we're pretty proud of our entire body of work. There's quite a few songs that we may not play all the time, that you don't get to hear on the radio all the time. Specific titles off the top of my head...I don't know...one great song we don't do very often is "Spellbound." I really, really like that one.
Q: Any songs you'd have Pat take back? That you just can't stand anymore?
DD: No, not neccessarily
Q: Back to MTV for a moment...the Smithereens used to be sort of "MTV Darlings," but in recent years, they've more or less turned their back on you. Certainly the Smithereens have influenced a lot of the bands that they DO play...it's not too far a stretch from the Smithereens to, for example, Pearl Jam.
DD: I think that's a fair assumption...could be...I don't even know what Pearl Jam sound like...I never paid much mind to them. I know we have influenced quite a few folks. I know it because they've told us. So, I don't know how to answer that question. Their (MTV's) playlists have become pretty snug...a pretty tight window of what gets played over there.
Q: Should we give the fan club a plug here? I know you've just had your first official fan club started, after 15 years. Why haven't you had one before?
DD: We've had people that wanted to help us out with that, but we just never got it together for whatever reason. But it's great to finally have it, it really is...it's a bit of a thrill, to have an actual, physical piece of paper that's a newsletter, and a mailing list and correspondence from people that are interested. It's really wonderful. (The Smithereens Fan Club can be contacted at P.O. Box 35226, Richmond, Virginia, 23235)
Q: Finally, before I let you go, being together for 15 years, you've outlasted a lot of other bands...I don't think even the Beatles stayed together for 15 years total...how do you keep a band together that long?
DD: Boy, it sounds like a simple question, but I have to stop and think! I don't know, we just like what we do, we get along with each other reasonably well. You know, when people ask me about the early days of the band...when young musicians come up to me and they ask me how do they get a band together, the first thing that I say to them is sometimes the biggest thing you have to achieve is to find the right people to play with. I think that's sometimes the real crux of everything you do in a band is to have compatible personalities and musical vision. It's not always the easiest thing to find. In our case, I think we're very fortunate that we have that, and I think that's the root of our, quote-unquote "family organization," or whatever you want to call it. You can put an ad out in the paper, which we DID, that's how we met Pat and how he met us, but it doesn't always put you together with like-minded spirits. I think that has a big part to do with our roots and our longevity.
Q: And that camaraderie is still there? I know you've known Jim and Mike since you were kids.
DD: Yep, I've known Mike since third grade, and Jim since high school. The camaraderie is there...
Q: Are you still doing the Elvis medley?
DD: Well, I've been laying off on this tour just because I sprained my ankle, and I can't get around quite as well, but I'd like to get back to it as soon as this heals up.
Q: Looking forward to the show Tuesday night.
DD: So are we, actually...see you in Pennsylvania!