http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=287063
02-29-08
Published
on
Friday,
February
29,
2008
Puddle
of
Mudd
shares
the
roller-coaster
ride
By
Brian
Dukes
Staff
writer
Puddle
of
Mudd
has
experienced
the
highs
and
lows
of
show
business,
from
several
hit
singles
and
a
world
tour
to
diminishing
sales
and
lack
of
label
support.
But
Doug
Ardito,
the
band’s
bassist,
says
the
band’s
struggles
have
only
made
them
stronger.
And
it’s
a
stronger,
riding-high-again
Puddle
of
Mudd
that
will
perform
at
Jesters
Pub
Saturday
night.
Neurosonic
and
Tyler
Read
will
open
the
show,
which
starts
at
9
p.m.
Weekender
caught
up
with
Ardito,
who
spoke
via
cell
phone
from
Richmond,
Va.
He
talked
about
fame,
the
band’s
latest
CD,
“Famous,”
and
being
tight
with
rapper
Ludacris.
Weekender:
What
can
people
expect
when
you
guys
take
the
stage
at
Jesters
Pub?
Ardito:
We’ll
be
playing
a
lot
of
the
new
stuff
from
“Famous,”
like
“Psycho”
and
“We
Don’t
Have
To
Look
Back
Now,”
as
well
as
some
of
our
past
stuff.
Of
course,
“Blurry”
Weekender:
You’ve
been
there
since
the
band’s
beginning.
How
have
you
dealt
with
both
the
turmoil
of
having
members
leave,
and
the
success
of
being
at
the
top
of
the
charts?
Ardito:
It
was
a
roller-coaster
ride.
In
the
beginning
you
have
no
expectations,
and
then
all
your
dreams
are
met.
You
pinch
yourself.
You’re
still
driving
your
crappy
car,
but
your
song
is
on
the
radio
every
five
seconds.
It
was
like
it
wasn’t
really
happening.
Weekender:
When
did
the
dream
wear
off?
Ardito:
Well,
the
second
album
didn’t
blow
up
as
much,
and
we
started
slugging
it
out.
It
took
us
three
years
to
make
the
next
record.
But
that
was
a
choice,
because
we
really
needed
to
recharge.
Now
we’re
coming
back
to
some
highs
again.
We’re
glad
to
be
done
with
the
dark
times.
Weekender:
How
does
your
latest
album,
“Famous,”
compare
to
“Come
Clean”?
Ardito:
We
had
our
whole
lives
to
come
up
with
material
for
“Come
Clean.”
But
you
get
one
chance
to
do
that,
then
you’re
on
the
back
of
a
bus
for
18
months
writing
the
next
record,
and
it’s
hard
to
write
while
on
the
road.
And
the
industry
is
a
lot
different
now
than
in
2001
when
“Come
Clean”
debuted.
It’s
a
lot
more
singles
oriented,
thanks
to
iTunes.
So
on
“Famous”
we
had
to
make
sure
all
11
songs
feel
like
singles.
That
puts
a
lot
of
pressure
on
songwriting.
But
“Famous”
feels
good
from
beginning
to
end.
I
don’t
think
there
are
any
fast-forwards.
Weekender:
You
took
a
page
out
of
hip-hop’s
playbook
on
“Famous”
by
working
with
several
guest
producers.
How
do
you
feel
about
the
results?
Ardito:
Song
to
song,
we
got
what
we
needed
and
created
an
easy-to-listen-to
album.
The
album’s
sound
can
change
from
producer
to
producer,
so
it’s
a
different
kind
of
consistency,
but
it
was
great
to
have
each
of
them
trying
to
out-do
each
other.
We
benefited
from
their
competitiveness.
It
was
like
having
Timbaland
and
The
Neptunes,
but
with
rock
producers.
Weekender:
If
you
could
collaborate
with
any
hip-hop
artist
today,
who’s
at
the
top
of
the
list?
Ardito:
Pharrell
likes
Wes’s
vocals,
and
Ludacris
loves
“Blurry.”
Weekender:
Really?
Wow.
Ardito:
Yeah
it’s
cool.
Ludacris
had
it
listed
as
his
favorite
song
for
the
longest
time
—
until
“Crazy”
came
out
from
Gnarls
Barkley.
Weekender:
Ouch.
Yeah,
that’s
a
great
song.
Ardito:
Yeah,
“Crazy”
trumped
“Blurry,”
but
it’s
still
cool
to
be
in
Ludacris’s
top
two.
I’d
also
love
to
work
with
Master
P.
Oh,
and
Warren
G.
told
us
he
loves
our
music.
Juvenile
and
T.I.
would
be
great
to
work
with.
Weekender:
If
you
could
work
with
anyone,
any
genre,
who
would
that
be?
Ardito:
Prince.
He’s
so
talented;
he
can
play
every
instrument
—
even
yours
—
better
than
you
can.
Staff
writer
Brian
Dukes
can
be
reached
at
dukesb@fayobserver.com
or
323-4848,
ext.
411.
PUDDLE
OF
MUDD
With
Neurosonic
and
Tyler
Read
When:
Saturday.
Doors
open
at
8
p.m.;
show
starts
at
9.
Where:
Jesters
Pub,
6577
Fisher
Road
Tickets:
$25.
Call
423-6100
or
go
to
www.jesterspub.com.
MUDD
FACTS
Puddle
of
Mudd
was
one
of
the
first
acts
signed
to
the
Flawless
Records
label,
which
is
run
by
Limp
Bizkit
frontman
Fred
Durst.
Lead
vocalist
and
guitarist
Wes
Scantlin
and
bassist
Doug
Ardito
are
the
only
remaining
founding
members.
From
2001
to
2003,
the
band
had
several
Top
5
tracks
on
both
Billboard’s
Modern
Rock
and
Mainstream
Rock
Tracks
charts,
including
“Control,”
“She
Hates
Me,”
“Drift
&
Die”
“Blurry”
and
“Away
From
Me.”
Most
recently
“Psycho”
hit
No.
1
on
Billboard’s
Hot
Mainstream
Rock
Tracks,
while,
in
2007,
“Famous”
hit
No.
2
on
the
same
chart.