....looooooooaded gun O' a question, Prof.! ...ha-HAA!! ....HMMM, The "Rock" era started in 1954, so, by DECADE... (cont.) The 50's - Don't Be Cruel / Hound Dog - Elvis Presley The 60's - I Want To Hold Your Hand - Beatles The 70's - My Sharona - The Knack The 80's - I Love Rock N' Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts The 90's - Iris - Goo Goo Dolls The 00's - Kyrptonite - 3 Doors Down The 2-10's - Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran ....OUCH, this HURT, I had to do research for this! ....off to drink more Coffee...
My sister suffered from obesity her entire life. She passed away in 2017. Not from obesity but from complications of an opioid overdose. I remember hearing "Iris" shortly after it came out and my sister telling me, "You know this song describes me so much! I don't want the world to see me, because I don't think that they'd understand." My 21 year old self at the time didn't understand either, but I later realized she meant her weight issues was how the world perceived her. They wouldn't understand. She just wanted the world to know who she was. Thank you for this interview, Professor. You brought a good feeling back to my heart.
As an autistic teenager, this song really defined my 6th grade years, that everyone judged me by my “weird tics”. It was very embarrassing and humiliating.
I can remember driving up in the mountains with my two buddies to go hunting. It was about 2 weeks after I found my Father dead. This song came on the radio as we drove along this logging road. There we were, three tough, strong men with guns headed for a fun day. Man when i heard those lyrics, they hurt so bad. I remember looking out the window with tears rolling down my face thinking of my Pops.I didnt want my buddies to see me. That song sure did that hit home. Fast forward a lifetime ahead and here I am with tears rolling down my face to the same song. I guess that some pain time just cant erase! I miss ya Dad!
John Rzeznik is so real, a real open guy who refuses to take credit for one of the most beautiful songs ever written by saying the universe gifted it to him. That is one cool dude. That was one fantastic interview! My favorite part was when he went to the executive and said I got 4 strings and 2 lines and they said let's do it, lol, classic. Great episode! Definitely one of my favorites!
In 1999 I was visiting Israel for the first time. I was in aclub in Jerusalem and this beautiful and swarthy Israeli army girl kept starring at me for about 10 minutes, then she left. I thought that I had missed my chance of meeting her. But she returned and walking up to me with her machine gun slapping her army olive hip she introduced herself and gave me her number. 2 nights later we met up had a few drinks and went back to her apartment. We sat on the floor in her living room just under the sandbags in her window and she played Iris on guitar and sang it to me all the while making eye contact. It's been oour song ever since. We are still very close friends even though we are an ocean away. Thanks John and thanks Adam!
Seeing an artist praise and love other artists make me a bigger GooGoo Dolls fan than I already was!! It's so refreshing to know he's a normal, regular guy!!
I remember when he hosted that battle of the bands tv show(forget the name). He told the winners that they truly had that special quality that he and his band always aspired to. Even he knew the Goo Goos didn't really have "it". From John's own mouth. Couldn't agree more.
My daughter organizes functions for her company in NYC and she got to hang with him a little because he was the entertainment for the private party! Nicest guy she said and genuine. She got great selfies with him. So jealous she met him! He laughed when she told him my dad loves you! Haaa! I was a little embarrassed but she’s right! Thanks Prof! Your the greatest at these interviews and you impressed another artist with your research and education. Nice job brother
.To tell the truth, I was never a real Goo Goo Dolls fan but I look back and realize that they did have some good songs. Iris is one that I can relate to now. It came out the year I married my first wife. She was everything I thought I needed. Six years into the marriage she decided she didn't want to be married any more. I felt closer to death then than ever. I was in such deep depression that when I would get cut or scraped up at work I would just look at the blood and think to myself: "well, I'm still alive". So when I hear that line in the song I remember that pain she caused me. I'm past that now, but I still remember. I still use that line to this day, 18 years of hurting and healing. Sorry if that isn't what was expected, it's just my connection. I'm still human with feelings and songs for remembering and healing.
Love you brother! life is hard, love seems impossible and yet somehow we make it all work! There is love all around us, and it starts with the love you have for yourself! thanks for sharing, I know that wasn't easy. I've loved this song since the first time I heard it. I'm glad to know you're alive!
Eventually as a guy you just begin to understand female nature. By the time they suddenly don’t want to be in a relationship (and crush your soul), we’ll they’re already gobbling other d1ck.
"I'm no music monster, I just do what I do... took me a long time to understand that, and that's ok, I'm ok with that" (pp here). Something I've said for a long time... & thought I believed it. But that hit me pretty hard. First time I've ever heard someone have the balls to say such a thing out-loud, with his level of fame. Awesome.
My name is Iris and this song came out when I was in grad school. Needless to say, it quickly became "my song." I have never been so proud to be associated with anything as with this song ... the gut wrenching lyrics and the soulful music just touches me to my core.
Our family used to have a close friend with a daughter named Iris, who had a rare kidney condition. This little girl always reminded me of the Goo Goo Dolls and this masterpiece of pop.
How awesome is it that in practically every interview the artists compliment the Professor of Rock on his knowledge? I know I've learned a lot by following you Adam, thanks for everything
I was tending bar (in Buffalo) the night they played in the rain. I remember being really bummed I couldn't get off work to see the show. When it started pouring, I was glad I didn't get my shift covered. After the show, people started coming into the bar, soaking wet, but with huge smiles. I immediately knew I missed something truly special.
What I love about your channel is you not only give us the backstory about the iconic music that shaped our lives, but that you sometimes surprise the artists with information that blows them away as well.
In 2003 my sister lived across street from Bon Jovi’s business manager. He gave her tickets to the show at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Goo Goo Dolls opened for them. It was amazing!
I always saw it as song about the desire for our real selves to be accepted unconditionally. "When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am." That unconditional love, despite our own flaws, is what we all seem to want.
The first time I heard this song, I thought it was a masterpiece. "You can't fight the tears that ain't coming Or the moment of truth in your lies When everything seems like the movies And you bleed to know your alive "
Such jukebox poetry! I have multiple neurological disabilities and when I talk to others and they sound like they do not understand or I feel like they are not handling me correctly, I always refer them to the masterpiece known as Iris.
Thank you for doing this interview and video. I'm a bit of a senior citizen as I'll turn 74 this year and frankly when I first heard of the Goo Goo Dolls I thought what a stupid name but then I heard some of their songs, I believe Name was the first one I heard and it immediately grabbed me. It just resonated with my soul idf you will. I was exposed to their music by my kids (we raised 5 kids), especially my 2 daughters who were fans of GGD. Well pretty much every single they released I loved. Iris I think is my favorite, especially after seeing the movie and I have to say the video of them performing in the rain in Buffalo Is probably the most touching video I have ever seen by a band.
It's awesome he acknowledges that sometimes music comes from a higher power or somewhere up above - and that as an artist he is really channeling that higher inspiration to us. Not many musicians get to that level of understanding. Great stuff.
