INTERVIEW WITH STAIND GUTARIST MIKE MUSHOK

STAIND has just released their fifth studio disc, Chapter V and that means it's interview time! Thank God more mainstream bands are acknowleging the internet as a viable means to promote themselves, because while it's cool to chat (or Email) it up with bands who were famous fifteen years ago, it's more gooder to ask dopey-ass questions to bands who have songs on the radio and videos on the networks NOW. Such is the case with Mike Mushok, primary songwriter and guitarist for Staind. After I got offered this interview for Foundrymusic.com, we were trying to get Mike, Aaron, Johnny, and Jon booked on the 'Opie and Anthony' show. Unfortunately, their scheduling wouldn't allow it, and it's a lot easier for one guy to do a phoner at 2pm from a cell phone on a bus somewhere in the midwest, than waking up an entire band at 6am to do a live radio show in New York. I have to thank Rob and Lisa from Paragon Music Magazine once again, because unlike me, they have time to do a phoner. All I can do is hand over a page of goofy-ass questions...that look something like this...

Paragon Lisa: I know this is sort of a “stock” question that you probably get asked a lot, but I’ll go for it anyway. A lot of the focus on the band is in Aaron’s lyrics and the emotions behind the songs that he exudes through his vocals. When it comes to writing the songs, does the band write the music first, or do you heavily rely on the emotions Aaron wants to portray through the music, thus writing the music to suit those feelings and ideas?

Mike Mushok: No, actually, the lyrics are usually the last things to go down on the song. Most of the time, songs are written, arranged, and recorded before the melody of the lyrics is done.

Steve C: After touring the world and making a respectable amount of money in a successful rock band, how difficult is it to get back into writing mode and create some of these melancholy songs that Staind is known for? At this point, are you guys running out of things to be bummed out about?

Mike Mushok: I guess if you’re going to translate Aaron’s lyrics into “being bummed out,” then it’s more a question for him. I don’t necessarily think that’s particularly true. You might not be listening hard enough if you do. But, I do know that I’ve heard him say that there are a lot of things going on, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be about a personal thing to be pissed off about.


Whoa. How do you get your hair to stand up like that? Oh...Right... he's doing the headbanging...

Steve C: You guys just finished a tour with 3 Doors Down.

Mike Mushok: We’re actually still out with them.

Steve C: Describe the difference between touring with them, and some of the more aggressive acts you guys have toured with in the past?

Mike Mushok: As far as what goes, the audience or the bands themselves?

Steve C: I guess whichever stands out more…

Mike Mushok: I don’t know. I don’t think there’s really that much that stands out as being all that different to me. The shows have been really, really good, and I think that both 3 Doors Down and we have a pretty solid fan base. We have our fans that show up, and they have a lot of their fans that show up, and the idea, at least in my mind, in wanting to do a tour like this, is for both bands to be able to play in front of some different people that might not necessarily be a fan of what you do, or they kind of know about you but hopefully that show will make them say, “Wow, that’s pretty cool, I think I wanna know a little more about that or hear some more songs or maybe go to another show and see what they’re doing.” It’s all about trying to keep the fans that you have and hopefully win some more along the way.

Paragon Lisa: You started the tour before your album released. Do you plan on hitting the road again in support of the album, either as a headliner or support act?

Mike Mushok: Oh yeah. The record came out last week, and there was about a week off of the tour. We did a bunch of promo stuff, actually, at home for a few days. And we started off yesterday, and this goes until around September 11th or 12th. We get a few days at home, then we go off to Europe for about a month or so, and then we come back and early November, we do a headlining tour for ourselves in the States, right after the holidays. And then more touring next year, hopefully Australia, more Europe, and back to the States. You just hope to keep going and stay out there and promote the record.

Steve C: Have you heard the new LIMP BIZKIT disc? It's an awfully big departure (and bold move) considering the songs that made them popular were a bit more radio-friendly, and resulted in less-than-amazing sales. Do you ever see Staind taking that bold of a step musically?

