Work From Home: John Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls

Day number who-even-knows of no live shows: Are you wondering what your favorite musicians are up to during this mandated off season? It just so happens we’ve been checking in. A couple months ago John Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls caught up with the band’s production coordinator Dan Cooper for an episode of Backstage with Crew Nation. Now, we get a little insight into Rzeznik’s home life, how he’s helping out his community on a local level and some words of encouragement.
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[Editor’s note: This interview was conducted 4/13/2020]
Work From Home: Goo Goo Dolls
Setlist.fm: What is a typical day looking like for you during this lockdown?
John Rzeznik: Try to get outside and run around the backyard, throw the ball around with the dog, clean the house, mostly play with my daughter. I try to stay away from social media. I'm doing more things where I'm just sitting in my hallway, playing my guitar.
Setlist.fm: You were able to finish up your UK run of dates in February, before all of this hit. Were there any rumblings or rumors at the time?
JR: Yeah a little bit, you weren’t hearing that much about it. When I got back to the States, I spent a couple weeks in Los Angeles working on some new material - that's when it got weird. I got a mask and some gloves and a big bottle of hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes, and got on the airplane and came home.
Setlist.fm: So what was your favorite show of the Miracle Pill Tour, so far?
JR: I just love when the room's full and everybody's having a good time. That's the biggest thing I miss right now, is being able to go out and connect with an audience and have fun like that.

Setlist.fm: "Fearless" is your next single. Was that the plan pre-pandemic? Or were you like, "Lyrically, this is what the world needs right now?"
JR: That was the plan pre-pandemic. It's a little strange, but that was the planned single.
Setlist.fm: The live video for “Fearless" was shot at Kalamazoo State Theater. Was that the plan to release the live video, or did you want to make a music video for it?
JR: I mean music videos, I mean, that kind of stuff is for pop bands. When they make a live video of it, it just sort of captures the performance, which is always more fun. If someone came up with a good idea I would definitely make a video for it.
Setlist.fm: The live streaming you've been doing, I saw that you're doing a ton for charity. With all the people that need help right now, how do you even decide who to give your time to?
JR: I'm doing something local and something on a national level. So I'm working with a thing called We Love Local here in New Jersey to help keep all the little mom-and-pop businesses open. People take the initiative to start their businesses and they put in 16 hours a day, six or seven days a week, and something like this comes along and it just, it can wipe you out. That's why I really hope everybody's ordering pizza, and, you know, doing as much as they can to support their local businesses.
On a national level, I made a challenge. Live Nation has an initiative for about $10 million. They put in the first five, second five is gonna be matched dollar-for-dollar. Look up online Crew Nation, you can buy some swag from there, or you can just make a donation. That is gonna keep the people who are the unsung heroes of every summer. The guys that hang the lights and put up the sound systems and make sure everything’s safe, and clean, and perfect, so that everybody can have a great time. And nobody sees those people and I think now is the time to really help those guys out.
Setlist.fm: What Goo Goo Dolls song do you think is best for getting through a hard time?
JR: Everybody's got a song that they have their own story about. You know, they listen to "Iris" and "Better Days,” "Boxes.” I kind of leave that up to other people to decide.
Setlist.fm: Any messages of positivity for your fans out there?
JR: Well, be kind to yourselves and be good to each other. You need to reach out to whoever you can, especially if you live alone. Take the opportunity to do something that you want to do. You know, that you haven't had time to do. If we all kind of do whatever we can to improve ourselves and help other people out, we'll get through this.
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Today (July 10) the band also dropped a Deluxe Edition of Miracle Pill, featuring three never-before-heard tracks including “Just A Man”, “The Right Track” and “Tonight, Together.”

Goo Goo Dolls 2021 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
6/19/21 - Del Mar, CA - San Diego County Fair Summer Concert Series
7/22/21 - Boise, ID - Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
7/25/21 - Portland, OR - Edgefield
7/27/21 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
7/28/21 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheater
7/30/21 - St. Louis, MO - St. Louis Music Park
7/31/21 - Lincoln, NE - Pinewood Bowl Amphitheatre
8/2/21 - Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
8/4/21 - Huber, Heights, OH - Rose Music Center At The Heights
8/5/21 - Indianapolis, IN - Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn At White River
8/6/21 - Chicago, IL - Huntington Bank Pavilion At Northerly Island
8/8/21 - Sterling Heights, MI - Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre At Freedom Hill
8/9/21 - Toronto, OH - Budweiser Stage
8/11/21 - Cleveland, OH - Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
8/12/21 - Syracuse, NY - St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheatre at Lakeview
8/14/21 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Pavilion
8/15/21 - Gilford, NH - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
8/17/21 - Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap - Filene Center
8/18/21 - Boston, MA - Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
8/20/21 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Amphitheatre
8/21/21 - Philadelphia, PA - MANN Center For The Performing Arts
8/22/21 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
8/24/21 - Raleigh, NC - Red Hat Amphitheater
8/25/21 - Jacksonville, FL - Daily’s Place
8/27/21 - Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
8/28/21 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheater
8/29/21 - Atlanta, GA - Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
8/31/21 - Houston, TX - Smart Financial Centre
9/1/21 - Dallas TX - The Pavilion At Toyota Music Factory
9/5/21 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
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Last updated: 28 Mar 2024, 23:31 Etc/UTC