Goo Goo Dolls Talk Big Dreams

Formed during a time when American youth were adamantly rejecting everything about pop culture, the Goo Goo Dolls started with hopes of killing time and perhaps getting a few free beers. Having 13 Top 10 singles—something they later achieved—was nowhere in sight.

For many, this is how they see the Goo Goo Dolls: top ten singles, global tours, 10 million albums sold, and a lengthy career. But as front man Johnny Rzeznik points out, “you have to look at the facts.”

“We had been working for eight years [before ‘Name’ charted],” says Rzeznik in the October issue of Variance Magazine. “We traveled around in a crappy van before we actually hit.”

Nearly 25 years later, the Goo Goo Dolls are still just "regular" people. “We still take the trash out on Wednesday nights. We try to have as normal lives as possible. And I think that’s one of the things that’s held us together."

Perhaps that’s the reason many fans relate to the band. And it’s also one of the elements behind the new album.

“I think the Rest of Us is the most of us,” Rzeznik declares of their latest project,Something for the Rest of Us. “I think a lot of people are left out of the equation today. And we wanted to give them a voice. We're living in a tough time.”

In the latest issue of Variance, Rzeznik shares some heartfelt advice for other musicians who may be following in his footsteps, as well as the "biggest mistake" he ever made and his thoughts on the YouTube generation and changes in the music industry.