The Bobby Bones Show - BONUS: BobbyCast #267 - Battle of the Songs With the Same Title + Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra Celebrates 25 Year Anniversary of No. 1 Song

Episode Date: December 24, 2020

Bobby and Eddie face off in Battle of the Songs with the Same Title. Bobby Bones talks to Kevin Griffin, the lead singer of Better Than Ezra. They just celebrated the 25th anniversary of their song ��Good” going No. 1 and just released brand new music for the first time in 2 years. We put TWO songs with the same and picked which one is the better son and which performed better on the Billboard Hot 100. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Thank you for being here. Coming up, we'll do song wars. Eddie comes in. We'll do two songs with the exact same name battling each other. For example, Crazy. By Patsy Klein. Crazy for feeling so blue.

Or, Norles Barkley, does that make me crazy? So it's all those. It was really fun. A lot more fun that I thought it was going to be. That's a Mike D. suggested segment that I think we'll do in a few weeks. Let's do it again. Yeah, I have a whole other list that we can do.

So many songs have the same name. It's a lot, yeah. Which is confusing whenever you get. on a streaming site. Yeah. Because if you were to stream and look up Jump, would they tell you

Chris Cross or Van Halen first? Well, let me look. I bet a lot of it's based on what you already search. I typed in Jump. House of Pain Jump Around comes up first in mine. Then Van Halen jump.

Then Third Eye Blind Jumper. I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend. And then jump from Chris Cross at 4. I wonder why. I guess jump around because I play in the dance party sometimes.

and I search for it to hear that intro, that be. So we'll do that coming up. I'm a massive Better Than Ezra fan. Do we have any clips on this computer? No. Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra, the lead singer, on 90s alternative, on Good, celebrating 25 years at number one,

which they're one of my favorite bands of all time just because of when I grew up, they were somewhat close. This is it. It's a little bit of, good. We'll talk to him about all the 90s, 90s alternative. Here you go. Here comes the chorus that you may not know the words too. What's great about that is that he tells the story about that coming up. One of my favorite things to sing was like, uh-huh, uh, it's good. I was like,

I wonder with that. It's good. Thank you guys. Let's get going. So it's now time for Battle of the Songs with the same title. Eddie is joining me for this bit. Eddie, thanks again. Yeah, thanks for having me, man. Check out the sore loser. podcast. Eddie is one of the three co-hosts on that show. Now we have 12 songs we're going to do. This is the Battle of Songs with the same title. Okay. We're going to start with Chris Cross

versus Van Halen. Jump. Jump. Right. Here we go. First up, Van Halen. 1984, this song came out. In 1992, Jump from Chris Cross came out. Eddie, who's your winner? Come on, man. It's Van Halen. Really? Yeah. I do. You

can't beat those keyboards on da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da I mean sure I grew up with mostly Chris Cross that was more of my wheelhouse growing up but Van Halen dude that's a jam they're both jams I'm going Chris-cross because I was so inspired in second grade I wore my

pants backward oh because they wore all their clothes backward correct and I thought these kids are rapping this is so cool and I wore my I broke my button on my pants and I only had two pair of jeans and I got a weapon when I got home because I wore my pants backward and broke the button my pants. That's how much I loved Chris Cross. And I had the cassette that had two songs, one on each side. They had singles. You had the A and the B side. And on the back side was,

I missed the bus. I missed the bus. So I'm going crisscross. Mike D, you are the, always the one that's going to tip the scale. I go Chris Cross. There you go. Wow, guys. Chris Cross, 1992. Did you all wear overalls ever? Yeah. Not necessarily backwards, but you wear the overalls? Uh-huh. And I think a lot of that too was Malcolm, Jamal Warner and Cosby Show? Correct. But you had to unbutton one of them, at least. Yeah, otherwise you were a farmer, which also people did in my town. Right.

Which one do you think was the bigger hit, though? Van Halen, number one for X weeks, or Chris Cross, number one for X weeks? Chris Cross. Well, Van Halen was number one for five weeks in 1984. Chris Cross was number one for eight weeks in 1992. All right, next up, Iggy Azalea. versus Reba. Eddie, what song do you think that is?

Fancy. Fancy is correct. Riba, 1991. Here is Iggy Azalea Fancy from 2014. It's pretty easy one, I think. Is it? Oh, they're both jams. To pick our...

It shouldn't even be a conversation. Iggy just happens to have a song that's the same name. It's not even close. Eddie, which one do you pick? Yeah, I'm going to Reba. Yeah, I go Reba too. which one do you think was number one on the Hot 100 chart for longer? I'm going to go fancy Iggy Azalea.

