It”s official: They”re huge. You hate them? They”re still huge. You love them? Good because you”re going to be hearing a lot from them. The single “How You Remind Me” has taken up residence on the rock charts the past 17 weeks a good chunk of that at No. 1.
- Paul Wong
- Rock “n” Roll messiah? No. But that does look like Jesus.<br><br>Courtesy of Roadrunner Records
The band is quickly becoming a corporate rock juggernaut joining the ranks of Creed and Fuel at the front lines of today”s stock rock army. Currently the Vancouver based Nickelback is touring the U.S. in support of its sophomore album Silver Side Up making a stop at the State Theatre this Sunday. The Daily had a chance to catch up with bassist, Mike Kroeger, in order to discuss everything from parity to Pearl Jam to the Red Wings.
The Michigan Daily: Did you know “How Remind Me” is played every three minutes on the radio?
Mike Kroeger: Yeah, that means it is always being played somewhere.
TMD: Do you get sick of hearing it?
MK: I haven”t been listening to the radio as much as I used to. To tell you the truth, we”re in a different town everyday so listening to the radio is really not an option. I don”t even know what the hell stations are.
TMD: Do you wish they would release the next single already?
MK: How can I put it? Say if you open a restaurant and you have one famous sandwich that your restaurant is famous for. You try and introduce another sandwich, but everyone says, “No, no, no! We still like the first one.” Then you say, “OK I”ll keep selling you this sandwich until you are sick of it, then I”ll sell you the new one.”
TMD: How do you look at originality versus being good at what you do?
MK: I think to a certain level originality is something that came with Led Zeppelin. Right now there are not very many people reinventing the wheel. We are fans of rock music and that is what we like to play. Ultimately, any kind of stereotype is really subjective it”s hard for me to lend any credence to it.
TMD: With all the unwanted grunge comparisons, why did you hire producer, Rick Parashar, (Pearl Jam”s Ten) to do your album?
MK: His resume was more strikes against him than for him … it was a double-edged sword we knew the critics would have a field day with it.
TMD: Ten is one of the best produced albums ever.
MK: You”re damn right! I can rave about that album all day, but there were other reasons for choosing Rick. (Other producers) wanted to commute from the valley to L.A. Not to come to Vancouver and make a record. When we called Mr. Rick Parasher and asked him how he felt making an album in Vancouver he said, “Well, yeah, I”m into it. How about if I come see you rehearse tomorrow afternoon?” and there he was. That”s why. The enthusiasm was out of control. Those other guys would have just been punching the clock.
TMD: Do you take fans” tastes into account before writing?
MK: We feel accountable to our fans. They like us because of what we have done to this point. We don”t want to disappoint them because anybody can see what kind of a backlash can happen.
TMD: Chad, the lead singer, is your brother?
MK: Yes.
TMD: Any Oasis-like fights happening?
MK: No.
TMD: Who would win if you guys fought?
MK: Hard to say. We”ve never fought.
TMD: Do you think your brother looks like Jesus?
MK: Uh, I think that he looks like artists” rendition of Jesus, yes.
TMD: A bit like Tom Green?
MK: I”ve never considered that one. I”ll have to get back to you on that.
TMD: What kind of mosh pit can be expected at your shows?
MK: Dangerous. Get your helmet on and get down there. I”ve got a question for you. Hockey fan?
TMD: Yes.
MK: Red Wings Fan?
TMD: Yes.
MK: Good man.
TMD: You have to be here in Detroit.
MK: Detroit is my team. I”m not a Canucks fan but it”s not because I don”t love my city. It is because up until recently it hasn”t been about a team but millionaire babies wearing the C on their jersey.
TMD: The Wings” defense looks like it may be a problem.
MK: The D?! In comparison to the offense obviously it looks deficient, there is no rival to the Wings offense.
TMD: Besides hockey, does Detroit mean anything special to you?
MK: We have played Detroit so many times. Last year I went to Detroit more than I went home.