Goo Goo Dolls vocalist gets candid ahead of Des Moines show

Multi-platinum and Grammy-nominated band Goo Goo Dolls is set to perform at Hoyt Sherman Place Sunday, Nov. 3. In support of the Goo Goo Dolls' new project, "Miracle Pill," the band's bassist and vocalist, Robby Takac, got candid with the Register before the band's performance. 

Goo Goo Dolls formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York. Takac said in an interview with the Register that fellow bandmate Johnny Rzeznik was initially in a band called The Beaumonts with his cousins. "I started playing with the band a little bit, and John and I became friends," Takac said. "We moved in together and been hanging out ever since then." 

Earlier in the band's career, the Goo Goo Dolls received criticism due to their similar sound to band The Replacements. Loving the sounds of punk rock, Takac mentioned that the group took a liking to bands such as The Replacements and The Rolling Stones: "I think we did our best to take what we learned from all those people and make records," he said. "Somewhere along the way, we found our voice, and so we've been making records ever since." 

In 1987, Goo Goo Dolls were signed to the label Metal Blade. For Takac, it wasn't the label he thought the band should have been on, but they didn't have a home at the time.

However, as fate would have it, Goo Goo Dolls developed a relationship with Warner Bros and was selected as one of the acts to join the label. Takac wanted to make it clear that there are no regrets of Goo Goo Dolls signing to Metal Blade because they were "a bridge to get where we are today." Goo Goo Dolls finally saw commercial success with the 1995 release of "A Boy Named Goo" released on Metal Blade's parent company, Warner Bros. 

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The song that helped catapult the fifth studio album was "Name," which went on to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. 

Takac said before the release of "Name," the band had little chance of breaking into the charts with the likes of groups Poison and Winger's popularity. "John wrote 'Name' and that resonated with a lot of people, still does to this day," he said. "I think things lined up, and that song got really big."  

Following the success of "A Boy Named Goo," drummer Mike Malinin replaced former drummer George Tutuska. On why Malinin replaced Tutuska, Takac said that "every relationship is a dance.

"When things get a little weird, I don't think it was an option for us to stop really. We were figuring out how to get to the next phase and finding a new drummer at that point," he added. 

Even though Goo Goo Dolls were transitioning with a new drummer, "Name" opened up more doors for the band. In 1998, Goo Goo Dolls released "Dizzy Up The Girl," selling over 4 million albums, according to Billboard. Around the same time, Rzeznik got an offer to write "Iris" and record the song with the band for the 1998 film "City of Angels." 

"We knew that there was going to be a shift at that point, for sure," Takac said. "That whole experience did a lot to shape what 'Dizzy Up The Girl' sounded like."

With the group's 2019 release of "Miracle Pill" reflecting today's society of isolation with the help of technology, Takac said that fans could expect new records and hits for their upcoming performance. The last time the Goo Goo Dolls performed in Iowa was in 2014 at the Iowa State Grandstand Fair. Their first performance at the fair dates back to 1996. 

If you go:

When: Sunday, Nov.3 at 8 p.m. 

Where: Hoyt Sherman Place Address: 501 Woodland Ave 

Tickets: HoytSherman.Org

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