Well, Reba in 1991, Fancy peaked at eight only. Crazy. Because again, you're talking about a pop chart. I mean, a chart that's all the charts. Iggy was number one for six weeks in 2014. So she had the bigger hit. How about Lionel Richie and Adele? What song did they have?

It's the same title. Right. Almost sounds the same. All right, here is Lionel Richie, 1984. Niceest, sweetest guy. Just such a legend and just the warmest, the minute you meet him, you're like, man, that guy's so full of love. That's so awesome.

Just love that guy. You want to hear that about legends. Just the best. Doesn't have to be, doesn't need to be. Don't even know why he is. Just the best. Adele, this is a hello. Hello.

It's me I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to me Two smashes Yep Which one do you pick? All due respect to Lionel Richie I wasn't really Alive or knowing if I was alive

It was 1984, you were alive there Okay well I didn't really know what was happening in music 1984 so that wasn't part of my life When Adele came out with Hello I think it was her second album or she had taken a break and came back with hello and it was a big deal

to hear her voice again and she was going to keep doing music so I'm going with Adele dude I'm picking Lionel Richie because that song is still in commercials it's been around 1984 and you still see a peanut commercial hello

peanut I love that listen they're both great songs that's you really can't argue that any of these songs suck but I'm going Lionel Richie just because it has stood the test of time and if I get to pick one to listen to right now

I'm picking Lionel Richie Mike D you're the tipping Yeah, even though I wasn't alive, I'll go Linole. Linole. Which one do you think was the bigger hit, Eddie? Adele. Adele was number one for seven weeks in 2015. Lionel was number one for two weeks.

Yeah. So Adele is your one over there. Girlfriend. Who do you think sings a song called Girlfriend? We have two artists. Girlfriend. Can you name any of them? In sync.

Okay. Featuring Nelly. Okay. 2002. Here you go. Here's girlfriend. Oh, yeah, yeah. I'll treat you should

Because if you were my girlfriend Remember that? Yes, of course. Or Avril Levine. Here's Avril girlfriend. Do you know this? No, I never heard it. Okay, well, it's easy for you then.

Go ahead. Give me in sync. Yeah, me too. Although I liked that Avril song, but that was the only one number one of those two. Avril, was that a single? Was that a hit? 2007, number one song.

Okay, how about it? We have three people here. that all have the same title. The bands are Nickelback, DaBaby, and Post Malone. Oh. What is this? Photograph? No.

Nickelback, DaBaby, and Post Malone. I can't think of... What's the circle? No, no, no. No, no. Got nothing. Rockstar. Rockstar. Nickelback, 2007.

Remember this? I'll have the cassidia. Wait, is that you say that in the song? That's funny. Here is Da Baby in 2020 this year. Or post Malone from 2017. Come on. Come on.

This one's easy for me. hate nickelback. The baby, that's a cool song, but I mean, whatever. Dude, Post Malone, this is a jam. That is a jam, but I'm going Nickelback. What? Just because... What's the wrong with you? Nickelback's great. People just hate on him for existing.

He says, what does he say? I'll have the cassidia. Get that out of here. I know Mike's going to tip this to Post Malone because he's such a big postmoving. We're going post Malone. Which is why I think you went Nickelback. No.

You knew Mike was going postmovie. I think I, went nickelback for the reason you don't go nickelback. Okay. If I got to pick one song to listen to of those three, right now I'd probably pick post-blown. But nobody ever stands up for nickel-back. And you feel like you're the one that needs to. Yeah, somebody's got to be that voice. Okay. Nickelback versus Ed Sheeran.

Nickelback's in two of these? Nickelback versus Ed Sheeran. What song do they sing that's the same? Photograph. That's correct. Here is Ed Shearon, 2015. We keep this love in a photograph I'm going to make these memories for ourselves Where our eyes are never closing Hearts

And here is Nickelback Look at this photograph I'm going nickel back twice When what is that on Johnny's head Turn it up Oh Joey's head, dang it Big fan you Whatever

I'm going Nickelback Well, this sucks Because I've never heard that Ed Shearin song Well, then you got, you got this Eddie If you've never heard it, come on You've never heard Ed Shearin's photograph But there's no way I'm going for Nickelback So give me Ed Sheeran

That's my point And that's why I have to stick up for Nickelback And if that song came on at a concert And they're playing it or they're playing it Before a band comes on You're going to sing, look at this phone You're going to sing it And what the hell's Johnny's head?

Joey, I thought I was Johnny too. All right, Mike. Mike, you get to swing it. You know what? I'm going with, I've heard this song on the radio, which one I would keep on. And I would keep on the nickel back song. Nice. Nickelback with a victory. Funny.

