Unofficial Transcript
provided by: cermiestar (http://www.countingcrows.com/bbs.html)

Ben Jones : Hello and welcome and we are live from the Virgin Radio Live Lounge, the Virgin Radio Zoo, and please welcome one of my favourite bands, the Counting Crows.

(Applause and cheering)

Ben Jones : Even, even, applauding themselves.

(more cheering)

Unidentifiable : This is great!

Ben Jones : Let�s do a roll call cos the last time I interviewed it was just Adam on his own, but we got everybody, Adam, Jim, David, Charles, David, Matt and Dan, the Counting Crows, again please, more applause!

(more applause!)

Ben Jones : And I have to say, I have to say, in the two years that we�ve don�t this show, I don�t think we�ve ever had quite a big set-up in this studio, so much so that we�ve had to banish the drummer.

Drummer : It�s terrible

Ben Jones : Are you alright? I�m sorry.

Drummer : No I�m not, my feelings are very hurt back here.

Ben Jones : Do you smell?

Drummer : No

Ben Jones :No you don�t ok (laughs). Well listen, welcome back to the show, Adam, good to see you.

Adam : Hello Ben.

Ben Jones : How are you?

Adam : I�m fine, you know it�s actually just Counting Crows.

Ben Jones : Counting Crows. All right I�ll get rid of THE Counting Crows.

Adam : It�s Ok

Ben Jones : But um, you�ve had a busy year, I mean you�ve been touring quite a lot, all of you, I think you were touring with John Mayer?

Adam : In the summertime we did a tour together.

Ben Jones : Ok and how�s John because we had him on the show a few weeks ago, he�s a thoroughly charming guy, had nothing but nice things to say about you guys.

Adam : He�s a loon.

Ben Jones : Really?

Adam : I like him a lot, he�s really nice, he�s just a loon though.

Ben Jones : I get the impression though, those shows were incredibly successful, were they?

Adam : (pauses) Yes

Ben Jones : They were

Adam : They were very successful. What way do you mean?

Ben Jones : Well, you know, a lot of people turned up to see you.

Adam : Yes that was�.

Ben Jones : That�s what I mean, I didn�t mean how much money you earned.

Adam : Those things are related though strangely enough. The one goes with the other and that�s a good thing!

Ben Jones: We are going to talk about the album, Counting Crows, Films About Ghosts, which is the best of, it�s been out for quite a while, I actually got it for Christmas and we�re going to play some live songs from it, we�re going to do I think 4 or 5 tonight so let�s get on with it, no mucking about, Counting Crows, live, from the Virgin Radio Live Lounge.

Acoustic version of Mr. Jones.

(applause)

Ben Jones : That is just superb. That is real live music, in the Virgin Radio Live Lounge, the Virgin Radio Zoo, Counting Crows and Mr Jones. Now Adam, last time I saw you here at Virgin was just prior to the release of Hard Candy and of course, just before your performance at the V festival back in 2002, so a lot has changed since then of course including the release of the Counting Crows best of and ten years, does that seem like the natural place to put out this best of album?

Adam : It turns out, right about ten years you get really lazy.

Ben Jones : Really? (laughs)

Adam : And that seemed perfect, it�s apparently just the exact age. It�s uh yeah, I dunno, we�ve been around a decade, and uh, I didn�t actually have any new songs�.so�

(laughter)

Adam : No, uh, you know, truth is, the record company�s going to put it out whether you like it or not one of these days and we just thought we�d do it ourselves otherwise they�d do it without your approval.

Ben Jones : So you might as well get behind it yourself yeah?

Adam : Yeah, uh, and I kind of think it�s cool, I think in the last few years we�ve gotten so much bigger as a live act, and there�s so many people who�ve been introduced to our music, at concerts, at festivals, and it�s entirely possible a lot of them don�t have all the records, so, nowadays with the way the economies are everywhere, it�s a lot to ask people to go back and buy four records, so we thought it�s be really good introduction to the band, give them a lot of the songs they�ve been hearing in concert.

