The Good Interview

INTERVIEW WITH THE GOOD FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES

DM) When did you first start in music?

TR) I started playing the trumpet in the 5th grade, after a harrowing period during which I was told my lips would be better suited for trombone. I continued to play trumpet in high school and university bands, all the way through college, and I never picked up a guitar until I was out of school altogether. I never sang much at all until I was out of college, either. I suppose some people will say I have still not sung, to speak of!

DM) Were you able to sing and never tried, or did you finally learn to sing?

TR) I was always able to sing, I suppose, but it wasn't something I ever thought of doing very often. I grew up in a house full of brothers who took every opportunity to savage and humiliate each other...I wasn't about to start singing then. I was never formally trained, but I have been taking lessons for a year or so to strengthen my voice, which takes a lot of punishment when we're touring a lot. The lessons have helped tremendously.

DM) What do your brothers say about your career now?

TR) They're my biggest fans. And they still can't believe I can sing!

DM) What do you do for fun,outside of music?

TR) I'm pretty low key...my friends and family will tell you that my favorite activity is going to the movies, if that qualifies as an activity. Luckily, my wife loves movies, too. We take hikes and go on other outdoor excursions occasionally, but I'll go out on a limb here and say, I seldom have fun that does not include music.

DM) How does your wife feel about your music?

TR) She loves my music, and, in fact, she's ridiculously supportive of all of my artistic endeavors. She's another writer, so she understands. If she were not a fan of the band, I can't imagine that I'd have married her. I should point out that we were mutual fans of each other before the band even existed. It wasn't that she was a groupie or anything like that.

DM) Does touring become a strain on the relationship?

TR) Sometimes, yeah. But we've solved that by just taking lots of mini-trips out on the road... We're never gone for more than a week at a time, really. That makes it difficult to play in Portland, Oregon, but we're not planning to trek all the way out there until we have our first number one single anyway.

DM) Is your playing still fun, or has it become work?

TR) That's a good question. It really depends on the circumstances. I'm sure any musician will tell you, there are nights when the crowd is apathetic beyond repair; those nights always turn into work. Rehearsing old material with a new band member is work. Loading in and out, making phone calls, putting together packages--all the stuff that has to happen before you can play a single note onstage, that's certainly work. But still, most of the time, rehearsing and playing live are the supremely satisfying payoff to all that work. And yes, lots of fun.

All those NBA basketball players who say they'd play for free? Maybe, but they wouldn't be making it their f---ing careers, I can promise you that.

DM) If you weren't in music, what would you see yourself doing?

TR) If I could write for The Onion, I would do that.

DM) Write for The Onion?

TR) Yeah, it's that mercilessly funny parody newspaper out of Madison, Wisconsin. They have headlines like "New President Feels Nation's Pain, Breasts." Go to their website if you've never seen it. I would love to write for them.

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