We have six more. You like this game? That's a great game. FGL. Okay. Justin Bieber. Baby. No.

Oh, wait. Florida, Georgia. What's the one they spell? Justin Bieber. Mike, you know, obviously Mike knows. What's the one they spell out? You know what I'm talking about? I'm looking at the answer, so I do.

I don't know. What is it? Holy. Holy. Holy. H-O-L-Y. Why? H-O-L-E-L-Y.

Holy-Moly. Okay. Florida, Georgia Line, 2016. Here you go. Which, in an ironic twist of fate, was the Justin Bieber song before he got rid of it. Wow. He took it first. Cut it.

it out. So then Florida, Georgia, Lawn got it second and cut it. Great song, by the way. Okay. Justin Bieber, this is the song that's out right now. Here you go. Oh, God. Running to the altar like a track star. Chance the rapper? Eddie,

Chance the rapper? And then Chance goes, yeah, does his thing. Eddie, which one you pick in? I'm going Beebbs. Yeah, me too. This is a really good song. And they're both really good songs. And both those artists get hated on a little bit when I don't feel like they should.

I think they're both fantastic. But the Justin Bieber Holy is really good. And maybe it's new and fresh. And I don't think I would have been on it if Caitlin wasn't on it. But she was like, oh, I put a new song. Let's listen. It's great. Yeah.

My kids love it. Yeah, they did it on SNL. It was really good. Oh, they did? Yeah. Cool. How about this is going to be a little tougher, Eddie. Hot Chale Ray.

and Smashing Pumpkins. Tonight? Yeah. Tonight, tonight. So they're both Tonight Tonight Tonight's? Wow. Here is Smashing Pumpkins, 1996. Come on.

And here is Hot Shell Ray 2011. Okay. Tonight. It's a good song. Were you ever a Smashing Pumpkins kid? No, I mean, I listen to it because that's, that's, that's, was, you know, growing up, it was what everyone was listening to at the time.

Yeah? Same. I was never a big Smashing Pumpkin super fan. I like some of the songs. Bullitt with butterfly wings, freaking awesome. They had songs I liked, but I was never into just their vibe. Despite all my rage?

Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage. Smashy Pumpkins has a great library of songs. Yeah, yeah, they do. Today is greatest day I've ever known. Because he sings like... 1979?

No, 1979 is this one. Yeah. Shot back, 1979. Yeah, it is. Good stuff. So, oh, come on. Okay. It's very dramatic.

This is today's the greatest day of my life. What's it called? Today. So I think he's driving the ice cream truck on the video on this one? Yeah, I think so. And that kicks, that, the story of guitar kicks in. that's a whole other episode

good stuff Eddie which one you pick it's smashing pumpkins or hot shell ray I do like that hot shell ray song but I mean I gotta go smashing pumpkins yeah I go smashing pumpkins too play that for me like

smashing pumpkins you're winner okay 9 of 12 gnarles Barkley Patsy Klein Ooh good stuff crazy

yeah Patsy Cline 1961 Crazy I'm crazy For feeling So lonely And what Eddie and I hope Is that if you're somewhere

And they play this song You just slide in the fun fact That Willie Nelson wrote it Just out of nowhere Be like hey Obviously you know Willie Nelson wrote this Right Yeah if you're not gonna do it

We're gonna do it every single time Every single time We even had to find a creative way To do it right then And that's what we did You know Willie wrote that one Yeah yeah I do 2006 Narls Barkley crazy

Jam Sure When I think of Narls Barkley I think it's seeing them at ACL Festival. Yeah. Right when this song. Yep. Have pop pretty big.

I mean, it's easy, right? Easy as pie. Go ahead. Yeah, Patsy Kline. Yeah, Patsy Kline. Still jam. People are still inspired by her story, her music, what? No, I was just laughing because last night of the dinner table, I was telling my kids that growing up, my dad had this family friend.

He'd come over once in a while with a guitar. He had a real thick Mexican accent. like real thick and he would sing crazy and he would sing Gracie I'm Gracie for me and my kids love it when I tell that story Joe Nichols

versus Usher What song? Sunny in 75 I'm joking I don't know Aquila makes a clothes ball off The song is called yeah Here is a Joe

Now, 2014 I haven't thought about this song Since the day we stopped playing it, I guess And I like Joe This song it just left no impression On me whatsoever I think you could have me list Every country song I've ever heard

In my life in this song When it's come up And not a hate for the song It just sounds like a generic song From that time That's funny And then Usher yeah 2004, here you go

Now this Was a jam Yeah, usher, for sure. Usher, Asher. Okay, two more. DJ Sammy, Kane Brown. Let's see. When you figure out what the DJ Sammy song is, you're going to be like, oh, that's, you may not even know who that is.

