GooGoo Dolls Frontman Admits To Using Limewire; Says He Likes Fan-Made Video More Than His Official Video

from the infringer!! dept

Reader samkash points us to a recent interview with The Goo Goo Doll's John Rzeznik by Mike Ragogna. There are two bits in the interview that will be interesting to folks around here. The first is that he admits that he doesn't really like the official video for the band's new single... but mentions that he much prefers a fan-made video found on YouTube:
MR: Yeah. Now, "Home" is your new single?

JR: Yes.

MR: And it comes with a video.

JR: I've got to be honest, man, I don't really like the video. They kind of wanted to do this sort take off on Lost In Translation, and I'm doing a hundred things, and I'm like, "Sure, okay, that's fine. Let's do it." You know, there's another video out on YouTube that the fans made. They sent in little video clips and some woman edited them together, and I think it captures a lot more emotion than the official video did.

MR: Often, fans do know what's best.

JR: They do, they always do.

Stories like this always amuse me, because, of course, it wasn't that long ago that all we heard was how evil such "infringers" were, in creating their own videos "using music that doesn't belong to them." It's always nice to see musicians realize that fans making videos are fans making videos, rather than threatening them with infringement claims.

The second interesting bit is the fact that Rzeznik admits to using Limewire to find a song that he couldn't get on iTunes. This is, of course, why many folks use tools like Limewire, but if you believe some of the people speaking out against file sharing, you would hear that it's "destroying the music business," how no real musicians would ever use file sharing programs, and how the only reason people use stuff is because "they just want stuff for free." Not only does this show, yet again, that there are other reasons why some folks use file sharing programs, but in this case, Rzeznik not only downloaded the song, but it resulted in the Goo Goo Dolls covering the song he downloaded on their latest "deluxe version" of the album.
MR: Something For The Rest Of Us also is released as a deluxe version with a digital download of "Home," a signed lithograph, and three bonus tracks--Flesh For Lulu's "Postcard From Paradise," Pete Townshend's "Rough Boys," and the Kinks' "Catch Me Now I'm Falling"?

JR: Yeah, yeah.

MR: What inspired the covers?

JR: Well, I love that Flesh For Lulu song. It's such a great song, and I was looking through the old CDs and stuff trying to download it online. Actually, I have to confess that I went to Limewire and found a copy of the original song because I couldn't find it on iTunes. So, if I ever run into the guys from Flesh For Lulu, I promise I'll give them a buck (laughs). It's just such a great pop song, and people don't write songs like that very much anymore.
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Filed Under: fans, file sharing, goo goo dolls, john rzeznik, mashups, videos


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  1. icon
    Christopher Gizzi (profile), 14 Sep 2010 @ 10:40am

    Ethics & Vaule

    Two things also stick out at me as poignant:

    1. The fans always know what's best. It actually touches on crowd theory and mass psychology a bit. Not to be confused with the related mob mentality but you get the idea. The fans ALWAYS know what's right and that's the free market at work. The sooner the labels and remaining artists realize that, the happier we'll all be.

    2. Rzeznik admits to file sharing but will give the band Flesh For Lulu a buck which means even he feels the cost for an "unauthorized" download is far less than the ridiculous $750 a song nonsense people are asking for. When the artist says his songs are "worth" (and I use that term incorrectly because they tend to misunderstand price & value) a dollar on Limewire, you know the labels are not representing their interests at all.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. icon
    ofb2632 (profile), 14 Sep 2010 @ 11:22am

    new fan

    I am now an official new fan of the googoo dolls. What a name, though

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. icon
    Nick Dynice (profile), 14 Sep 2010 @ 11:44am

    That song Flesh for Lulu track is on iTunes now, with a release date of November 11 2009. But I know that is not necessarily the date it was put up on iTunes.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. icon
    Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 14 Sep 2010 @ 12:04pm

    Re: new fan

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Sep 2010 @ 12:40pm

    Limewire?

    Someone get the guy a what.cd invitation!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. icon
    Nastybutler77 (profile), 14 Sep 2010 @ 4:26pm

    It's quiet in here. A little too quite.

    I wonder if Flesh for Lulu's label will sue Rzeznik now for some ridiculous amount. It should be an open and shut case since he admitted his "theft."

    Come on, where are all the usual copyright wonks to bemoan how he's "stealing" from the poor artists who can't be expected to work for free? Funny how friends of copyright attack Mike until their fingers are bleeding when he posts about John Mellencamp's misguided notions on taking ideas, but nary a peep out of those same folks on this posting. Hmm. Interesting.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. icon
    dontneedthesame (profile), 14 Sep 2010 @ 9:30pm

    Re: new fan

    Congratulations! The Goos will not waste your time. And re the name: I like it. It's sure better than "The Beatles", even Lennon thought that was hopelessly stupid (he'd thought it up)and writhed in embarrassment every time he heard it. He was forever dreaming up new names with which to relaunch the band but never successfully. He ended up quiting the band instead.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. icon
    Hephaestus (profile), 15 Sep 2010 @ 6:31am

    Re: It's quiet in here. A little too quite.

    LOL ... yeah way to quiet. John Rzeznik probably also got a stern talking to by his record label about this.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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