This song is BRUTAL. It makes everyone go like: "I know that feeling." John is an excellent translator of complex set of feelings. That's why his songs do not age. They're SIMPLE with SIMPLE lines but hardly someone would solve the enigma of this particular set of feelings so well. That's why he can write about the same "theme" no matter how cliché it may be, lots of times and it will sound different everytime. Because he is a very sensitive person (not to be confused with being mellow, depressed, nor anything like this) - he can access several levels of simple and complex set of emotions. There are no such thing like simple emotions. If it was easy to describe a set emotions, we would never look for anyone else's point of view if we had these equations solved.
Not only was this a monster song, it helped make the movie "City of Angels" even bigger than it was, and lifted Nick Cage back into the damn good actor zone. When it came out, the song made me want to watch the movie. Without this song, I think the movie would have done well, being merely, OK. But, with the song, the lyrics immediately put you into the mind of Cage's character and you felt his pain and longing. This was a perfect placement of a song for a film, that rivaled "It must have been love" for "Pretty Woman" and "Up Where we Belong" for "An Officer and A Gentleman". Classics!
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 @MB Uh, no, y'all crazy. City of Angels came out directly after Con Air, Face/Off, The Rock and Leaving Las Vegas. The first three were 3 of the most successful movies in 1996 and 1997 making Cage a star, and Leaving Las Vegas was a far better movie than City of Angels, with Cage getting massive critical praise for his performance, including an Academy Award! And of course years after Raising Arizona and Moonstruck where he originally showed his massive range. When City of Angels came out Cage was already a massive star who had shown he could also be a damn good actor. It's a manipulative, forgettable movie that did fine as far as box office receipts and was panned by critics. No one in Hollywood needed to be reminded that Cage, who had recently done Leaving Las Vegas, had chops. And certainly no one considers him an icon today because of that mediocre schlock fest. Ask anyone to make a list of their top 30 best or most important Cage films and City of Angels wouldn't get a mention. It's not a good example of his best dramatic acting, over-the-top zaniness, or ability to headline a blockbuster. It's not even a good example of the shitty movies that he has done for paycheck.
John Rzeznik is one of the most naturally gifted singer/song writer/musicians ever in my opinion. Combine his God given talent, ability, and passion with his experience and humility there is greatness. I hope he finds peace, love, and joy in this life. His music has added these to mine. Thank you John for sharing yourself with us.
The song Iris was played at my friend's funeral. He committed suicide and the words fit his story/life so much. Still makes me cry everytime I hear it!! Great video, Thanks!!
I remember the “bad” Reznick, after Name was a hit. Still broke, they were back to playing small clubs. He would get with the Bar manager just an hour before their show, and say he needed an 8-ball or he wasn’t going on. A total jerk, prima Dona, even belittling to people. Some shows were still great, many were not at all. He clearly showed he’d rather be getting a root canal than be there. With all that said, he is still one of my all time favorites. I really think he was just in a dark place…bitter from getting hosed, despondent over his divorce, and he knew he had great things inside him, that needed to come out. I forgive that version of him and I’m so happy he found peace and atonement.
Boy Named Goo was such a great album too, Long Way Down and Ain't That Unusual are great songs too, I played that album way too much. Johnny seems like a such a cool guy. Great interview Professor.
I've seen them twice. You can tell by his interaction he's just a really good guy. I love how real he is in this interview. Not afraid to bare himself. Good human❤️
One of the most underrated bands of the last 30 years. A few months ago I started playing their hits off my iPhone on a road trip. The list was way longer than I thought.
This is one of those amazing songs from the 90s that takes you straight back there, I don't know about anyone else but some songs make me want to go back there so bad. Great interview too Prof, John seems like such a cool guy too.
I remember being a pre-teen in the late 90’s and heard Casey Kasem play “Name” and he announced the song as a one hit wonder by the Goo Goo Dolls. Later in 8th grade when City of Angels came out my first girlfriend went to see the movie and was talking to me about how she really liked the song “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls, and I snickered and laughed and said, “The Goo Goo Dolls? Aren’t they just a “one hit wonder”?” I was such a jerk, I made her feel bad 😞. Little did I know that the song would blow up and be a huge hit!
You were so right Adam. One of the BEST episodes EVER! As a singer/musician/songwriter there are a lot of things about John that I identify with very much. I love his passion for what he does most of all.
Reminds me of the late 90’s. I was living in Nyack, New York. With my wife and daughter. It speaks to the fragile nature of life. The courage it takes to love and the joy children bring. This was such a transformational time for me. Thank you for brining me back. To such a good time in my life.❤
"The gift" he mentions is a real thing and if your in the right space and ready to receive, those gifts will manifest themselves and can launch you in directions you never knew possible.
John is one of the nicest, most humble guys in rock. He’s just a normal guy who also happened to be a decent singer and guitarist…. That people happened to pay attention to.
So cool to hear him give some love to Tim. He's phenomenal. Iris came out right after I got out of basic training and I was at tech school in the Air Force. You couldn't escape it at the time. It was all over the radio. Every time that I hear it, in my mind, I'm right back there in Biloxi Mississippi, scared and excited all at the same time.
Always been a GooGoo fan! The music and lyrics caught my attention, but Johnny's very humble and gracious attitude keeps me wanting the best of everything for these guys! Every interview I've seen of him he is fully aware that he is a vessel and is perfectly fine with not taking credit for what he does with his gift!
Johnny is like a Phoenix...from the disaster of his life's status at that point...a shinning pearl of music was created. Awe inspiring...and so very humble. This has opened the door for me to the Goo Goo Dolls. Thanks for yet another great gem of an interview! Adam you are truly THE Professor of Rock! \m/.
Name was one of my favorite songs from the mid-90s. I worked at a grocery store that played it on regular rotation, and I never got tired of it. I thought Iris was overplayed at the time, but looking back I can see that it was a great song. And it deserves credit for pulling Johnny and the band back from almost quitting.
I'm glad you didn't forget that concert. It has long been one of my favorite moments in music. The right song at the right place at the perfect moment. Destiny stepped in for that one!
❤️ The Goo Goo Dolls!! Been a huge fan since the 90s. Thnx for this video! Great seeing Johnny! He's gone thru so much over the years but he's Resilient 💯! He and the Goo Goo Dolls will last forever!
OHMYGOSH!! I could FEEL the energy coming through this video and it had me on the verge of tears all the way through. I love Johnny. He's so humble. He knows what he can do but he is also quick to oint out the others who helped lift up him, the band and the songs. He is everyone I have EVER met from Buffalo and the surrounding area. I have traveled all over this country and man let me tell you as soon as they know you're from Western/Central New York. you have just made a new Gold Standard friend! We are NOT New York City: We are UPSTATE NEW YORK TOUGH! ❤❤🤗🤗😎😎💖💖
This song, 'Black Balloon', 'She's So High' and 'Learn to Fly' were all in heavy rotation in the summer of '99. I was living in Toronto, seeing a girl in in the VA/DC area and doing a lot of long, late night drives. Yearning. Melancholic, bittersweet. The interstate/cross-border soundtrack of a LDR.
As undervalued a band as there is. A Boy Named Goo is a perfect album. And Johnny's interview show on Sirius, with other amazing songwriters, is so damn good.