I don't know who DJ Sammy is. Kane Brown, what's the song where he's in? Dave. What if? Is that it? It isn't. Let's play the DJ Sammy Heaven. Here you go.

You know the song? Yeah, but who's originally, it's his, uh... You're in heaven. Who is that originally? Is it, it's not... Yeah, that's a sample. Is it a sample? Yeah, for sure.

Mike, will you Google that? I don't know how you're going to Google that, but... Just what DJ Sammy samples, what song? Okay. That's what you go. Okay, good. You literally Google what you're asking. See if you ask me.

You know how this works, Eddie? No, I'm the worst Google ever. That is over on Ask Jeeps trying to find the exact way to ask the fella. Excuse me, Ask Jeebs. Brian Adams. Oh, yeah, that's right. even have it. Maybe. Yeah, I even know that song. Brandon Ray always sings in when we used to tour.

What is wrong with me? Yeah. So, DJ Sammy or Brian Adams. Okay. Or Kane Brown. Here's Kane Brown Heaven. Which was a number one country song for him. Everybody's talking about heaven like they just can't wait to go. Way to go. Jam. Do you happen to have the Brian Adams mic? Is it in the system? Oh, this song.

So are you throwing Brian Adams in his mix? We have to. Yeah. This is a jam sandwich. This is a jam, dude. Yeah, Brandon Ray would play this and I would cry. You played in sound checks first. Oh, I'm thinking about all you.

Jam, jam, jam. And we have to pick that one, right? Oh, for sure. Mike, which one would you have picked? I'd probably have gone Kane Brown. Yeah. It's a good version. All those are good.

Okay, here's your last one. Forever from Chris Brown or Jesse and the Rippers. Yes. That's Chris Brown Which by the way That's a good song And they use it in the office When they're going down the aisle

When Jim and Pam were getting married It really makes me emotional And then Jesse and the Rippers Which they reach number one in Japan On Full House There you go The choir comes into the church They met him on the

They got a bus ride to the Because he went skydiving Landed in the tomato tree Whatever tree it was And There's oranges Got stuck in it it. Some farmer, maybe apple, cuts

him down, he cuts down, lands in the thing, they drive him to the, it gets there in time, sets at the piano, peels off his overalls, he's playing, and the church in the bus that picks him up, all the gospel singers get out and sing behind him. Yeah, yeah, it's perfect. Fantastic. Fantastic. It's perfect. If, yeah,

I mean, this is one of Caitlin and I's favorite songs together, period, because we love it so much. It's, um, if every word I say could make you laugh, I talk forever. Is there other words there? Is it other words there? Is it just...

No. Okay, good. I asked the sky just what they saw. They said forever. Yeah, jam. Forever. Forever. Yes. Yeah.

They're both great. Go ahead, Eddie. No, no. Jesse and the Rippers, for sure. Yeah, and did you know, that's not actually a Jesse the Ripper song. That's not Jesse singing? It is.

It's John Stammer. singing that version, but the original song is a Beach Boy song. And it's freaking fantastic. Is it called forever, too? It is. It's called forever. Really? That's the cover, because you know, in Full House, he played drums for the Beach Boys. In real life, he plays drums with the Beach Boys. I saw them, like, a few years ago when he was playing drums for the Beach Boys.

Here you go. Playing for my phone. Is this Beach Boys? I love it, dude. Old Beach Boys. Great, huh? Great music lesson. I have no idea of Beach Boys. Yeah.

I mean, you can tell from the writing, it's like, oh, it does sound beach boys. Boyish, but now it makes sense. And it was such a great song on Full House. I was like, man, they were a freaking great song for Jesse Katsopoulos to play. Because Fat Fish Records was his record label. They called him and said, Jesse, the song has gone number one in Japan. And so they wanted him to travel there for two weeks. He takes the offer.

So they go and I went to Japan because of that. Because Jesse went? Because in my life, having absolutely no money until I got to be an adult, I never went anywhere. We couldn't afford it. Never wanted a vacation as a kid. So when I started to have to find things to do, I went to Hawaii. Yeah, because of the Brady lunch. Right.

And the- I went to London. Because friends. They go to London? They do. Okay. That's where Monica and Chandler hook up for the first time. Okay.

I went to Japan because of full house. Okay. I think that probably my three. What was Iceland? You just thought it was cool. No movie. I went to Iceland because it was actually close. Closer than I thought it was.

