Smash Mouth
MY FAVORITE THINGS
Smash Mouth's Steve Harwell
Retro-rockers Smash Mouth may have seemed destined for one-hit wonderdom when FUSH YU MANG's "Walkin' on the Sun" won over alt-rock lovers with its retro-pop organ and ska-punk skank, but their new ASTRO LOUNGE suggests they have no intention of fading away. The band's new single, "All Star," is a block-rockin' jock jam that may turn out to be the top-down soundtrack of the summer, and the rest of ASTRO LOUNGE is punchier and fresher than anything detractors would have imagined from the San Jose, California, quartet. In conversation with bn.com's Jon Dolan, singer Steve Harwell unveiled his CD collection and uncovered a few secrets -- including his lifelong fixation on the King of Rock 'n' Roll.
barnesandnoble.com: What albums inspired you to be a musician?
Steve Harwell: My first Elvis Presley album. It was a live album from the early '70s. When I was a kid, I was infatuated with him, and I became a huge Elvis fan. My parents thought it was weird -- they were like, "What are you doin' liking this guy?"
bn: What discs are in heavy rotation on your CD player right now?
SH: Stone Temple Pilots. When I put in a STP record, I imagine myself singing those songs. I wanna be Scott Weiland. Ya know, it's like, I still dream about being a different kind of rock star, though that might sound kooky. I think that's why we wrote some of the stuff on this record -- like "Who's There" really has an STP/Foo Fighters kind of feel. I also like things like James's BEST OF record. They were so influential on the Smiths, and even U2, because they were doing it before those bands. I've worn that damn CD out. I was on a plane coming home from Japan, and it had so many scratches, it wouldn't work in my player. But this guy had a CD-repair kit, and I spent, like, three hours sanding the scratches off that damn disc.
bn: Anything else?
SH: Actually, somebody gave me that Garth Brooks box, and I really like it. People think I'm a freak because I like country music, but there are some great songs on there.
bn: What CDs do you put on when you want to chill out?
SH: Well, BIG THING by Duran Duran. It was one of their later records that didn't do much, but it was one of their best-written records. I used to listen to it every night over and over again to fall asleep. Another thing I've been into is those old mystery shows, like "The Shadow Knows." I can put those on late at night and turn off the lights. My best friend turned me on to them, and last year I was at a Barnes & Noble, actually, and I was thinking, I wonder if they have those mystery tapes, and they had a whole section, which was great for me. I'm not really a big reader, so I'm gonna start getting more of that stuff.
bn: What song do you wish you had written, and why?
SH: "Stuck on You" by Failure. The thing that hits me right away is the guitar riff in the beginning and the chorus. You can tell the guy has done drugs, and he talks about how controlling this is for his mind and body. At first you think he's talking about a girl, but he's really talking about heroin or something. It's really powerful.
© 2009 All Media Guide, LLC