SIL. Why the name Puddle of Mudd?
WS. We practiced right next door to the levy ( Missouri). It was always flooded, and was a real nightmare. It never ruined our equipment because we were on the second floor of this really crappy building. We were paying 65 or 70 bucks a month. We were on the second floor but we still had to walk through a pile of shit to get to our space.
SIL. I don’t know what 70 dollars a month would buy anymore.
WS. It was in the ghetto. It was treacherous. I spend that much on three Coors Lights in L.A.
SIL. How did you guys get involved with Fred Durst?
WS. We went to a Family Values concert. A buddy of mine showed up with a fake backstage pass, so we went backstage with a demo tape and I gave it to Fred’s security guard. Two weeks later, Fred called me up and the rest is history.
SIL. Do you still have contact with Fred or Jordan Schur?
WS. I don’t have much contact with those guys anymore. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for getting my foot in the door and getting me started. But they’re busy bees. We chat every once in a while.
SIL. Do you remember the first time you heard “Control” on the radio?
WS. Yeah, I was driving down Sunset Boulevard with some chick I had just met. We were in her Cadillac Escalade and it came on, and I was just like “Check this out, babe”. I think I got a blowj. I think she went down on me there in the car.
SIL. How did the song and video for “Control” come about?
WS. It’s about a girl I used to go out with. She was a stripper. I would go pick her up from work and smack her ass. She would always say, “I like the way you smack my ass”. I snagged those lyrics from her.
SIL. Is it hard to keep coming up with hits?
WS. No, I just keep coming up with really hooky songs. They’re all haunting melodic rock tunes. I’m not really trying to change the formula. Maybe I’ll try to sing better.
SIL. I see Paul is back in the band now. How did the last guy feel about leaving?
WS. I’ll tell you this, being the boss isn’t easy, that’s for sure. I had to let him go, and tell him that I had to give this guy another shot. Paul knows a lot more songs than Christian does. Christian is an amazing musician and a great person. I have nothing bad to say about the guy. Paul was with me and had my back for a long time.
SIL. Is the title of the new album a play on words with the old Stevie Wonder record?
WS. I’ve heard that, but it wasn’t the case. It was unintentional. I honestly didn’t know about the other record. Paul Phillips just kind of looked up in the air with a serious look on his face and came out with “ Songs In the Key of Love and Hate”. I thought it was perfect.
SIL. On your Myspace page, I heard some of your new song, “Spaceship”. It sounds great.
WS. I really appreciate it.
SIL. What are your plans after releasing the new record?
WS. We’re going on tour for about a year and a half. After that, we’ll get back in the studio and do another record.
SIL. Do you do other things in addition to recording and touring?
WS. Yeah, I’ve been getting into producing. I produce a lot of the stuff for Puddle of Mudd. We’re getting old and brittle, and will only be able to play on Fridays. I need something to fall back on.
SIL. Would you like to produce and sign other bands?
WS. In the past, I really thought I would. But the record business is really shaky right now. For now, I want to do everything for Puddle of Mudd. But I will give props to anyone and everyone in a band and will point you in the right direction.
SIL. Regarding the state of the industry, how do you feel about that?
WS. They need to crack down on the illegal downloading. When I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to go into a store and steal whatever CD I wanted. But now it sucks, because you can’t do anything about it. It seems like a lot of people just don’t care, but some people still do appreciate the fact that we go in the studio and work our behinds off and put all of our effort into it. It would be nice to get the recognition we receive through someone buying the CD.
SIL. I talked with Paul Thorn and he came up with a great line, “I could understand if we were asking for four hundred dollars, but I’m just asking for fourteen”.
WS. He’s right. Be cool and support the musicians who work hard. I bust my ass.