Okay. Because I'd been to Europe, just pretty new to traveling. And I was like, man, that was like nine hours across the ocean. But Iceland was like up and not all the way there. Yeah. And so I just Googled it. Yeah. I was like, okay, here we go. And Norway, because you had to.

Norway because Barry Grills said, let's go. Right. And Australia, because Nikita lives in Australia. Correct. And in Christmas time, it was warm over there. And I didn't have any family here to spend Christmas with. So I went to Australia for that. That's cool.

Have I been anywhere else? been to every state except for Maine and Alaska damn pretty well traveled now now for someone who went nowhere ever yeah that's cool

I went to Ireland by myself oh Ireland what was that for you two no it was Garth in Ireland the concert sweatshirts I'll see sometimes the shows that never happens

yeah I don't as close it's the closest European country as you can see I'm pretty lazy when it comes to traveling far And I did nothing but stay on a little bus. I went by myself and just wrote and then

looked at one thing a day. It's pretty boring for me. Crazy. Because the drinking is such a big deal there. Yeah. That's part of who they are. And I don't. So I got over there and I was like, what the crap? And I was like, I'll just take a train and go somewhere else in Europe.

Except it's an island. And there are no trains that go out of Europe. And, or they go out of Ireland. And the other thing was, what was the other thing that I learned while I was there? Oh, Ireland is the size of Iowa, basically. Really? The entire country. Wow.

If that gives you perspective on what that is. Yeah, not very big. Like, I don't know what we'll be one of our small states in America. Well, there you have it. Is that it? Was that the end? That was it. Might be a great job of coming up with this game.

Thank you. There are a lot more than I thought. Yeah. You know, I'll mention a podcast that I have nothing to do with. It's from The Ringer. And I've only listened to one episode. They'll only put one out. And they're going through songs that meant,

and they just did one. on Atlantis Morris that you ought to know and they talk about the whole story of the song. It's pretty good podcast. So they take a song and then kind of break it down. Oh, that's really cool. But not just about the words of the song, but what was happening around that time. It's pretty cool podcast. I'm sure the name of it, but it's what I'm listening to right now.

And then at the end, they have it on whatever platform you're listening to. They have it connected to the stream. So as soon as the podcast over, it goes right into the song. Nice. Yeah. So, all right, that's what's up. Eddie, the sore losers. Why should people listen to this?

Soor losers, because it's funny. We're just three guys. We talk about sports, yes. but then we talk about our lives, and I think we all just live very different lives. So it's very entertaining. Please give us a listen, Soar Losers Podcast. There you go.

The Soor Losers Podcast. Get it. Thank you, Eddie. Thank you, man. That was fun. On with us right now is Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra. As Good celebrates, it's 25-year anniversary of going number one. Holy crap.

Hey, Kevin, how are you? God, it feels so good to hear your voice. You know, the same to you, my friend. And I tell you, the great thing for you, me is whenever I'm doing like this interview here, I get to really focus on, and I get to geek out on a guy that I know in real life and wouldn't geek out on in real life because I don't want to be a loser. But right now I get to go full loser and it feels great. Yes. So I'm, I'm, see, I have those guys too. And you are, let's be honest, you're one of them for me, Bobby. And

I'm so happy that I get to be that guy for you as well. I see, and this isn't on the sheet. And we'll get, I want to get to good and I have so much to talk about. But the, the, The band that you do with Mark McGrath and Emerson. Emerson from Tonick, right? Like, those guys, when you get together, are you also not, are you like, man, we have such a bond because we all kind of went through the same thing at the same time? Like, what are those rooms like? So we have a band called Ezra Ray Hart.

It's a 90s jug, 90s juggernaut. That's with Emerson Art from Tonic and Mark McGrath from Figuree. and we have so much fun because we have so many of the same stories from those years where just the stupidity, the decadence, all the 90s. You know what they say, I think it was that meme, the 90s, the greatest decade ever and no evidence. So we kind of have a good time. Better than Ezra, one of my top five favorite bands of my lifetime, even still today.

You guys formed in 1988. You formed the band. Where were you in your life? What was your long-term future in your mind in 1998 whenever you get the guys together? Oh, in 88. In 88. In 88, you know, I was a sophomore at LSU.

I'd always been in bands, you know. But at that time, you know, there was really the promise of massive, you know, success. You wanted to just be a band and tour. But you also saw that brass ring, you know, with crazy sales of albums and stuff like it was back in the day. So it was really kind of the world was our oyster. And in 1988, we had our first rehearsals. We moved it to Boston that summer and started playing shows.