Ben Jones : Now there�s two new songs on this album, and a lot of people have done it in recent years when they�ve put out a best of CD, Rolling Stones did it, Chilli Peppers have done it, REM did it, two new songs on a compilation album, Michael Stite (sp?) was telling me when he came on this show that the pressure the band felt they were under when they agreed to the two new songs is quite intense, because I mean, those two new songs have got to sit on an album, surrounded by your best material over the last ten years. Did the Counting Crows feel under any pressure when it came to working on these two new songs?

Adam : Yeah, actually it�s just Counting Crows.

(laughter)

Ben Jones : I know, I know but I have to say THE otherwise it doesn�t make sense!

Adam : I dunno, you know, er, I try not to worry too much about pressure over those sorts of issues cos it doesn�t really do you any good, I mean, you�re only ever going to be as good as you are at that moment, you can�t really push yourself to be�.I mean you�re always trying to be your best, and you just have to live with that being good enough, whatever that is, it has to be your best, but er, you know I mean, the other issue was that the song would be a single off the record so you want it to be good for that, cos in America, that�s the single, it�s doing really well, yeah, so I dunno, to me, pressure just doesn�t help you, and I don�t really think of the songs as being in competition with our other songs, cos they�re just other songs anyway.

Ben Jones : So Films About Ghosts, interesting title, where does it come from? I mean is it something to do with the band�s history? Is it just something that flew into your head? I mean, what�s the deal with the title?

Adam : Um�

Ben Jones : There must be a story, and there must be a story that you�ve probably told many, many times before.

Adam : We�ve all been loosing a lot of weight recently�.and er, I�m going to throw a little one liner in at the beginning of every question, just so you know. Thank-you.

(Ben Jones laughs)

Adam : You�re all weak (???) I write a lot of my own material and I never took any lessons.

(laughter)

Adam : Um, it�s actually a line from Mrs Potter�s Lullaby, �If dreams are like movies, the memories are films about ghosts�. I kind of feel like uh, a greatest hits records is a collection of your memories, in the same way every record is really, but more than most, a greatest hits records is a collection of not only your memories, but the memories of people who have been your fans for all these years, cos it�s parts of their lives as well. Ben Jones : Shall we have some more live music? Got a lot of Counting Crows fans here tonight, who won tickets to come and see you on the �Most Wanted� just a weeks ago, would you like some more music everybody?

Audience : Yes!

Ben Jones : Yes? Ok.

Adam : That�s just too bad.

(laughter)

Ben Jones : Enough of me, let�s have some more live music, and just do it godammit.

A Long December

(applause)

Ben Jones : Awesome stuff. It is track 4 from Films about Ghosts, Counting Crows and A Long December on Virgin Superstars. Now when you guys chose the track listing for this album, were there certain songs that you really wanted to include on the album, what was the deal when it came to the actual track listing for Films About Ghosts?

Adam : Um, there were some girls I wanted to meet and, uh, I just asked them what songs they�d really like on the record and�.some of my ex-girlfriends, I asked them if they�d consider, like, getting back together just for even a night if I put their song on, uh, and uh, Courtney was into and Elisabeth wasn�t into it, so she�s not on the record.

Ben Jones : So you got laid quite a lot in the run up to the release of this album, yeah?

Adam : Well yeah, and Anna, we�re going to Australia, she lives down there, she�s married but we�re going to have one wild night.

(laughter)

Ben Jones : Now, um, if we go back a few years, I mean you were signed by your record label quite quickly after the band formed, was that luck? Was the band ready to go? Did you feel you were as tight as a band as wanted to be?

Adam : Er no, but I thought we were as old as we wanted to be before getting signed.

(laughter)

Adam : We had er�none of us are kids anymore, what you know, and we�d also, in the middle of making the first album, changed the band entirely, er, but I don�t think you have to be as tight as you wanna be because it�s not really about that�.we from the very first moment we went in the studio together were really good at listening to each other which erm�.people will tell you a million things about what you really need to be a good musician and you should practise all day and get your chops (???) and that is all true to a certain extent but really, the biggest skill, any musician who�s a really good musician has, is listening, cos it�s really about how you react with the other people playing, not what you can do by yourself so much, if you�re in a band, it�s different if you�re just a solo guy, but�.