Mike Mushok: I don’t know how to take that one, I guess. To me, on this record, we did take some steps. The thing about music is everybody has an opinion about it, everyone can perceive things differently. And that can be kind of interesting, to see how certain people perceive what you do and how it’s taken and how it’s the complete opposite and you kind of wonder, “Where did that come from?” We definitely try to do that on every record, and just try to grow as a band, to do things that we hopefully haven’t done and to try to take it somewhere else. And that’s what we feel the record has done; we felt we’ve achieved that. We definitely try to grow with each record, and to do things a little bit differently. And I think if you listen to Tormented and compare it to this record, or even the last record compared to this record, I can hear it. (Ok Mike, then YOU would be the only one. 'Chapter V')


Yeah, this new album sounds like Paul Anka!

Steve C: The music business as it has been known for decades is fairly broken. Albums don't sell as much as singles, peer-to-peer programs forced a lot of bands off the road and out of business, and record labels folded, consolidated, or otherwise bit the dust. Describe how YOU would repair the music business based on what you have experienced with your own band?

Mike Mushok: Hindsight is a real easy thing. One thing that I think, in looking back at what happened, and the way things are today, it really kind of seems like, God, it’s probably 4 or 5 years ago now when Napster was up and running and METALLICA was trying to sue them, but everybody was just getting songs in peer-to-peer and sharing files, and Napster went to the record companies, from what I understand, and said, “Let’s be partners on this, let’s do this 50/50.” And the record companies are just so friggin greedy that they’re like, “No way, we’ve been making all this money for so long, there’s no reason why we have to do this.” And I think it was really ignorant on their part to think that this was going to go away, or that they were going to be able to take control of it. It seems that they should’ve just went into this partnership when everything was up and running and tried to make it work then, rather than trying to stop them, which they did, but as we know, you can still get songs free online. ::laughs:: They’re trying to remedy it with 99¢ songs, and iTunes, and there’s actually Napster again, Rhapsody, and all these others, and that’s a good thing. But I think there’s probably going to be a day when people don’t put out CDs, and you can maybe go to the band’s website and get the stuff from them, and be done with the record companies. But I think you’re gonna need to be a band that has had some success to have that. I don’t know, it’s definitely a tough question, but I think the record companies kind of shot themselves in the foot. It’s a real shitty business. (They CERTAINLY did shoot themselves. It's happening again with terrestrial radio and Satellite radio. They're going to fight it for as long as they can, but ultimately, the newer technologies always stick around.)

Steve C: Hypothetical Situation: [LIMP BIZKIT frontman] Fred Durst approaches you guys and says, "Guys, I know how we're going to generate a lot of press for your new record. We're going to leak a homemade sex tape of one of you guys to the tabloids, and when it hits the press, you guys get all pissed off and act all surprised. We'll make millions!" What do you say?

Mike Mushok: ::Laughs:: “You’re insane.” I mean, you saw how it worked for Fred, didn’t ya? It didn’t! ::laughs::

Steve C: Of all the parts of the world you have toured, which city in which country has the most amazing food?

Mike Mushok: Food, oh boy. Well, there are a lot of them. I mean, being from the U.S., I kind of lean to U.S. just because Europe can be kind of tricky; getting Bolognese is always the way to go over there. ::laughs:: I don’t know man, you know, obviously New York and Chicago come to mind for great food. There’s always good food in every city, it’s just a matter of trying to track it down if that’s your thing.

Steve C: OK, now which food in which city sends you sprinting to the bathroom, holding on to both cheeks for dear life?

Mike Mushok: ::Laughs:: You know what does that the worst to me, and it can be any city, is those McDonald’s breakfast sandwiches. Those things don’t seem to last long. I haven’t had one probably in years for that reason, but, like the sausage McMuffin with egg, I’m halfway through with that thing and I need a bathroom. I don’t know what’s in them, but they’ll fuck you up bad! Me, anyway.