Such an epic song with (like you highlighted) some incredible lyrics! I had always looked at Reznick as a pretty boy with attitude and now have total respect after hearing this. He seems like a down to earth guy who has had his share of struggles in his life. Love how he recognized that you are ‘The Professor of Rock’.
There are only a few songs that, to me, are perfect ...every note, every word, every inflection. Iris is one. It is a masterpiece that the band flawlessly performs. It continues to enchant each new generation, and I anticipate it will without end.
There are just some songs written that affect you so hard that you look around to see if that artist is following you and writing about your life because that's how hard you identify with it. This is one of those songs. Also, I was running a record store at the time this song came out & of course it was included in songs we would have to play, and OMG thinking back at how hard it was waiting on customers and trying not to burst into tears, especially when he sings, " yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive".
Saw Goo with Third Eye Blind in 2002, what a show they both put on. Great interview and John’s ability to be raw and sharing his brokenness shows how down to earth he is. Plus, PLUS - he was a fan of Husker Du!!! Props to him and your interview Professor!
Iris was a song that you couldn't escape. The Goo Goo Dolls were a huge band for me at that time of my life. Especially the albums Hold Me Up, Superstar Carwash which is my favorite and A Boy Named Goo. Those guys were on a roll through Dizzy Up the Girl, which might be a little too clean and produced in the way Don't Tell a Soul is by The Replacements but it still sounds really good. The Mats, Husker Du and Soul Asylum. Such great bands and definitely the soundtrack to many years of my life. Thanks again for another great video, Adam!
I was working for Blockbuster Video while the movie was still in theatres but we'd play these "Trailer Tapes" and I was hearing "Iris" 7 times a day. I was really digging "It and told my best friend John who said "It makes more sense once you see the movie" and after a few weeks we got the movie and, it all came together. I subscribe to Tim Pearce's UA-cam channel, who played the mandolin and he is one of those monster guitar player's that is probably playing on many songs we all know and love. A session player who's the nicest guy and he's a master of the guitar so now the stuff Resnick was talking about"Tim comes in and lifts everything up" resonates with me because I feel like I know him , he's a huge part of the UA-cam guitar community and to know him is to love him. Great interview, Resnick is as humble as they get, sounds like the kind of guy I'd wanna be in a band with. ✌️♥️🎸🎶🙏
Dear Professor, Thank you as always for songs from the 90's. This song is very nostalgic and it came out during my Senior year of Highschool and played it at every dance including my Senior Prom. Thank you again and keep em coming!
Thanks for dissecting this song... always liked the way the song sounded but never paid much attention to the lyrics until today. It all makes sense now.
The song Reznek wrote for the Treasure planet movie is our family favorite. My kids grew up to that movie and we love that song that's about,well, growing up.
Love this channel! Thanks for bringing up Tim Pierce, he is someone that you should do a piece on. He is such a great musician, and person. He's someone that everybody has heard play guitar, but probably doesn't know it, he's played on so many great albums, check out his UA-cam channel it's great. Just can't say enough about him. Thank you for all of the interviews.
AB-SO-LUTELY THIS ⬆️ Tim would be an amazing interview! Especially in regards to this song... He basically did it in one take but they did two more just to make sure.
Thanks for all your research in producing these wonderful videos! I’m always that guy in the beginning of your video when you ask “If you remember MTV “…. or whatever, I just shake my head, roll my eyes back and enjoy the ride.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 - I was a kid in the 70’s. Such a different time then! My best story happened in summer, 1972. I got pulled over by a cop around midnight. I was adequately shitfaced drunk … and 3 years underage. The cop said I had two choices. #1: go to jail… or #2: drive straight home (about a mile away on a quiet road in the country) and he’d follow me all the way there. If I was too drunk to not be a “decent” driver, he’d pull me over again and then take me to jail. I chose #2, and made it home just fine.
@@enigmawyoming5201 Thank God I haven’t ended up in jail as a child so far (it probably will never happen). I have heard some traumatic stories of kids suffering while in these conditions. It was not pretty.
WOW!!!!!!!!!! He Knows! This was a great one man, seriously.. I am so glad i saw this, it;s one of those things. It is super weird to see it from so far away and distant like a spectator . like a person who cannot be seen and is in the wrong time to even if they were there but also to still know that person you just watched is genuine and that he knows! It's sad to know that some don't.
I'm so glad you reposted this! I was looking for it a few weeks back to rewatch it and couldn't find it! You're the man Professor! Thank you so much for what you do!
As a young adult at 19 years old, I had just moved to Seattle from Montana, when my friend won tickets to see an End session from 107.7 the End radio station. I got to see Goo Goo Dolls do one of these End Sessions with about 12 other people in a small recording studio. It will always be something I remember, sitting there watching them play. It was a magical experience for someone so young as me to experience. I had no idea he had been going through all that, as he was one of the most genuine people I've ever met. Still seems like it! Great interview.
Excellent interview. Beautiful song. I'll tell ya, when the universe wants to work through you, it WILL work through you. Just an awesome body of work. A very emotionally and powerful song. 😍
What a genuine and humble human being. I love his attitude and how he expresses himself. Great interview. I was never a goo goo dolls fan. However I am now a fan of this man. You can tell he has a really good soul. I do like the song iris though but I just couldn’t ever into their music but maybe now I will give them another whirl. 😊
The movie makes me cry, EVERY TIME. The song affects me deeply on an entirely different level. In a world that can be harsh and unnaccepting, all any of us want is to be loved for we are. I have found this exceedingly difficult, as I am a male to female trans person. All the women I find myself interested in are truly fascinated by my lifes struggle, but either don't want to "be with" me, or if they do, they want me to keep my true self a secret. "And I don't want the world to see me, cuz I don't think that they'd understand. When everything's meant to be broken, I just want you to know who I am." The first time I heard that specific line, I felt like my head was collapsing, having finally said the words my soul was trying to speak. The entire song is pure genius, and it speaks so deeply to my heart.
I love The Goo Goo Dolls. Love their music and John's voice. Iconic. 'Iris' is extremely deep. Like 'I'm Still Here'. 'Long Way Down'. So many favorites that resonate with life and love at just the right moments. So grateful.
Wow, Prof, it's so great when the people you interview are impressed with your knowledge. You are definitely love what you're doing and you know the fine details that helps build rapport with the interviewee! Also, I have always loved this song, and it was nice to hear about it! I'm so glad you have a channel and you share your knowledge, I love your style!
I really can't explain why but Iris is just one of those songs that hits me where I live. I have absolutely loved it since the first time I heard it and it is still one of my favorite tunes and it taught me to appreciate the Goo Goo Dolls! John is a very likeable great dude and that concert in Bufflo in the rain is a classic. Best live performance I have ever seen!
What I hate and love about life so much is the obvious truth, that, in order for such beauty and honesty to be presented, it must come from the heart of a tortured soul. Like Elton and Bernie said, "Hollywood created a superstar, and, pain was the price you paid..." "And, it seems to me, you lived your life like a candle in the wind..."