Ben Jones : Who were the band�s influences when you first all hooked up and started recording the first album? What were you listening to prior to going into the studio that very first time?

Adam : Erm�I don�t really�I listen to so much music I really don�t remember exactly what we were listening to�.

Ben Jones : No but the kind of stuff that, you know, made you decide that, actually, this is what I wanna do, this is why we�re going to form a band, I am inspired by artists such as�.? You know, was there anyone in particular?

Adam : I don�t really think that�s a thought process you go through, I mean, you learn a lot of lessons from different people as you go through life anyway so those kind of come along but I�m not sure�.there wasn�t anybody that I wanted to join the band to be like.

Ben Jones : No.

Adam : Just, wanted to be in a band.

Ben Jones : But has the business changed much over the last ten years? As you�ve been heavily involved with it, is it more difficult for a band to become as successful as Counting Crows have done in the last ten years now, in this day and age?

Adam : It certainly seems difficult for us to be as successful as we were. I dunno, but that�s because you�re all stealing our music, yes I see that out there, and we know who you are too�.

Ben Jones : With you iPods�.

Adam : Business is down by 50% cos people are just taking it on the internet.

Ben Jones : Has that been a problem personally to Counting Crows?

Adam : It�s been a problem personally to all our bank books! Well you know its like�.I disagree with�.it�s the basic sentiment of it that really pisses me off. People get so righteous about that art is for everyone, we yeah, it is, but what are you saying? Are you saying that I will spend money on tires and that I�m perfectly willing to spend money on a microwave oven, and I�ll pay my cable bill, and I�ll buy a new TV, but art is worthless? Art is�it doesn�t have a value? And I think that�s wrong, you know, but it�s been going on for thousands of years it�s always been an undervalued thing in society, we like our famous people but we don�t really think of art as a worthwhile thing�.anyone out there will tell you that it�s easier to be a musician than any other job, but hey I dunno, we started off for ten years to get where we were, playing in clubs while everyone else was getting on with their lives, and er now we�re constantly surrounded by girls all the time, and it�s just�.I can�t take it anymore.

Ben Jones : I can see how the years have taken their toll on you haven�t they? Look at you all�smiling! (laughs) Yeah, what a wonderful life we lead. Let� do some questions from some of the people that have come to see you guys. Some people have come from quite some distance, other people have come from just around the corner. Er, this is from Matt, who I think is from Worcester Park, or certainly around that area, he says, Is it true that you�ve booked the House on the Hill ready to record the new album?

Adam : Oh, the next one?

Ben Jones : Yeah.

Adam : No (laughs)

(laughter)

Adam : There�s a real desire within the band to do an album this fall, but there�s a real desire in me, to take it off. And er, that�s what we�re going to be god damn doing.

Ben Jones : It�s your band you decide. There�s another question here from er�.

Adam : I�m just not showing up�

Ben Jones : Any of you guys wanna lead vocals on the next album? Er, Amy from Leeds says, Adam, you seem to draw on your life experiences for your music, so much so that when I�m listening I feel like I�m prying into your life, is this intentional? That is Amy from Leeds, what a very good question, (to the audience) who is Amy? Amy, good question. Should of thought of that myself.

Adam : It�s a good question, (to Amy) are you intentionally prying in my life? (inaudible) Well, yeah, they�re out there as much as I am comfortable giving. That�s about, you know�.that�s actually the point of being a writer to me, is to take some part of yourself and put it out there in solid form for people to�.obviously that�s why you do it, why you�re a writer or�.any other people that do it, really if you�re a writer, that�s what you do. I think that as I get better, I get more and more honest, that�s always what you�re striving for, I want it to sound less like a song and more like�the truth. So yeah, I don�t mind. I mean, as long as you keep it to that�

Ben Jones : And don�t get stalker tendencies�Er, Emma from Leeds says, what albums are you listening to at the moment?

Adam : (to Emma) Hey who are you? Aha.

Ben Jones : Your friend.

Adam : There�s a guy named Josh Ritter, round Idaho, who�s huge in Ireland, I love his record, he�s really good, um...I was listening to a lot of classical music right before I left home�I dunno why, I just�I bought some Samuel Barber (sp?) and some (I didn�t get this one) I just wanted to learn about it�I heard it was great and I don�t have any of it so I spent some time listening to that before I left�er I can�t think of�.