Steve C: Traveling in close quarters with other men makes you intimately more aware of one another's bodily functions than you'd like. If we took a poll, which member of Staind would win the 'most awful gas' award? (meaning which member of the band could knock a buzzard off a shitwagon with his farts?)

Mike Mushok: ::Laughs:: Probably have to give it to John, the drummer. The best thing is that if anybody passes wind, he gets so mad, it’s like, “Oh, I can’t believe you did that!” He farts constantly, and whenever he does, it’s the funniest thing in the world. Like, he’ll just fart and just start laughing, and it’s like, “Dude, if someone else does it, you blow a gasket,” but it’s okay for him to do it, he giggles like a little schoolgirl.


Please please please don't fart near me.

Steve C: Mike, you were recently quoted as saying, "I think we'd get destroyed on Ozzfest," because the music that made you guys popular was more melodic than Metal. Do you have any regrets about the direction the band took musically? Would you rather have built an audience with the more aggressive material?

Mike Mushok: You know what, the thing is the band is both things to me, and I think the new record really exemplifies that, there’s really a heavier, aggressive side, and then there’s a “Devil” or a “Schizophrenic [Conversations]” or an “Everything Changes,” you know, the kind that are on the other end of the spectrum. And you know what, I started playing guitar because of fuckin' JAMES TAYLOR, so I grew up listening to Folk music and then found the heavier stuff later on, so I actually really enjoy both. I personally like that the band’s diversified. Honestly, do I think we could put together a set to play at Ozzfest? I do. I think there’s a perception of what the band is, where we would get killed on it. But I think we can put together a heavy set and go out there and play it, and it’s just that because we gained success from “Outside,” “It’s Been Awhile” (those were some of our biggest songs), I think that’s the perception that’s out there and I think that’s why I think that we might have a hard time.

Paragon Rob: I’ve been wondering this for a while, especially after I heard the new disc. You guys always seem to release the more easygoing, mellow songs as singles. You do have quite a few heavier, grungier songs on the albums. Why is it that you never really release the heavier tunes to show people who may not be familiar with everything that you can do?

Mike Mushok: Well, we do. In fact, the next single is going to be “Falling” off the record, which is a heavier song. We tried to do that on the last record, the first single was “Price to Play;” and on Break the Cycle we had “For You;” and “Mudshovel,” so we have released those songs, but the thing is that it’s the songs that have crossed over to other formats that seem to be the songs that stick around, they seem to be the ones that really stick. And we have released heavy songs as singles, and you know, let’s cross our fingers and hope that “Falling” is a huge hit! ::laughs:: And there’s other heavier songs on the record that I think we can go to. They just haven’t done as well, or crossed formats, or whatever the case may be, as some of the other songs.

Steve C: If I were to rummage through the porn collection on the Staind tour bus, what titles, or what types of videos would I find?

Mike Mushok: You know, this goes to show how bad of a Rock band we are: you wouldn’t. There isn’t one! ::laughs::

Paragon Rob: You know what, to be honest with you, I get that all the time! A lot of people expect Rock bands now to be like they were in the ‘80s, with the groupies and drugs, but really, you know what I hear a lot is, “I’ve got wife and kids at home, I don’t bother with that.”

Mike Mushok: Yeah, I mean, it’s just not our thing. I don’t have a porn collection.

Paragon Rob: Cool. Any plugs or last words for our readers?

Mike Mushok: It’s the most cliché, but it’s the truth. Just thanks to everybody for helping us do what we do and keep us around. Without your readers, if they like us, or fans, we wouldn’t be able to do this, so we need them and appreciate them and want them to know that.

And there you go...fuckin' Mike from fuckin' STAIND...answering some really stupid questions. Don't forget to pick up Chapter V when you get a chance.

Also, don't forget to check out STAIND's official website STAIND.com

Extra special thanks to Rob and Lisa from Paragon Music Magazine for handling this phoner and transcribing it. Lord knows if I had to transcribe this fucker, it never would have gotten done.