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Audacy Pop
  • 2 days ago
Rob Thomas stops by the Hard Rock Hotel New York to talk about his upcoming album with Karen Carson.
Transcript
00:00I remember once I write a song with Matchbox and it it was one of those ones that had like you know
00:04the the rhythm track was like that stomp clap stomp and I and I started I was like this is great and
00:09Paul's like are we really gonna do another stomp clap song like don't you think the world's got
00:14enough of them right now welcome to an odyssey check-in at the hard rock hotel in New York City
00:22and we're with Rob Thomas it's been a while since we've seen you and we're so excited about you
00:29uh let's see it's been since 2019 you've done solo we've seen you with Matchbox 20 but we're
00:36excited to have you back with your brand new album it is called all night days can you tell us about
00:43that title yeah um I think we was I was having a conversation there's a song on the record called
00:49all night days and I was having a conversation with a friend about you know those days when you used to
00:55stay up all night and he was like yeah remember that man we used to be like we would never sleep and I
00:59was like I think I think my all night days are over all night that kind of yeah and so that kind
01:04of like uh and then when I when I looked up the phrase this was just a little aside when I looked
01:09up the phrase it doesn't like it's it didn't exist anywhere you know like the in just in that order
01:15there was like there was all day and all night and there was but there was no books or no other
01:19songs that were called all night days and so that's when I decided it was a good album title
01:23it's a great album title your tour kicks off uh August 1st the album first of all comes out on
01:28September 5th and the tour August 1st in Atlanta kicks off how do you stay in shape for performing
01:36night after night after night well I mean luckily when you're on tour everything and everyone around
01:43you is geared towards just one goal so everything is kind of making it so that this two hours a night
01:48gets off the ground and you you know you have as much in your place so that nothing else kind of gets
01:55in the way of that for that little bit of time that you're on the road and when you if you you
01:59know if you've been fortunate enough to do it for a long time we have a nice comfortable bus I have
02:04you know I have the ability to go work out I have the ability to eat well like so those things are
02:07kind of easy to find you know you just want to keep your head together has that changed much from
02:12when you first started out like with the matchbox 20 or even solo has that changed I mean it's
02:19changed a lot since 30 years ago yeah that's what I mean I mean 30 years ago it was it was almost like
02:25you know you made the record and we went on tour and everything was brand new every place we went
02:30every experience we had and so you know luckily we we did take some advantage of that and we had a we
02:38had a really nice time you know we met a lot of very nice people who were generous with their time
02:42and and helped us learn the ropes and uh and and we had a almost a little too much fun from time to
02:48time well you're supposed to you're a rock star but we reined it back in just enough to kind of
02:52you know you got you have to figure out how you can still have the fun but at the same time
02:56you know not do your job not be a danger to yourself and others so we're loving loving loving
03:02the two new singles hard to be happy is such a great vibe I played it uh again in the studio
03:09just off the air this morning for the guys on my show and they were like what is this I'm like
03:14this is the new ron thomas and they're like what a jam what a great song it's so happy but it talks
03:19about things that are difficult like difficult days what's your philosophy on different difficult days
03:25well I appreciate you saying that you know I mean it was really so it was a really important thing for
03:29me I was trying every time that you're fortunate enough to get to make a new record and live another
03:35year you start trying to figure out what your music looks like you want to make music that
03:39sounds like it has a vitality to it but at the same time doesn't sound like everything else that's
03:43out there and I certainly don't want to try and sound like I'm trying to sound 25 and so you're
03:48Rob Thomas you can you write and sing amazingly that's I mean you can keep saying that I'll take
03:52it all day long classic you um but I think you know I think the idea of of mental health which
03:59it's it's such a big blanket to say that you know so it because it means something different to
04:05everyone else and everybody's you know struggles and everybody's ways of dealing with it is different
04:09and and also the impetus for it for struggles is different you know there's sometimes there are
04:13some things that people are going through that are that are insurmountable and I think to just
04:16kind of chalk it down to you're going to be okay that's that's yeah falls flat it's not because maybe
04:21you're not you don't know what their situation is but I think the idea that you can try and
04:25find moments of being okay in the storm you can find little life you know life rafts as you go along uh
04:31and and just being able to talk about it in a way that maybe you couldn't 15 20 years ago that in
04:37itself is a solace you know the idea to be able to say it's it's okay to not be okay and so a song
04:43like like hard to be happy just acknowledges the fact that it's fine there's nothing abnormal about
04:49the fact that that you can't muster up the energy for a smile today right and it's okay to be not okay
04:55totally okay I love that what makes you not okay what makes you cry you talk about crying in the
05:00song um I you know I I think just like any anybody else um I cry when I see when I see dads come back
05:11from the war and their puppies find them and there's no I'm just kidding um but I got so funny he's an
05:17actor too ladies and gentlemen a pretty good one um no I mean I listen I it's funny
05:25the things that used to really set you off when you're really young you realize that most of those
05:30things were things that were out of your control there were things that that you let bother you