Ben Jones : Cos the last time I saw you, you were quite into, I mean you�d been getting ready for your performance at the V festival, you were listening to some Stereophonics, and stuff like that�are you still friends with Kelly? And�

Adam : Yeah I haven�t seen Kelly in about a year and a half now, but you know, it happens, when you�re friends with people who are in other bands, it�s cool when you run into each other, and then you don�t, for a year and half, cos of you know, touring schedules, I haven�t seen Ed (?) in maybe three years and we�re really good friends, we spent a summer touring together, and I haven�t seen him, I saw his brother the other day, it�s kind of what happens�I love the Stereophonics...I think they�re genius�

Ben Jones : Well they�re just dabbling their toes in America, at the moment, they�re doing some tour dates, I think they played New York city just the other night...so you know�

Adam : Who are they over there with? It�s somebody I like, I wanna go see them�

Ben Jones : No-one knows.

Adam : You don�t know the answer? Well you�ve all failed.

Ben Jones : Yeah (laughs)

Adam : No get out.

Ben Jones : Shall we have some more live music?

Adam : What?

Ben Jones : Let�s have some more live music from you.

Adam : Ah.

Ben Jones : Counting Crows, that�s you.

Adam : Er, what are we doing?

Ben Jones : We�re live from the Virgin Radio Live Lounge with Counting Crows tonight.

Big Yellow Taxi

Ben Jones : Love it. Counting Crows, Big Yellow Taxi, that is on Films About Ghosts, their best of album, which is out right now. Now, a few years ago, there was talk of a covers album, I mean, is that something you�d still like to do? Or, because I think you were thinking about doing it before Hard Candy, is there the possibility of a covers album still to come?

Adam : Well we did it, actually, we did it all one weekend, we did like fourteen songs one weekend, er cos Lilywhite hadn�t come back from a break for some reason�..

Ben Jones : Talking about Steve Lilywhite? The legendary producer?

Adam : Yeah, he produced Hard Candy and so we got back there early and the first day was just me and Immy and Dan and Matt and Ben, and we cut a few covers that day and then we just spent the weekend doing it, and then Charlie and Dave came back the next day, and we cut this on the first night, and we did like fourteen songs, all kinds of stuff, from our friends bands from the bay area, and er Sparkle�..(couldn�t get it) songs, teenage fan club songs, and we just kind of did them all different ways�the teenage fan club song sounds like�it�s all strummy guitars in our version and harmonies�

Ben Jones : Yeah.

Adam : So yeah, we did them and they all ended up as B-sides over here on singles I think�pretty much, we used almost all of them.

Ben Jones : And Steve Lilywhite of course, I read in the newspapers over here that he�s back here, he had a desk job for a while�working at I think, Mercury Records.

Adam : He�s the president of Mercury�

Ben Jones : President of Mercury Records, and now I think he�s kind of left to go and work exclusively on the new U2 album, is he also a man that you�d like to work with again, possibly for the next, entirely new Counting Crows album?

Adam : Oh, I don�t have any thoughts about the new album, but, yeah, I love Steve, I had dinner with him a couple of nights ago before he left to go off to U2 and er, I�m going to try and steal him for a week, we have�we might be doing this song, well DreamWorks sort of commissioned me to write the theme for the new Shrek movie.

Ben Jones : Oh really?

Adam : Which I desperately wanna do because I�ve got children and nephews and I will be their extreme hero, along with the fact that it�s such a cool movie, I was blown away when they showed me the stuff.

Ben Jones : So you�ve seen bits of the second one then yeah?

Adam : Yeah, a lot of it. About half of it probably�.

Ben Jones : And it looks good?

Adam : It�s unbelievable. I loved the first movie, this is unbelievable.

Ben Jones : Well listen, let�s get some more questions from the fans, er this is from Steve, Do you think you�ll still be going in ten years from now and possibly release a second, best of album? Says Steve.