I just went to see their concert two months ago in Detroit they performed with Blue October and it was an incredible show! I took my 24 year old daughter with me. I was young when she was born and my life was not in a very good place, this song had great meaning to me back then and now being a happy, successful man at 46 years old rediscovering music at a live concert with my daughter by my side meant the world to me, money can’t buy that kind of moment! ❤️
Johnny Rzeznik Has always been and always will be a class act. I've followed the Goo Goo Dolls since the 90s when they began. My only opportunity to see them live, since I live in a small town, was a stop over concert during their A Boy Named Goo Tour. Bush was the main act and I had great tickets but, ultimately, couldn't go to the show due to work. I gave the tickets to a friend of mine. One of my greatest regrets is not telling the boss to shove work and going to that show.
Aloha Adam, this is my second time watching this video and can’t remember if I left a comment before or not. I was on the Sony Tour with John, Robbie and Mike along with the Counting Crows and I had the easiest job in my life. My buddy, Nate, talked me into becoming a member of Golden Voice and recorded several songs on DAT at the time. I got a call a week later to go on this Sony thing. My wife and I were trying to conceive at the time and maybe we were putting ourselves under too much pressure at the time. My job was to sing 3-4 songs for each band so that the light and sound engineers could get everything dialed in. I had sung in bands and stuff but this to me was the big time. I just remember how Robbie and his mom got me to settle down and not think about what I had to do. Robbie was the coolest, talked to me about buying a house in LA maybe and what was it like living in Huntington Beach/Fountain Valley area, him from the East Coast. Most of the time, the place would be empty before the fans come in but Dodger Stadium was way different and the same with Monrovia HS, the school that won some kind of contest. I was there in Buffalo for the very first time in 2004 and just before Iris, it started to poor with rain. Something about changing John shoes and then he went out, man oh man! I still have the DVD and CD on my iPhone, use to go across the street to the beach and sing as loud as I want and still do. After the Sony Tour ended, all that time on the road, my wife picked me up at the John Wayne airport and I was so happy to see her again. We flew to Maui and Oahu for a three week vacation and I knew the moment we had conceived my daughter. I don’t know how I knew, I just did. The same with my son also, Big Island and Oahu, I knew then too. So it was girl, boy and stop. Both bands treated me so nice and I was super grateful. Even though I grew up playing drums and percussions, I loved singing the most and still do. Man, 19 years has come and gone so quickly. Your videos seem to always take me down memory lane and places so far away today. ❤
It doesn't get more rock n roll than a concert in the rain... They won me over in a huge way when I saw that!!! But that song, that band is phenomenal!!! Happened to catch their behind the music on VH1 and had no idea they'd been around years before they hit it big in the late nineties. Definitely much more to them than your average fly by night bubble gum pop music group. Much love and respect for the Goo Goos.
This song tore my heart out when my wife passed away after a two year battle with stage four lung cancer. I still count myself as being blessed to have truly found my perfect light. She and I were the two pieces that completed the puzzle of life. When she got the news about the tumor in her lung we both stopped breathing. I was positive that she was going to beat this because she knew that she was. She accomplish beating the cancer but the treatments had punished her immune system and she developed pneumonia. Her small body could not fend off the pneumonia and she died of septic shock. I can't even come close to explaining the devastation that fell on me. Literally my life was over. I shut myself in so deep that I didn't let sunlight in my house. I sat in the dark with my gun in my mouth hour after hour. Finger on the trigger squeezing and waiting for the boom. I listen to music that made me think of her and Iris was on the top of the playlist. The whole song...and I'd give up forever to touch you cause I know you can feel me somehow... You're the closest heaven that I'll ever be... When everything feels like the movies, yeah you bleed just to know you're alive ...and I don't want the world to see me 'cause I don't think that they'd understand. I still cry when I hear this song and it's been thirteen years that she has been gone. My wife's sister and her husband saved my life. They got me back up on my feet. But to this day I am still devastated by the loss of my everything. Thank you Johnny Rzeznik for writing such a honest song.
Nice. Wasn't expecting to get that much out of your interview, but his personal raw "human" approach to all this was amazing and real. Rare these days and much appreciated!
Beautiful. Just Beautiful. Extremely inspiring, and the words and story coming from the man himself. Just makes that song more deep when you give it another listen.
Poll: What is your pick for the greatest song that went to #1 on the billboard hot 100 in the rock era?
Difficult one for us UK music fans to answer so I’ll go with Iris. But UK charts would have to be Another Brick In the Wall. Such an unexpected No1
"American Pie" by Don Mc Lean
....looooooooaded gun O' a question, Prof.! ...ha-HAA!! ....HMMM, The "Rock" era started in 1954, so, by DECADE... (cont.)
The 50's - Don't Be Cruel / Hound Dog - Elvis Presley
The 60's - I Want To Hold Your Hand - Beatles
The 70's - My Sharona - The Knack
The 80's - I Love Rock N' Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
The 90's - Iris - Goo Goo Dolls
The 00's - Kyrptonite - 3 Doors Down
The 2-10's - Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran
....OUCH, this HURT, I had to do research for this! ....off to drink more Coffee...
tie- Superstition and Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
@@scottburton9701 THat's a great choice. I need to cover that one.
My sister suffered from obesity her entire life. She passed away in 2017. Not from obesity but from complications of an opioid overdose. I remember hearing "Iris" shortly after it came out and my sister telling me, "You know this song describes me so much! I don't want the world to see me, because I don't think that they'd understand." My 21 year old self at the time didn't understand either, but I later realized she meant her weight issues was how the world perceived her. They wouldn't understand. She just wanted the world to know who she was. Thank you for this interview, Professor. You brought a good feeling back to my heart.
I"m so glad. This one is for your sweet sister. Thank you for sharing.
As an autistic teenager, this song really defined my 6th grade years, that everyone judged me by my “weird tics”. It was very embarrassing and humiliating.
💔
I am touched by your story about your sister . Sorry for your loss .
People out there love you, and loved your sister. She knew deep down that you loved her as well.
I can remember driving up in the mountains with my two buddies to go hunting. It was about 2 weeks after I found my Father dead. This song came on the radio as we drove along this logging road. There we were, three tough, strong men with guns headed for a fun day. Man when i heard those lyrics, they hurt so bad. I remember looking out the window with tears rolling down my face thinking of my Pops.I didnt want my buddies to see me. That song sure did that hit home. Fast forward a lifetime ahead and here I am with tears rolling down my face to the same song. I guess that some pain time just cant erase! I miss ya Dad!
The whole Dizzy up the Girl is a banger. One of the best albums of the 90s.
They don't make ballads like this anymore. Powerful, emotional, and down right heavy, this is what a rock and roll love song should be.
💯
John Rzeznik is so real, a real open guy who refuses to take credit for one of the most beautiful songs ever written by saying the universe gifted it to him. That is one cool dude. That was one fantastic interview! My favorite part was when he went to the executive and said I got 4 strings and 2 lines and they said let's do it, lol, classic. Great episode! Definitely one of my favorites!
Thanks My Name. I agree! One of my favorites as well!
It really warmed my heart to see him say that. He’s such a kind man.
