Who Are Your Old Friends?
People have their favorite artists or bands for their own reasons. If you know me well enough, you would know that my favorite band would be the Goo Goo Dolls. I can give thousands of reasons, from loving their songs to being completely infatuated with their annoyingly good looking lead singer/guitarist - there is no doubt that they will forever be on the top of my list because of the most personal reasons.
A Goo song for me is like one of your oldest, truest friends. You love them for their little quirks. I love how frustrated I get when I think of how I can never play a Rzeznik-written song the same way he does because of his ridiculous guitar tuning. Yet I love his songs for giving off that unique sound I will always recognize. I love how Takac-written songs are absolutely unpretentious - they ooze with so much of Robby's happy-go-lucky personality, it's refreshing.
Old friends know you well. Old friends always know the right things to say. The same way their lyrics hit the right spot somewhere there in my heart, whatever the hell I'm feeling. There will always be a goo song for a particular mood or feeling I'd like to immerse myself in. The Gutterflower album got me through a tough time in my adolescent years. Songs from Dizzy Up the Girl remind me of my childhood; the same songs of which were already favorites even before I was aware they were by the same artist I worship to this day. In the same way that old friends stick by you through thick and thin, there will always be the perfect Goo song out there for me whether I'm feeling elated or jaded.
I can say, with absolutely no offense, that I don't think they're the greatest band in the world. In terms of musicality, there are bands out there with better-arranged songs. There are singers out there who can belt out so much better than John Rzeznik. Rzeznik is no Santana. You don't see Robby Takac doing solo bass grooves nor does Mike Malinin totally hammer it out on the drums like no one has ever seen. With old friends, you don't really care about them being the most talented or successful people you know. They will have their flaws, but you'll still love them despite those flaws anyway.
Sure, you'll meet new friends. New friends that are sometimes more interesting or fun at certain points in your life. They could be more good looking (Adam Levine may be oozing with hotness, but I'll never pick him over John Rzeznik's gracefully aging ass), or in song terms, they could play catchier riffs or make you feel more like letting loose and going crazy, but they will never know you or touch you down to your very core like your oldest friends always will. You have that confidence that your old friends will be there for you at the end of the day, right in your iPod or CD, to make you feel at your best.
I don't know if I'm being too much of a Penny Lane or a Peyton Sawyer. I may be amplifying the meaning of these songs a tad bit too much, but if you experience the same fandom or love I feel for a particular song or band, I bet you could relate… somehow. If you don't, let me just quote Sapphire from my favorite film Almost Famous: "They don't even know what it is to be a fan. To truly love some silly little piece of music or some band so much that it hurts."
And on August 31, their new album comes out. It will be like a reunion of some sorts, and we have a lot of catching up to do. :)
A Goo song for me is like one of your oldest, truest friends. You love them for their little quirks. I love how frustrated I get when I think of how I can never play a Rzeznik-written song the same way he does because of his ridiculous guitar tuning. Yet I love his songs for giving off that unique sound I will always recognize. I love how Takac-written songs are absolutely unpretentious - they ooze with so much of Robby's happy-go-lucky personality, it's refreshing.
Old friends know you well. Old friends always know the right things to say. The same way their lyrics hit the right spot somewhere there in my heart, whatever the hell I'm feeling. There will always be a goo song for a particular mood or feeling I'd like to immerse myself in. The Gutterflower album got me through a tough time in my adolescent years. Songs from Dizzy Up the Girl remind me of my childhood; the same songs of which were already favorites even before I was aware they were by the same artist I worship to this day. In the same way that old friends stick by you through thick and thin, there will always be the perfect Goo song out there for me whether I'm feeling elated or jaded.
I can say, with absolutely no offense, that I don't think they're the greatest band in the world. In terms of musicality, there are bands out there with better-arranged songs. There are singers out there who can belt out so much better than John Rzeznik. Rzeznik is no Santana. You don't see Robby Takac doing solo bass grooves nor does Mike Malinin totally hammer it out on the drums like no one has ever seen. With old friends, you don't really care about them being the most talented or successful people you know. They will have their flaws, but you'll still love them despite those flaws anyway.
Sure, you'll meet new friends. New friends that are sometimes more interesting or fun at certain points in your life. They could be more good looking (Adam Levine may be oozing with hotness, but I'll never pick him over John Rzeznik's gracefully aging ass), or in song terms, they could play catchier riffs or make you feel more like letting loose and going crazy, but they will never know you or touch you down to your very core like your oldest friends always will. You have that confidence that your old friends will be there for you at the end of the day, right in your iPod or CD, to make you feel at your best.
I don't know if I'm being too much of a Penny Lane or a Peyton Sawyer. I may be amplifying the meaning of these songs a tad bit too much, but if you experience the same fandom or love I feel for a particular song or band, I bet you could relate… somehow. If you don't, let me just quote Sapphire from my favorite film Almost Famous: "They don't even know what it is to be a fan. To truly love some silly little piece of music or some band so much that it hurts."
And on August 31, their new album comes out. It will be like a reunion of some sorts, and we have a lot of catching up to do. :)