http://www.popyoularity.com/variables/puddleofmuddinterview08.shtml
03-10-08
By: Debbie
popYOUlarity:Can
you
talk
a
bit
about
the
record
and
what
the
goals
were
going
into
it?
Wes:Just
like
any
other
record
we
do
we
always
try
to
make
every
single
song
on
the
record
a
possible
single
and
I
think
we
have
accomplished
that.
Unfortunately
you
cannot
release
all
of
them,
but
we
have
a
few
if
not
many
that
will
be
released
as
singles,
and
we’re
going
to
be
on
the
road
for
a
long,
long,
long
time.
We’re
really
happy
with
the
results
and
all
the
people
that
helped
out
we
were
very
fortunate
to
have
in
our
corner.
popYOUlarity:What
genre
of
music
would
be
torture
for
you
to
listen
to
for
an
hour?
Wes:I
don’t
want
to
say
country,
because
there
is
some
good
country
out
there.
Some
types
of
country
music
I
wouldn’t
like
listening
to
that
much.
popYOUlarity:How
much
pressure
have
you
guys
placed
on
yourselves
to
make
this
album,
and
just
the
whole
promotion,
a
success?
Wes:It
is
just
like
before.
It
is
all
about
having
really
good
songs
and
writing
great
hooks
and
keeping
the
listeners
attention.
There
was
not
really
any
more
pressure.
It
just
took
a
little
bit
longer
to
dial
in
the
record.
We
pulled
in
a
few
different
producers
and
a
couple
of
different
writers
for
this
one.
It
seemed
to
come
out
pretty
darn
good
and
I
am
very
happy
with
it.
popYOUlarity:How
do
you
know
when
you
have
a
collection
of
songs
and
you
get
to
the
point
where
you
realize
“this
is
our
record”?
Wes:I
went
through
that
many
times
on
this
record
where
I
thought
we
had
the
record
done
and
then
other
people
did
not
feel
the
same
way
so
we
went
back
to
the
drawing
board
and
pulled
in
a
couple
other
writers.
We
had
a
songwriter
Brian
House
from
Vancouver,
BC
who
is
a
really
amazing
guy,
and
his
whole
crew
up
here.
He
wrote
“Famous”
with
Doug
and
I
and
he
pretty
much
had
the
whole
song
done.
We
basically
just
had
to
do
the
bridge
and
some
of
the
lyrical
content
and
it
was
finished.
It
is
the
first
single
and
I
think
it
went
number
one
on
one
of
the
rock
charts.
Now
we
have
“Psycho”
and
it
is
number
one
now
so
we’ll
see
if
we
can
keep
the
number
one’s
rolling.
Number
two
isn’t
bad,
but
number
one
is
better
(laughs).
popYOUlarity:When
you
write
about
experiences
now,
how
do
you
write
about
what
you
are
going
through
with
all
the
success
you
have
achieved,
and
still
keep
it
relatable
to
the
audience?
Or,
do
you
find
that
you
are
still
going
through
the
same
things
that
you
went
through
way
back
when?
Wes:Things
have
definitely
changed.
I
used
to
make
like
$3,000
a
year,
you
know?
Now
I’m
making
a
little
more
than
that
a
year
and
can
buy
some
slightly
nice
things.
I
try
to
keep
my
life
very
interesting.
There
is
not
as
much
conflict
as
I
used
to
have,
but
you
have
to
keep
something
in
there
to
write
about.
I’m
always
writing
about
personal
situations
that
I
am
going
through.
I
don’t
know,
this
next
record
after
“Famous”
might
just
be
the
happiest
record
of
all
time,
but
I
guess
we’ll
see.
A
bunch
of
happy
songs;
like
anyone
wants
to
hear
that!
popYOUlarity:How
much
did
your
parents
taste
in
music
influence
your
taste
in
music?
Wes:I
think
a
lot.
They
listened
to
a
lot
of
Zeppelin,
Jimi
Hendrix,
and
whatever
was
playing
in
the
60’s
and
70’s
and
the
80’s.
The
glam
rock
kind
of
bled
through
a
little
bit,
but
the
grunge
was
really
the
key
factor
and
genre
of
music
that
I
enjoyed
listening
to
a
lot
because
it
was
really
dirty
sounding
and
just
really
muddy
and
tough.
A
lot
of
songs
are
written
about
a
lot
of
tough
situations
in
life
and
stuff
and
I
could
relate
it
to
my
life.
I
kind
of
connected
to
that.
There
are
a
ton,
but
I
could
not
name
every
single
artist,
or
every
single
band
that
inspired
me;
I
could
sit
here
all
day
and
just
name
them
off
but
it
would
take
forever.
popYOUlarity:What
did
you
learn
from
the
last
album
that
you
were
able
to
apply
to
this
one
to
help
you
out
this
time
around?