In 1999 I was visiting Israel for the first time. I was in aclub in Jerusalem and this beautiful and swarthy Israeli army girl kept starring at me for about 10 minutes, then she left. I thought that I had missed my chance of meeting her. But she returned and walking up to me with her machine gun slapping her army olive hip she introduced herself and gave me her number. 2 nights later we met up had a few drinks and went back to her apartment. We sat on the floor in her living room just under the sandbags in her window and she played Iris on guitar and sang it to me all the while making eye contact. It's been oour song ever since. We are still very close friends even though we are an ocean away. Thanks John and thanks Adam!
I used to help Johnny and Robby out all the time at an electronics store I worked at in LA. They were so down to earth and super cool.
Seeing an artist praise and love other artists make me a bigger GooGoo Dolls fan than I already was!! It's so refreshing to know he's a normal, regular guy!!
I agree!
I remember when he hosted that battle of the bands tv show(forget the name). He told the winners that they truly had that special quality that he and his band always aspired to. Even he knew the Goo Goos didn't really have "it". From John's own mouth. Couldn't agree more.
He’s really sweet!
My daughter organizes functions for her company in NYC and she got to hang with him a little because he was the entertainment for the private party! Nicest guy she said and genuine. She got great selfies with him. So jealous she met him! He laughed when she told him my dad loves you! Haaa! I was a little embarrassed but she’s right! Thanks Prof! Your the greatest at these interviews and you impressed another artist with your research and education. Nice job brother
.To tell the truth, I was never a real Goo Goo Dolls fan but I look back and realize that they did have some good songs. Iris is one that I can relate to now. It came out the year I married my first wife. She was everything I thought I needed. Six years into the marriage she decided she didn't want to be married any more. I felt closer to death then than ever. I was in such deep depression that when I would get cut or scraped up at work I would just look at the blood and think to myself: "well, I'm still alive". So when I hear that line in the song I remember that pain she caused me. I'm past that now, but I still remember. I still use that line to this day, 18 years of hurting and healing. Sorry if that isn't what was expected, it's just my connection. I'm still human with feelings and songs for remembering and healing.
Love you brother! life is hard, love seems impossible and yet somehow we make it all work! There is love all around us, and it starts with the love you have for yourself! thanks for sharing, I know that wasn't easy. I've loved this song since the first time I heard it. I'm glad to know you're alive!
Eventually as a guy you just begin to understand female nature. By the time they suddenly don’t want to be in a relationship (and crush your soul), we’ll they’re already gobbling other d1ck.
I'm sorry he went through the pain of divorce but damn, the way he channeled that pain was beautiful.
"I'm no music monster, I just do what I do... took me a long time to understand that, and that's ok, I'm ok with that" (pp here). Something I've said for a long time... & thought I believed it. But that hit me pretty hard.
First time I've ever heard someone have the balls to say such a thing out-loud, with his level of fame. Awesome.
My name is Iris and this song came out when I was in grad school. Needless to say, it quickly became "my song." I have never been so proud to be associated with anything as with this song ... the gut wrenching lyrics and the soulful music just touches me to my core.
Thanks for sharing.
Our family used to have a close friend with a daughter named Iris, who had a rare kidney condition. This little girl always reminded me of the Goo Goo Dolls and this masterpiece of pop.
Be very happy that you didn't grow up in the 80s and have the name, 'Elvira'. LOL!
I LOVE YOU IRIS!!! HA ha!😄👍
This song is a triple threat: lyrically and musically perfect, and vocally delivered with 100% emotional investment. One of my all time favourites
No doubt!
How awesome is it that in practically every interview the artists compliment the Professor of Rock on his knowledge? I know I've learned a lot by following you Adam, thanks for everything
.....'cause he's ****THE PROF.**** , Russ!! ...ha-HAAA!! ...Those cats can sniff the THE REAL DEAL, when it's in front of them....Prof. LOVES ROCK!!
Thanks Russell! Have a great day!
Check out Tim Pierce on here. He played in the studio on so many great songs. It`s hard to believe. I remember Tim talking about playing on this song.
It’s so heartwarming to watch.
I was tending bar (in Buffalo) the night they played in the rain.
I remember being really bummed I couldn't get off work to see the show.
When it started pouring, I was glad I didn't get my shift covered.
After the show, people started coming into the bar, soaking wet, but with huge smiles. I immediately knew I missed something truly special.
"Iris" -- Heartfelt; passionate; melancholic; poetic... Cmon, you name it! 😇💓🔥
What I love about your channel is you not only give us the backstory about the iconic music that shaped our lives, but that you sometimes surprise the artists with information that blows them away as well.
THanks! Means a lot.
Yeah, I agree! Isn’t that cool?
It’s so amazing to watch!
every time as the interviewer it's obvious you know what you're talking about.
@@ProfessorofRock almost every time they say You did your homework, or I didn't know that, etc.
In 2003 my sister lived across street from Bon Jovi’s business manager. He gave her tickets to the show at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Goo Goo Dolls opened for them. It was amazing!
So glad you mentioned Tim Pierce. Every rock fan should know about him.
Tim smiles so big when he plays.
He does a breakdown of Steve Lukather playing on a Michael McDonald tune.
Tim also played the solo on the song. I’m pretty sure that he also wrote the solo.
I always saw it as song about the desire for our real selves to be accepted unconditionally. "When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am." That unconditional love, despite our own flaws, is what we all seem to want.
It think that's a good assessment.
It has resonated with me so many times. I am different from my peers and call for acceptance when there’s a will or a way.
Its a universal need of all humans down hear on Earth
The first time I heard this song, I thought it was a masterpiece.
"You can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything seems like the movies
And you bleed to know your alive "
Love that part too. Truly INSPIRED!
Such jukebox poetry! I have multiple neurological disabilities and when I talk to others and they sound like they do not understand or I feel like they are not handling me correctly, I always refer them to the masterpiece known as Iris.
Thank you for doing this interview and video. I'm a bit of a senior citizen as I'll turn 74 this year and frankly when I first heard of the Goo Goo Dolls I thought what a stupid name but then I heard some of their songs, I believe Name was the first one I heard and it immediately grabbed me. It just resonated with my soul idf you will. I was exposed to their music by my kids (we raised 5 kids), especially my 2 daughters who were fans of GGD. Well pretty much every single they released I loved. Iris I think is my favorite, especially after seeing the movie and I have to say the video of them performing in the rain in Buffalo Is probably the most touching video I have ever seen by a band.
It's awesome he acknowledges that sometimes music comes from a higher power or somewhere up above - and that as an artist he is really channeling that higher inspiration to us. Not many musicians get to that level of understanding. Great stuff.
My take on this, is the fact you were able to share this story. Was the best gift. I have gotten so far from your channel. Thank You.
This song is BRUTAL.
It makes everyone go like: "I know that feeling."
John is an excellent translator of complex set of feelings.
That's why his songs do not age.
They're SIMPLE with SIMPLE lines but hardly someone would solve the enigma of this particular set of feelings so well.
That's why he can write about the same "theme" no matter how cliché it may be, lots of times and it will sound different everytime.
Because he is a very sensitive person (not to be confused with being mellow, depressed, nor anything like this) - he can access several levels of simple and complex set of emotions.
There are no such thing like simple emotions.