And we played shows with the pixies and extreme mission of Burma, all these seminal bands. But it was a great time, man. And we just got in our van. and we earned it for seven years. It took seven years before Deluxe came out. What about Better Than Ezra worked that all the other bands didn't? It's such a cliche, and I know you can identify with this. It's perseverance.

You hear it, but the reason our band is we're having this conversation right now is that we just didn't quit because there were other bands, honestly, that maybe had a better stage show. They had maybe better songs, but what separated us from them is that we just never quit. You know, our business is a business of nose, as you know. And all you need is one yes in this business, and then it opens all those doors. And we just never quit. And I always just had my eye on the prize.

So we toured for seven years in our beat-up 88 Dodgerand van all throughout the southeast, playing every college bar from Tuscaloosa to Athens to old. Miss, Oxford, you know. And we just kept going and finally, you know, things shifted and grunge was starting to fade and commercial alternative was starting to happen. And suddenly the band, the labels passed on better than Nezra, suddenly we were the hot band that march at South by Southwest down in Austin and the rest is rock and roll history. I'm going to play 1995. This is the song that just went 25 years. That's crazy. At number one, here you go. Here is good. So when you're in a room, are you going, all right, let's make a song that no one will know the lyrics to it all.

We sing it, and everybody sings it wrong for 25 years. Well, the funny thing is, man, so we had a show coming up. You remember this band called Toy Dog Pondering? They were an Austin band that had minimal college success back in, like, the early 90s. We had a show opening for them, and I wanted to get some more songs together, some more originals. because we were still playing like half covers and half originals. And so I sat down and I was like, I want to write a song like the Pixies Meets, R-E-M,

with the same four chords happening over and over again. And so I started writing good. And then the key to a 90s song was you had to add the seventh. You had to, at the end of the chord progression, you had to add a major seventh chord. In this instance, it's a C-7th, which gives it the rock and roll screaming trees sound. You know, and the whole hook of the song, the wah-a-a, that was supposed to be lyrics.

But the show happened, the show happened, and I had no lyrics. So I got up on the day to just winged it and went, wah-ha, and people loved it. I mean, the response from people with that one song compared to the rest of all the songs was so palpable indifference. We knew we had lightning in a bottle, and so I was like, I'm not going to screw with this. This has got some kind of thing. And then if you listen to other songs I've written afterwards, there's always some kind of non-lirical wah-a or whoa-oh-oh-oh, something like that.

Because it was definitely an epiphany for me. What's it like being a guy that's in the middle of college, a sophomore at LSU, you're grinding it out. And you start, after so much hard work, you start to get some of that national exposure and the rocket starts to take off. Are you able to kind of differentiate the difference in the hard, crazy work and the cool things you're getting to do, or does it just still feel like you're in the same rotating cycle of playing shows?

When you're in it, you don't really have the perspective that I do now, like seeing how things were going off. I was still, you know, I work with a lot of young artists and bands now, and a lot of them have a singular focus that I'm doing music, this is my future, but I was always, I always had uncertainty. You know, I always wanted the safety net. So I was going to go to, I was going to, while the band was, while we're playing sold-out shows all throughout the South and going up to play Sister Rose with Uncle Tupelo, which was the band before Wilco. I was filling out my law school application. So I was going to go to law school if music didn't work out. And I was like, I'll be an agent out in L.A.

And so I was always kind of torn. But when you're in the midst of it, you don't really know how special it is and the crazy things that are happening. But, man, you know, those were such great times and innocent times. You're kind of like a pirate in a touring band. You have no place to sleep. You know, halfway through your shows, you're always like, hey, anybody got a place versus a crash? That's a whole separate podcast. That's a whole separate podcast.

The places we found ourselves, the band houses, I mean, you needed a tetanus shot when you leave these places. The other day I was listening to a radio station, they were like, hey, classic rock, and then Good came on. Oh, Jesus. Right. So here you go. Well, how do you feel about better than Ezra being playing on classic rock? I'm thankful, man. Yeah.

You know, and somebody sent me a Spotify oldies playlist, and it was, it was us and Nirvana. no more. It was crazy. But, you know, man, you know, it's so hard to have a career with any longevity, man. And I'm so grateful to still be doing it. And the thing that I loved, you know, from second grade, you know, so it's all good. Before I cut... No pun intended. Yeah, before I get through some of the songs that I loved and tell a personal story from back when I was like 19. You guys put out in your eyes, which is the first new music in two years.