Wes:One
the
second
album
“Life
On
Display”
we
took
the
record
into
our
own
hands
and
didn’t
let
a
lot
of
sort
of
outside
people
get
in
the
way
of
it,
and
try
to
shun
us
this
way
or
that
way.
We
kind
of
closed
our
minds.
With
this
record
we
opened
our
minds,
and
opened
our
arms
up
and
invited
people
that
we
did
not
really
know
very
well.
The
more
people
you
write
songs
with
you
kind
of
catch
their
vibes
and
you
can
take
a
piece
of
their
vibe
with
you
and
incorporate
it
into
new
songs
that
you
write.
Working
with
other
writers
is
a
plus.
popYOUlarity:Is
it
frustrating
that
a
song
you
create
today
may
not
see
the
light
of
day
for
a
year
or
two?
Wes:Yeah,
the
song
“Psycho”
I
wrote
probably
two
and
a
half
years
ago.
When
I
wrote
it,
I
knew
it
was
going
to
be
a
really
big
hit.
As
the
record
progressed
I
was
sitting
there
wondering
if
it
would
even
make
it
on
the
record.
I
was
hoping
that
it
would,
and
it
did.
It
is
doing
really,
really
great
and
I
can’t
complain.
popYOUlarity:Do
you
believe
that
if
you
cannot
write
something
easily
that
you
have
to
put
it
aside
and
work
on
something
else?
Wes:Yeah.
Most
the
time
if
its
not
getting
goose
bumps
on
the
arms
and
making
you
feel
all
shaky
and
good
inside,
most
of
those
ones
aren’t
winners
and
I
kind
of
toss
them
to
the
side,
and
hopefully
not
forget
about
them.
With
a
lot
of
songs
you
can
write
about
three
or
four
different
songs
and
use
different
pieces.
You
can
use
a
bridge
from
one
song,
a
chorus
from
another
song
and
a
verse
from
another
song,
and
somehow
they
all
simultaneously
become
one
cool,
awesome
song.
That
happens
all
the
time.
popYOUlarity:With
Puddle
of
Mudd,
now
there
seems
to
be
expectations
for
always
having
a
good
song.
Is
that
a
good
thing,
or
is
that
a
burden?
Wes:I
think
it
is
a
little
bit
of
both.
I
wouldn’t
call
it
a
burden.
People
do
expect
a
lot
out
of
us
and
they
expect
really
good
music.
Fortunately
for
us
we
have
been
doing
this
for
like
twenty
years
now
and
our
craftsmanship
of
writing
songs
is
only
getting
better
and
better
and
better.
If
it
gets
worse,
we
won’t
be
around
for
much
longer;
I
don’t
see
that
happening
though.
popYOUlarity:When
you
look
at
music
today
is
it
amazing
because
you’re
someone
who
is
in
the
middle
of
the
industry,
how
fast
the
fads
cycle?
Wes:It
is
a
quick
world
now.
You
release
a
song
and
then
a
couple
weeks
to
a
month
later
it
is
old
news,
or
you
have
a
whole
other
genre
or
another
song
come
out.
You
have
to
keep
on
your
toes
and
keep
the
good
songs
and
hits
coming.
popYOUlarity:Good
music
is
like
an
onion
because
it
has
many
layers
to
it.
Agree
or
disagree?
Wes:Sure.
Most
of
the
time
when
you’re
chopping
onions
it
makes
you
cry.
Not
all
songs
make
you
cry,
so
that
would
be
the
only
disagreement
that
I
have,
but
there
is
a
lot
of
layers
to
music
and
songs.
popYOUlarity:Do
you
have
anything
you
would
like
to
say
to
the
readers
of
popYOUlarity?
Wes:I
would
just
like
to
say
thank
you
very
much
for
listening
to
our
music
and
getting
our
record.
We
have
children
that
are
hungry
and
we
are
trying
to
feed
them
pizza
and
chicken
wings
like
they
like
to
eat.
I
don’t
know
why
kids
like
chicken
and
pizza,
but
I
did
when
I
was
a
kid.
So
if
you
could
go
and
pick
up
the
new
album
“Famous,”
because,
you
know,
my
son
needs
about
three
or
four
more
pieces
of
pizza
each
day.
That
would
be
awesome
if
you
could
do
that
for
me.
Thank
you
and
I
would
really
appreciate
it.
We
really
enjoy
the
fans.
We
missed
you
a
lot.
We
really
did!
+
February
3,
2008
Photo:
Darcy
Fettback