If it was easy to describe a set emotions, we would never look for anyone else's point of view if we had these equations solved.
Not only was this a monster song, it helped make the movie "City of Angels" even bigger than it was, and lifted Nick Cage back into the damn good actor zone. When it came out, the song made me want to watch the movie. Without this song, I think the movie would have done well, being merely, OK. But, with the song, the lyrics immediately put you into the mind of Cage's character and you felt his pain and longing. This was a perfect placement of a song for a film, that rivaled "It must have been love" for "Pretty Woman" and "Up Where we Belong" for "An Officer and A Gentleman". Classics!
I think this song definitely elevated the movie.
Nic Cage would not have been the icon he is today if not for this!
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 @MB Uh, no, y'all crazy. City of Angels came out directly after Con Air, Face/Off, The Rock and Leaving Las Vegas. The first three were 3 of the most successful movies in 1996 and 1997 making Cage a star, and Leaving Las Vegas was a far better movie than City of Angels, with Cage getting massive critical praise for his performance, including an Academy Award! And of course years after Raising Arizona and Moonstruck where he originally showed his massive range.
When City of Angels came out Cage was already a massive star who had shown he could also be a damn good actor. It's a manipulative, forgettable movie that did fine as far as box office receipts and was panned by critics. No one in Hollywood needed to be reminded that Cage, who had recently done Leaving Las Vegas, had chops. And certainly no one considers him an icon today because of that mediocre schlock fest.
Ask anyone to make a list of their top 30 best or most important Cage films and City of Angels wouldn't get a mention. It's not a good example of his best dramatic acting, over-the-top zaniness, or ability to headline a blockbuster. It's not even a good example of the shitty movies that he has done for paycheck.
John Rzeznik is one of the most naturally gifted singer/song writer/musicians ever in my opinion. Combine his God given talent, ability, and passion with his experience and humility there is greatness. I hope he finds peace, love, and joy in this life. His music has added these to mine. Thank you John for sharing yourself with us.
Johnny is incredible. So talented, yet so humble. "Not me, something bigger than me." And you know he means it when he says it.
What a profound statement.
The song Iris was played at my friend's funeral. He committed suicide and the words fit his story/life so much. Still makes me cry everytime I hear it!!
Great video,
Thanks!!
I remember the “bad” Reznick, after Name was a hit. Still broke, they were back to playing small clubs. He would get with the Bar manager just an hour before their show, and say he needed an 8-ball or he wasn’t going on. A total jerk, prima Dona, even belittling to people. Some shows were still great, many were not at all. He clearly showed he’d rather be getting a root canal than be there.
With all that said, he is still one of my all time favorites. I really think he was just in a dark place…bitter from getting hosed, despondent over his divorce, and he knew he had great things inside him, that needed to come out. I forgive that version of him and I’m so happy he found peace and atonement.
He underplays his own prodigious talent and doesn't even take credit for writing one of the best lines in music history. What a cool dude.
Boy Named Goo was such a great album too, Long Way Down and Ain't That Unusual are great songs too, I played that album way too much. Johnny seems like a such a cool guy. Great interview Professor.
For the most part, you don't stop an outdoor concert in Buffalo because of bad weather, we're tougher than that.
Ha true that!
I've seen them twice. You can tell by his interaction he's just a really good guy. I love how real he is in this interview. Not afraid to bare himself. Good human❤️
One of the most underrated bands of the last 30 years. A few months ago I started playing their hits off my iPhone on a road trip. The list was way longer than I thought.
Ya they can sneak up on you.
No kidding, they’re a great band.
This is one of those amazing songs from the 90s that takes you straight back there, I don't know about anyone else but some songs make me want to go back there so bad. Great interview too Prof, John seems like such a cool guy too.
I remember being a pre-teen in the late 90’s and heard Casey Kasem play “Name” and he announced the song as a one hit wonder by the Goo Goo Dolls. Later in 8th grade when City of Angels came out my first girlfriend went to see the movie and was talking to me about how she really liked the song “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls, and I snickered and laughed and said, “The Goo Goo Dolls? Aren’t they just a “one hit wonder”?” I was such a jerk, I made her feel bad 😞. Little did I know that the song would blow up and be a huge hit!
One of my favorite songs. Ever. I had no idea Johnny Reznik was such a decent, humble guy.
Sounds like the type of guy I love talking to!
Another incredible video with an amazing artist. Thank you, Prof!
You were so right Adam. One of the BEST episodes EVER! As a singer/musician/songwriter there are a lot of things about John that I identify with very much. I love his passion for what he does most of all.
Reminds me of the late 90’s. I was living in Nyack, New York. With my wife and daughter. It speaks to the fragile nature of life. The courage it takes to love and the joy children bring. This was such a transformational time for me. Thank you for brining me back. To such a good time in my life.❤
Sometimes out of writers block comes great things.
Thanks Professor.
You're most welcome!
"The gift" he mentions is a real thing and if your in the right space and ready to receive, those gifts will manifest themselves and can launch you in directions you never knew possible.
John is one of the nicest, most humble guys in rock. He’s just a normal guy who also happened to be a decent singer and guitarist…. That people happened to pay attention to.
He’s very cool.
Wow! I'm 81 and totally missed this song, film and artist. Thanks.
I'm 73 and I did the same.
The Buffalo live version of Iris is the best I’ve ever heard, I can never get sick of hearing this song love love love it!
So cool to hear him give some love to Tim. He's phenomenal. Iris came out right after I got out of basic training and I was at tech school in the Air Force. You couldn't escape it at the time. It was all over the radio. Every time that I hear it, in my mind, I'm right back there in Biloxi Mississippi, scared and excited all at the same time.
thanks for sharing.
great album that came out when vinyl had died. now in reissue on vinyl hope band is getting paid this time.
Great memories.
I was in AF tech school in Biloxi when Dizzy Up The Girl came out and bought it at the BX. Awesome memories
Always been a GooGoo fan! The music and lyrics caught my attention, but Johnny's very humble and gracious attitude keeps me wanting the best of everything for these guys! Every interview I've seen of him he is fully aware that he is a vessel and is perfectly fine with not taking credit for what he does with his gift!
Johnny is like a Phoenix...from the disaster of his life's status at that point...a shinning pearl of music was created. Awe inspiring...and so very humble. This has opened the door for me to the Goo Goo Dolls. Thanks for yet another great gem of an interview! Adam you are truly THE Professor of Rock! \m/.
Thanks!
Was a great story.
Name was one of my favorite songs from the mid-90s. I worked at a grocery store that played it on regular rotation, and I never got tired of it. I thought Iris was overplayed at the time, but looking back I can see that it was a great song. And it deserves credit for pulling Johnny and the band back from almost quitting.
I'm glad you didn't forget that concert. It has long been one of my favorite moments in music. The right song at the right place at the perfect moment. Destiny stepped in for that one!
❤️ The Goo Goo Dolls!! Been a huge fan since the 90s. Thnx for this video! Great seeing Johnny! He's gone thru so much over the years but he's Resilient 💯! He and the Goo Goo Dolls will last forever!