It's a Peter Gabriel cover. I want to play... Let's play better than Ezra's version. Here we go. Kevin, why did you choose this song to do? Man, I've got such a connection with that song. It was my first serious love in college. This was my song that when I listened to it,

I saw us together. And when Lloyd Gobbler hoisted that boombox over his head, and say anything, that was me. You know? And so it speaks to me in memories, but also the lyrics and the vibe and the emotion is really relevant today for people feeling disconnected because of COVID and where we are. And it's just a hopeful song. It's spiritual in a way without being, you know, too on the nose.

and it just, and it felt right on it. And also, I liked Weezer's very faithful cover of Africa, and I was like, I'm going to go full on within your eyes. I'm not going to do a sensitive, intensive singer-songwriter cover. We're going to go full out. And that's Aaron Sterling on drums, who's John Mayer's drummer. Kristen Rogers, who's one of the best singers in Nashville doing the BBs. So we went for it.

You know, back in the 90s, your first TV performance, I got to imagine, because there weren't 10,000 places to play. There wasn't all this content you could just do. How cool is that, and do you remember your first TV performance in the 90s? Legit was the John Stewart show. Wow. That must have an early, early John Stewart, huh? Yeah, before the Daily Show, John Stewart had this hipster, Uber hipster,

late night talk show. And then, of course, I think the next one we did was Conan. Then we did Leno a lot. Leno dug us. The weird thing, though, is Leno would always come into your dressing room, and he was always wearing a denim shirt, unbuttoned to his belly button, and it was always uncomfortable because my eyes, it was like, it struggled. Do I look at him in the eyes, or do I look at his stomach?

Did you guys ever play Letterman? We did do Letterman. We did Letterman twice. And what most people will tell you, and I can validate this, is that it was like a meat locker in there. So cold. It's like 52 degrees. Did you do it?

Did you ever do it? No, I didn't do. I went. He's my hero. Like, my life heroes are Letterman and Howard Stern. And so I never, I went to the show and got to watch it. And I was freezing my balls off just being in there. Yeah.

And so imagine, you know, when you do these shows, you're nervous, right? So when you combine nervousness and sub-zero temperatures, you know, your hands don't outwardly work. So performing there was always a challenge for me. You know, me growing up in Arkansas, you know, Central and South Arkansas, I always felt like you guys were pretty local because you were always proud of your Louisiana roots and you guys were touring through my area a lot, which is one of the reasons that you became one of my favorite bands. First of all, I was 90s country, 90s alternative kid, both, you know, to my core. And did you feel like, and I started thinking back as to why I felt like maybe you guys were very close to me personally. Did you feel like, I know there

was punk roots, the alternative roots, but did you feel like there was any country influence in what you guys were doing? Man, you know, it's kind of a two-part. So you grew, were you in Little Rock? I was, I mean, near Little Rock, on and off my whole life. Right. So did you ever see us at Ciceroz? I saw you there, and once, my favorite, better than Ezra story, when I was 19 years old. I saw you guys in Fayetteville, Arkansas. And it was a small club, and I was like, wow, this is crazy. I was right up near the stage. And at the end of the show, you said, does anybody know this time of year? And you were like, somebody could come up and you would let them play it on guitar. And so I raised my hand, and I got up on stage. The thing is, the thing is,

I'm left-handed and can't play a right-handed guitar. Oh, no. So I was like, oh, I'm left-handed. So I still sang the song as someone else played the guitar. So I sang on stage at your show when I was 19 years old. Dude, I love that story and it's such a great thing that people come up to me now and say, dude, I've played on stage

with you in Philadelphia or Seattle. And truth be told, we got that trick from you too, because I saw them in 88 at the Pete Marevich Assembly Center in LSU. And during Stand By Me, their cover,

they always got somebody up to come play guitar. And I was like, that's awesome. But wait, to finish your question, country music, you know, that was always in my house. But it was old school like Charlie Pride, George Strait, Willie Nelson, who else, Waylon Jennings. That's what my day I'd listen to. So I think there's, I always love the narrative aspect of country music, you know,

the stories that told and stuff. And I like to think that's always been in my songs with songs like Lifetime and our last night and stuff like that. So good is 1995. In the Blood, 1995 as well. This is Deluxe. Play a little bit in the blood. Rosalia. Let's play a little bit of Rosalia here. My book. So listen, all these songs just take me to a place, right? Well, then here we go. It's 1997, desperately wanting hits. And I'm like, they changed my life. again with this song. This was, it felt like, to me, it felt like it was where a band like stabbing Westward got their groove. Like I feel like this song kind of personify what other bands were going for there. Because it felt like a bit of a bit of a change for you guys. Talk

about that period. What's say now. A band has success on the first album and the first thing they say about their next album is, well this one's a little harder than the earlier stuff. You know, it's a little little more rough edge. And we were that the same way. You know, I think we were listening to heavier music. And we didn't want to seem too pop. And you can hear that in the Friction Baby album.