Adam : They�re good for the free dollars, you know, so I dunno, ten years from now? Sure I hope so, I mean, I don�t really do anything else really well, so um�.

(laughter)

Adam : And I�m no going to be dead in ten years, so, my Dad turned 65 today and he hasn�t retired yet, so I don�t see why I should at that age�

Ben Jones : Happy Birthday to Duritz Senior, let�s have a little round of applause please�.

(silence)

Ben Jones : Please�thank-you�

(applause)

Adam: Applause!

Ben Jones : A little lacklustre for the old man.

(someone starts to play happy birthday on the piano)

Ben Jones : Another question here, this is another question from the same Emma in Leeds, I dunno, how many questions did you write? You should have sat here! There have been rumours about the release of a DVD, is this true?

Adam : Yes there have been rumours about the release of a DVD.

(laughter)

Adam : And they�re rampant really�We filmed some stuff last year in Amsterdam�.

Ben Jones : I bet you did.

(laughter)

Ben Jones : I wanna see that DVD.

Adam : Well we were gonna�.Dan didn�t like the way his ass was�

Ben Jones : A pimple on the ass!

Adam : Well he had some rosy cheeks there I�ll tell you.

Ben Jones : I�ll bet he did.

Adam : We did, we filmed some stuff, at the Heineken Hall there, we did three shows, but, I dunno, you know, they�re sort of a downer, our manager had flown all the way from America to deliver some particularly bad news, literally, a half hour before we went on stage.

Ben Jones : That was nice of him.

Adam : Yeah it was genius. I dunno, we all kind of went on stage a little (???) after that�.I dunno, they weren�t great shows. That�s my problem with them, I don�t really think they�re great shows.

Ben Jones : It�s a shame you didn�t record the gig that I saw you at, which was at the Royal Albert Hall, and Evening with the Counting Crows.

Adam : That would have been a truly great�.that was a brilliant show.

Ben Jones : (to the audience) Were any of you guys there? And I loved the way�and I saw you obviously at the V festival, I love the way you adapt the shows, fairly obviously, for you know, whether you�re playing a giant festival or�.how intimate and fun was that night when you guys were just having some chats and then playing live�.such a shame you didn�t do that�and the Royal Albert Hall, what a great venue as well.

Adam : I imagine you would have to pay them one of your arms to film something there.

Ben Jones : Really?

Adam : Well cos union costs in that place are pretty wild, aren�t they?

Ben Jones : Well, except that though, the Who�

Adam : It was an awesome show though�.

Ben Jones : Yeah, we�re doing a whole week of the evening show, live from the Royal Albert Hall, Monday night with the Who, Tuesday night with the Stereophonics, Wednesday night with some comedy guys, Ricky Gervais from the Office is coming down, and Alan Partridge and loads of other British Comedians, then Thursday is Jools Holland and then Friday is Tom Jones and that�s all being filmed for a DVD so you know, sort it out.

(laughter)

Ben Jones : Come down again!

Unidentifiable : Sounds like you should sort it out!

Adam : Yeah.

Ben Jones : So�

Adam : Are you done plugging?

Ben Jones : Yeah! Oh yeah sorry, back to your plug.

Adam : I�m going to run right out and buy that!

(laughter)

Adam : When�s it coming out?

Ben Jones : I dunno, a lot of post-production I�m sure. Anyway, Rich from Plymouth, Adam, after many years of having your dreads, do you think it�s about time for a change? Adam : I moved to New York. I dunno�they�re kind of where I am.

Ben Jones : All right fair enough. No mucking about, let�s get some more live music on, from the album Films About Ghosts, this is The Rain King.

The Rain King.

Ben Jones : Please be upstanding for Counting Crows and Rain King on Virgin Superstars, Sunday night live across the UK live from the Virgin Radio Live Lounge. Now, you guys, to me, seem to like working with your mates, I mean, talking about Stave Lilywhite, Sheryl Crow, Vanessa Carlton and I think it�s quite common knowledge you�re good mates with Ryan Adams, as well.

Adam : Yeah.

Ben Jones : You guys have worked quite a bit over the last few years, I mean, you�ve worked on his stuff, and he�s worked on yours, and he is very prolific, I mean, that guy writes a serious amount of music, and with your skills with the lyrics and melody are you planning to extend your creative partnership some time in the near future?