OHMYGOSH!! I could FEEL the energy coming through this video and it had me on the verge of tears all the way through. I love Johnny. He's so humble. He knows what he can do but he is also quick to oint out the others who helped lift up him, the band and the songs. He is everyone I have EVER met from Buffalo and the surrounding area. I have traveled all over this country and man let me tell you as soon as they know you're from Western/Central New York. you have just made a new Gold Standard friend! We are NOT New York City: We are UPSTATE NEW YORK TOUGH! ❤❤🤗🤗😎😎💖💖
I’m an O.F. who grew up with fantastic music. My memory of when this song came out is “Thank God.” We were starving!
This song, 'Black Balloon', 'She's So High' and 'Learn to Fly' were all in heavy rotation in the summer of '99. I was living in Toronto, seeing a girl in in the VA/DC area and doing a lot of long, late night drives. Yearning. Melancholic, bittersweet. The interstate/cross-border soundtrack of a LDR.
I remember that year well.
@@ProfessorofRock It takes you right back.
Cheers, Adam. Thanks for the constant source of compelling material.
Great memories.
What an amazing interview. And what a great song. As Johnny mentioned, it was (still is) a gift.
As undervalued a band as there is. A Boy Named Goo is a perfect album. And Johnny's interview show on Sirius, with other amazing songwriters, is so damn good.
Somewhere around 8 years ago, I saw Goo Goo Dolls in a college gymnasium.
They played hard to no more than a couple dozen people.
It was great.
Cool!
Such an epic song with (like you highlighted) some incredible lyrics! I had always looked at Reznick as a pretty boy with attitude and now have total respect after hearing this. He seems like a down to earth guy who has had his share of struggles in his life. Love how he recognized that you are ‘The Professor of Rock’.
There are only a few songs that, to me, are perfect ...every note, every word, every inflection. Iris is one. It is a masterpiece that the band flawlessly performs. It continues to enchant each new generation, and I anticipate it will without end.
There are just some songs written that affect you so hard that you look around to see if that artist is following you and writing about your life because that's how hard you identify with it. This is one of those songs. Also, I was running a record store at the time this song came out & of course it was included in songs we would have to play, and OMG thinking back at how hard it was waiting on customers and trying not to burst into tears, especially when he sings, " yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive".
It's such an inspired line! I agree.
It’s really packed with emotion.
Saw Goo with Third Eye Blind in 2002, what a show they both put on. Great interview and John’s ability to be raw and sharing his brokenness shows how down to earth he is. Plus, PLUS - he was a fan of Husker Du!!! Props to him and your interview Professor!
Thank you!
He’s one of the sweetest guys we’ve had on here.
Iris was a song that you couldn't escape. The Goo Goo Dolls were a huge band for me at that time of my life. Especially the albums Hold Me Up, Superstar Carwash which is my favorite and A Boy Named Goo. Those guys were on a roll through Dizzy Up the Girl, which might be a little too clean and produced in the way Don't Tell a Soul is by The Replacements but it still sounds really good. The Mats, Husker Du and Soul Asylum. Such great bands and definitely the soundtrack to many years of my life. Thanks again for another great video, Adam!
Thank you !
Definitely dig deep into their catalog.
I was working for Blockbuster Video while the movie was still in theatres but we'd play these "Trailer Tapes" and I was hearing "Iris" 7 times a day. I was really digging "It and told my best friend John who said "It makes more sense once you see the movie" and after a few weeks we got the movie and, it all came together.
I subscribe to Tim Pearce's UA-cam channel, who played the mandolin and he is one of those monster guitar player's that is probably playing on many songs we all know and love. A session player who's the nicest guy and he's a master of the guitar so now the stuff Resnick was talking about"Tim comes in and lifts everything up" resonates with me because I feel like I know him , he's a huge part of the UA-cam guitar community and to know him is to love him.
Great interview, Resnick is as humble as they get, sounds like the kind of guy I'd wanna be in a band with. ✌️♥️🎸🎶🙏
Dear Professor,
Thank you as always for songs from the 90's. This song is very nostalgic and it came out during my Senior year of Highschool and played it at every dance including my Senior Prom. Thank you again and keep em coming!
A Boy Named Goo is still valid today. I still listen to Flat Top and Name. Iris has so much passion it makes you heart tight to listen to it.
John Rzeznik is my favorite musician of all time. Thank you for sharing this story❤️
Thanks for dissecting this song... always liked the way the song sounded but never paid much attention to the lyrics until today. It all makes sense now.
The song Reznek wrote for the Treasure planet movie is our family favorite. My kids grew up to that movie and we love that song that's about,well, growing up.
Love this channel! Thanks for bringing up Tim Pierce, he is someone that you should do a piece on. He is such a great musician, and person. He's someone that everybody has heard play guitar, but probably doesn't know it, he's played on so many great albums, check out his UA-cam channel it's great. Just can't say enough about him. Thank you for all of the interviews.
AB-SO-LUTELY THIS ⬆️
Tim would be an amazing interview!
Especially in regards to this song... He basically did it in one take but they did two more just to make sure.
Tim is my guitar teacher. That does NOT mean I can play anywhere near his level, but he’s just so much fun!
Thanks for all your research in producing these wonderful videos! I’m always that guy in the beginning of your video when you ask “If you remember MTV “…. or whatever, I just shake my head, roll my eyes back and enjoy the ride.
Ha ha. Very cool.
I take a time machine through TikTok knowing that I was born in the wrong generation and wanting to have the same fun as kids back in the 80s did.
@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 - I was a kid in the 70’s. Such a different time then! My best story happened in summer, 1972. I got pulled over by a cop around midnight. I was adequately shitfaced drunk … and 3 years underage. The cop said I had two choices. #1: go to jail… or #2: drive straight home (about a mile away on a quiet road in the country) and he’d follow me all the way there. If I was too drunk to not be a “decent” driver, he’d pull me over again and then take me to jail. I chose #2, and made it home just fine.
@@enigmawyoming5201 Thank God I haven’t ended up in jail as a child so far (it probably will never happen). I have heard some traumatic stories of kids suffering while in these conditions. It was not pretty.
Fantastic interview! Nothing short of fantastic! It's why I come here. Many thanks for this!
WOW!!!!!!!!!! He Knows! This was a great one man, seriously.. I am so glad i saw this, it;s one of those things. It is super weird to see it from so far away and distant like a spectator . like a person who cannot be seen and is in the wrong time to even if they were there but also to still know that person you just watched is genuine and that he knows! It's sad to know that some don't.
I'm so glad you reposted this! I was looking for it a few weeks back to rewatch it and couldn't find it!
You're the man Professor! Thank you so much for what you do!
John is a fantastic artist, great tunes, and he realizes there's more to life than just himself.
As a young adult at 19 years old, I had just moved to Seattle from Montana, when my friend won tickets to see an End session from 107.7 the End radio station. I got to see Goo Goo Dolls do one of these End Sessions with about 12 other people in a small recording studio. It will always be something I remember, sitting there watching them play. It was a magical experience for someone so young as me to experience. I had no idea he had been going through all that, as he was one of the most genuine people I've ever met. Still seems like it! Great interview.
