John Rzeznik has been the lead singer for the Goo Goo Dolls for years, sold millions of records, and played packed houses around the world. His next task: being a judge on FOX’s The Next Great American Band. The Next Great American Band premieres tomorrow and Rzeznik, in the interview, gives us a taste of what we can all expect to see. We got to sit down with John one-on-one down in Los Angeles as part of FOX’s Fall TV press junket, and the man was kind and extremely well-spoken. It’s not often you get to sit down next to a bona fide rock star.
Below you will find the full mp3 audio of the interview.
Some highlights from the interview:
John got a phone call and he definitely was hesitant to take a gig on reality TV, but when he met with producers and heard the whole concept of the show, he was in. He liked that it was actually real bands, and playing their own stuff, or adapting music using there own style. He likens it to a modern-day Battle of the Bands.
He admits to not being a fan of American Idol, although American Band will have a similar format. During the auditions, one of the things he was most surprised by was how young a lot of the talented bands were, including little kids who play the guitar better than he can. He has no problem with judging different genres of bands, because he likes all kind of music. He’s also a fan of songs over bands, so he comes in to every audition with an open mind.
He believes that you can be honest without being cruel and that’s the mindset he had going into The Next Great American Band. He was told over and over again to just be honest. John has no idea how well the Goo Goo Dolls would have done on American Band, and that it’s just a whole different world out there for bands these days.
-Interview Conducted by Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