We did that record at Daniel N-Wa studio down in New Orleans, right in the French Quarter. It's called Kingsway Studio. I mean, Pearl Jam, U-2, R.M did seminal albums down there in this amazing haunted studio. And so Friction Baby and Desperately Wanting was born out of that. And Desperately Wanting, the interesting thing about Desperly Wanting is the original chorus is now the bridge of that song.

And I realized, and it was a key change. And I was like, oh, this is a terrible song. So let's make that the bridge and let me write a better chorus. And I remember exactly where I was. Some of my best songs, I remember where I was when I wrote it. I was sitting on my couch in my bedroom in the Garden District of New Orleans on this rainy Sunday. And I was like, well, maybe if I speed up the delivery of the lyrics on this chorus, it'll make it feel different. Because all my favorite songs that I've written are the same chords, you know, verse, chorus, you know.

And that's always the hallmark to me of a great song. You don't have to do any big transitions just with a switch and melody. the song feels like it lifts and falls and the way it's supposed to. And that's what desperately wanting was. And I'm so glad you dig that song. And let me say something, dude, I'm a fan of what you do, all the work you do. And to have you say you're a fan of that music. And the biggest prop anybody can give your music is that it reminds them of a time in their life.

You know, it's a soundtrack to a certain point in their life because I'm the same way. So it's very cool that you feel that way. You know, again, when I was 19, I played with them, and then a few years ago, you guys, at my show, you came and played in the two songs. I was like, hey, we played good, and we played desperately wanting, and it was the highlight of my night. And I got to play with everybody. Keith Irwin came up and played, but being able to play those two songs, because, again, it just takes you back to a certain place. There are certain songs or sounds or video games that you remember exactly where you were and what your goals and your dreams were. and you guys and you were a big part of that for me early on.

So it's been real cool to talk with you about that. I do want to mention this too, though, that these are other songs that Kevin's written with and for other artists. Here's Howie Day Collide. Was that the first cut that you got that was big from somebody that wasn't you? No, this is a great story. The first cover I ever had, or the first co-writer ever had, was with Meat Love. Which is crazy. So 2001, I was recording an album at Conway Studios in Los Angeles.

It was amazing three studio complex in the heart of L.A. And Jane's Addiction, saying about it, and Jane says. Anyhow, but Justin Timberlake was in one studio, Beda Nezor was in the middle studio, and Mr. Meatloaf was in the next one. And long story, I wrote this song with him called Testify, which is a seven-minute-long opus about a truck driver. on speed. His truck breaks down and he stumbles into a tent side revival. You should listen to it. If you want to see an exercise in bad pace, Google or YouTube Meatloaf testify, Sydney Opera House,

and it's a spectacle that you want to take a shower after you watch it. But anyways, the guy that managed Meatloaf also managed Blondie and the BG. So I wrote a single for Blondie. I wrote a song with Barry Gibb that was terrible and never got released. But that opened my eyes to co-writing. And then suddenly other younger artists like Howie were coming to me and wanted me to write with them because they were influenced. So that kind of started me. But Meat Loaf started the co-writing.

That's funny. Sugar Land, stuck like glue, wrote this one too. And then James Blunt, I'll Be Your Man. There's another one I have up here. Are you still writing? three, four times a week? What's the deal now, Kevin? Oh, yeah, oh yeah, man.

I'm writing with different bands. I've just written some songs with the struts and the band called the record company. Got some cool stuff coming out with them. And three to five times a week. Well, I hope everybody checks out in your eyes. The new one from Better Than Ezra, it's a Peter Gabriel cover,

but such a good version. I still live on Deluxe. Probably once every couple of months, I go back and just take the whole thing in. I find now, even though my job is to at times find new music, what makes me feel most comfortable as I get older now is just going to the music that I loved as a kid. So it's better than Ezra. John Mayer, Counting Crows.

Isn't it funny? Like when you have Sonos in your house? I do. Okay. What is your Sunday morning? What is your go-to artist radio? I'll play acoustic 90s. Oh, that's good.

As mine. Mine is, I'll do, you remember that band Travis? Oh yeah, why does it always rain on me, sing? Yeah. So do Travis radio. Cure radio is great. But my go-to might be Van Morrison Radio for that sultry, romantic Sunday morning. Next time I need to be sultry and or romantic.

I'm going to check it out. And think of Kevin. I will. I always do. At Kevin M. Griffin on Instagram. At we are better than Ezra. on Instagram. Congratulations, 25 years ago, man. Just to be able to last and to be able to talk about it is got to be really cool. I appreciate the time. And as always, I'm a massive fan. I can't wait to see

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