This is the BEST interview I have ever listened to of John. Congrats!
The raining performance is my favorite live musical video. I call it the GOAT of live videos.
Excellent interview. Beautiful song. I'll tell ya, when the universe wants to work through you, it WILL work through you. Just an awesome body of work. A very emotionally and powerful song. 😍
I really enjoyed this interview! Thanks 💘
What a genuine and humble human being. I love his attitude and how he expresses himself. Great interview. I was never a goo goo dolls fan. However I am now a fan of this man. You can tell he has a really good soul. I do like the song iris though but I just couldn’t ever into their music but maybe now I will give them another whirl. 😊
The movie makes me cry, EVERY TIME. The song affects me deeply on an entirely different level.
In a world that can be harsh and unnaccepting, all any of us want is to be loved for we are. I have found this exceedingly difficult, as I am a male to female trans person. All the women I find myself interested in are truly fascinated by my lifes struggle, but either don't want to "be with" me, or if they do, they want me to keep my true self a secret.
"And I don't want the world to see me, cuz I don't think that they'd understand.
When everything's meant to be broken, I just want you to know who I am."
The first time I heard that specific line, I felt like my head was collapsing, having finally said the words my soul was trying to speak. The entire song is pure genius, and it speaks so deeply to my heart.
I love The Goo Goo Dolls. Love their music and John's voice. Iconic. 'Iris' is extremely deep. Like 'I'm Still Here'. 'Long Way Down'. So many favorites that resonate with life and love at just the right moments. So grateful.
Professor, I did not think you would outdo your self this soon. Major props.
Wow, Prof, it's so great when the people you interview are impressed with your knowledge. You are definitely love what you're doing and you know the fine details that helps build rapport with the interviewee! Also, I have always loved this song, and it was nice to hear about it! I'm so glad you have a channel and you share your knowledge, I love your style!
Great interview! Great insight! Johnny seems like an extremely humble person, what I'd call a good human. The world loves a good human.
I really can't explain why but Iris is just one of those songs that hits me where I live. I have absolutely loved it since the first time I heard it and it is still one of my favorite tunes and it taught me to appreciate the Goo Goo Dolls! John is a very likeable great dude and that concert in Bufflo in the rain is a classic. Best live performance I have ever seen!
What I hate and love about life so much is the obvious truth, that, in order for such beauty and honesty to be presented, it must come from the heart of a tortured soul.
Like Elton and Bernie said,
"Hollywood created a superstar, and, pain was the price you paid..."
"And, it seems to me, you lived your life like a candle in the wind..."
I just went to see their concert two months ago in Detroit they performed with Blue October and it was an incredible show! I took my 24 year old daughter with me. I was young when she was born and my life was not in a very good place, this song had great meaning to me back then and now being a happy, successful man at 46 years old rediscovering music at a live concert with my daughter by my side meant the world to me, money can’t buy that kind of moment! ❤️
Johnny Rzeznik Has always been and always will be a class act. I've followed the Goo Goo Dolls since the 90s when they began. My only opportunity to see them live, since I live in a small town, was a stop over concert during their A Boy Named Goo Tour. Bush was the main act and I had great tickets but, ultimately, couldn't go to the show due to work. I gave the tickets to a friend of mine. One of my greatest regrets is not telling the boss to shove work and going to that show.
Aloha Adam, this is my second time watching this video and can’t remember if I left a comment before or not.
I was on the Sony Tour with John, Robbie and Mike along with the Counting Crows and I had the easiest job in my life. My buddy, Nate, talked me into becoming a member of Golden Voice and recorded several songs on DAT at the time. I got a call a week later to go on this Sony thing.
My wife and I were trying to conceive at the time and maybe we were putting ourselves under too much pressure at the time.
My job was to sing 3-4 songs for each band so that the light and sound engineers could get everything dialed in. I had sung in bands and stuff but this to me was the big time. I just remember how Robbie and his mom got me to settle down and not think about what I had to do. Robbie was the coolest, talked to me about buying a house in LA maybe and what was it like living in Huntington Beach/Fountain Valley area, him from the East Coast.
Most of the time, the place would be empty before the fans come in but Dodger Stadium was way different and the same with Monrovia HS, the school that won some kind of contest.
I was there in Buffalo for the very first time in 2004 and just before Iris, it started to poor with rain. Something about changing John shoes and then he went out, man oh man!
I still have the DVD and CD on my iPhone, use to go across the street to the beach and sing as loud as I want and still do.
After the Sony Tour ended, all that time on the road, my wife picked me up at the John Wayne airport and I was so happy to see her again. We flew to Maui and Oahu for a three week vacation and I knew the moment we had conceived my daughter. I don’t know how I knew, I just did. The same with my son also, Big Island and Oahu, I knew then too. So it was girl, boy and stop.
Both bands treated me so nice and I was super grateful. Even though I grew up playing drums and percussions, I loved singing the most and still do. Man, 19 years has come and gone so quickly. Your videos seem to always take me down memory lane and places so far away today. ❤
I love how humble and appreciative Johnny Rzeznik is! Bravo dude, keep on being who you really are!
It doesn't get more rock n roll than a concert in the rain... They won me over in a huge way when I saw that!!! But that song, that band is phenomenal!!! Happened to catch their behind the music on VH1 and had no idea they'd been around years before they hit it big in the late nineties. Definitely much more to them than your average fly by night bubble gum pop music group. Much love and respect for the Goo Goos.
Your best interview yet. Truly enjoyed watching.
This song tore my heart out when my wife passed away after a two year battle with stage four lung cancer. I still count myself as being blessed to have truly found my perfect light. She and I were the two pieces that completed the puzzle of life. When she got the news about the tumor in her lung we both stopped breathing. I was positive that she was going to beat this because she knew that she was. She accomplish beating the cancer but the treatments had punished her immune system and she developed pneumonia. Her small body could not fend off the pneumonia and she died of septic shock. I can't even come close to explaining the devastation that fell on me. Literally my life was over. I shut myself in so deep that I didn't let sunlight in my house. I sat in the dark with my gun in my mouth hour after hour. Finger on the trigger squeezing and waiting for the boom. I listen to music that made me think of her and Iris was on the top of the playlist. The whole song...and I'd give up forever to touch you cause I know you can feel me somehow... You're the closest heaven that I'll ever be... When everything feels like the movies, yeah you bleed just to know you're alive ...and I don't want the world to see me 'cause I don't think that they'd understand. I still cry when I hear this song and it's been thirteen years that she has been gone. My wife's sister and her husband saved my life. They got me back up on my feet. But to this day I am still devastated by the loss of my everything. Thank you Johnny Rzeznik for writing such a honest song.
I wish the very best for you. Thank you for telling your story. 💙
@@jamiearmstrong2412 thank you.
Nice. Wasn't expecting to get that much out of your interview, but his personal raw "human" approach to all this was amazing and real. Rare these days and much appreciated!
Beautiful. Just Beautiful. Extremely inspiring, and the words and story coming from the man himself. Just makes that song more deep when you give it another listen.
Agreed. Thanks RC32
It’s just so heartwarming and emotional.
What a great interview. I have tears in my eyes and have no idea why?