Adam : With Ryan?

Ben Jones : Yeah.

Adam : Er, yeah, you know I never really think about stuff like that. Collaborations�you know they come when they come it�s usually because a friend drops by, I mean that�s really how it happened with me and Ryan, I was hanging out in the studio with him and he came by one day to visit us in the studio and I was struggling with finishing a song and he helped me finish part of the final verse�so it just made sense for him to sing on it.

Ben Jones : And the same thing with Sheryl Crow, I mean, you guys�.

Adam : Yeah I mean, you know, I went to the�I really don�t like award shows that much but I went down to the Grammy after party to find Sheryl at that�Universal had a Grammy after party a couple of years ago and I went down there, found Sheryl and said �Hey will you sing on our record?� and she said �Sure�.

Ben Jones : And she did it literally, I remember you telling me last time I saw you, she did it literally turned up and where most people would take like a day to do it, she came in sort of one take, doubled it, then that was it, she was gone, pretty much.

Adam : Yeah it was less than an hour�it was pretty�..I�ve never seen anyone do background vocals like that.

Ben Jones : Now it�s almost time for you to go, are you going to do one more live song or is that is now? Have you done them all?

Adam : We could do another�

Audience : Yeah!

Ben Jones : Before you do one more song, I wanted to ask you, how�s your sleeping going, because every album seems to have a track about insomnia and I know you don�t sleep particularly well, I don�t sleep particularly well, is it�

Adam : I�ve pretty much fixed my sleeping problem.

Ben Jones : With a bottle of Bourbon or�

Adam : Smaller bottle.

Ben Jones : Fun-size.

Adam : Pills.

Ben Jones : And UK dates, are there any plans for any festival appearances later in the summer cos obviously we saw you at the�

Adam : No, I don�t think we�re going to do any this year�

Ben Jones : Oh�

Adam : Personally, it�s my favourite tour to do, the summer festivals, they�re just more fun than anything else we do, but er, we usually tour about a year and half per record, and then we take a break, and go make another record, but we toured all the way through the making of Hard Candy, so we�ve been on the road essentially five straight years.

Ben Jones : Woah.

Adam : I�m starting to realise, I just absolutely do not have a personal life, and I am wasting my status as a rock star.

Ben Jones : Yeah look at you.

Adam : I literally have no life other than like bus, hotel room, I haven�t seen most of my friends and my family, my sister had twins last year, I�ve seen them exactly twice, for like a few hours time, so we�re going to do this two month tour around the world right now and in July and August we�re probably going to do like fairs, state fairs, like summer stuff in America�but that�s it, that�s all I�m going to commit to this year, if I don�t do that I�ll start to hate this, yeah so.

Ben Jones : Ok so chill out for a bit then come back and see us and maybe do V2005 or the Isle of Wight festival in 2005 and definitely the Royal Albert Hall, I�ll sort it out.

Adam : Next summer, I think we�ll be doing stuff.

Ben Jones : We�ll have to wait a long time but let�s make the most of it now, Counting Crows, live from the Virgin Radio Live Lounge, guys thank you very much for coming in with your questions, they were all very good, band, thank you very much for coming in, I�m sorry that�.you�re still in there, you�re still awake...

Member of the band : I�m awake!

Ben Jones : Round of applause please for the Counting Crows!

(applause)

Adam : So this is the other�this is one of the two new recordings on the record, and it�s called Friend of the Devil it�s a Grateful Dead song, and we were just kind of messing around with it�Amy and I do this show every year called the Devil and the Bunny show in New Orleans, it�s a secret show and it�s at a different place every year, but it�s actually always been the same place�

(laughter)

Adam : That�s part of the lure, you have to figure out where it is, but that place is closed so now it�s not going to happen...and we generally fall under the sway of various intoxicants and then we play a bunch of covers, and here is one we played�..so this is Friend of the Devil.

Friend of the Devil

(applause)

Ben Jones : That is it, Counting Crows, live from the Virgin Radio Live Lounge, the Virgin Radio Zoo, Goodnight.