05:36that you kind of let get into you that really didn't have anything to do with you and that
05:39no matter how you can you try to control them it was going to be the same way so you narrow those
05:45down as I get older to like I the things that have to do with my family things that have to do with
05:49my son things have to do with my wife you know the things have to do with my best friends like
05:53those kind of things the things that matter most they really affect me and and I find that like
05:58if you if you try to not give too much to the wrong people you can give everything to the right people
06:05that's really good and so I feel like that's where I've been trying to be is like trying to be
06:10less pay less attention to the things to noise and more attention to being there for the people that
06:17could use me save your energy for the things that matter yeah yeah so I we're loving that song it's
06:23just gorgeous thank you very much and it's really fun and and you can shake your ass to it so I think
06:28that's what I mean like we're not happy and you can shake it's great I love it and thrill me is
06:33beautiful thank you thrill me um you say that you are always inspired by your beautiful wife marisol
06:40and I'm thinking that could be the song or one of the songs that was inspired by her I mean with that
06:46there's it's it's endless I mean because she's my muse in every way and we laugh sometimes because like I
06:51I can take a certain song and be like I can remember when remember that fight like remember
06:56we had that fight that started this song and she's like oh my god yeah um but I always think
07:02like thrill me I said was a and I had to clarify it because it's a it's a second wedding song
07:08but to the same person like because I used to say it's a second wedding song and my wife's like what
07:14are you trying to say like I was like no no no like my second wedding to you you know like if you
07:18know because I think there's certain sentiments in that song that you you need to have been with
07:22somebody for for a while and we've been together for 27 years now right 1999 yeah you got married
07:28you got married your love story is so inspiring I mean especially in a rock and roll world it's it's
07:37it's so cool to just see the bond you have and and how you guys just stay together you work together
07:45actually she chooses your singles does she still do that yeah without a doubt I mean as I'm writing
07:49them she lets me know you know yeah she's the first person that hears that she I mean she um
07:53she's a rock star herself we uh and we met just like I matchbox 20 started to break I got a little
08:02bit of time to kind of go out on my own and explore and see what that was all about but when I met her I
08:07was definitely I was more famous than she thought that I was but less famous than I thought that I
08:14was okay to her she was like oh you're just a guy with a song on the radio like yeah yeah so so many
08:22of those first that I got to be a part of she was with me you know I didn't really have a lot of money
08:27when I met her I was just starting to make money I hadn't really traveled the world as much and I
08:30didn't appreciate it when I did you know I was spending a lot more time just kind of like drinking my
08:35way through Germany and waking up right before the show as opposed to like experiencing the fact
08:40that I was getting this gift to be able to travel everywhere right and so her and I got to do all
08:44of those things together that's right and so at this point I don't remember anything before you know
08:52and I mean that literally in some cases like I mean I've met people that I'm like they're like you
08:56don't remember and I'm like no I'm really sorry and they're like I lived on your bus like 25 years ago
09:02for like two weeks and I'm like that's the worst they're like I dated Paul I was like I was gonna
09:06marry Paul I'm like I know I don't remember at all I'm sorry Paul doesn't remember either I'm sorry
09:09that's great well it's a it's really really nice to see and it's such a beautiful song it's definitely
09:15something to check out thank you I'm really proud of that one I just want to congratulate you on this
09:19album I mean um let's talk about music and strong songwriting for a second does it still come to you
09:26do the did the songs on this album just are you the type that wakes up and hears it and has to
09:31write it down or talk it into your phone or is it sometimes you struggle like do you set out to say
09:37today I'm just gonna write all day or does it have to be inspired I mean I'd like to say that God just
09:42comes down and touches me on the head and I hear a song but that no I um I find it's there's a constant
09:51noise in my head of melodies and they're all I you know you wake up in the middle of night you put
09:57them on your voice note you try and figure them out um they're not all great but you kind of you
10:03got to chase them all down so I feel like sometimes I'll I'll write two or three records worth of
10:09material to get one good record like and some of them I'll have to like make full demos like I'll be
10:13in my studio for nine hours doing bass parts and keyboard parts and background vocals to really be able
10:19to listen to it and go I don't think it's that good or more likely sometimes now like I'll write
10:24a song that I think is pretty good but I feel like a I've written it already it sounds very much like
10:31something maybe I've done before or very much like something that's out there right now that sounds
10:37like I'm trying to copy it that that's got to be hard so it's like there's so much good stuff out
10:41there and I'm getting older and older and older and I keep making records and so trying to not rip
10:46myself off is like a really big part of of writing right I can I totally understand that well it
10:52sounds fresh it sounds new um hard to be happy I think is just like wow it's it's definitely a great
10:59great vibe I remember once I write a song with matchbox and it it was one of those ones that had
11:04like you know the the rhythm track was like that stomp clap stomp and I and I started I was like this is
11:10great and Paul's like are we really gonna do another stomp clap song like don't you think the world's got
11:14enough of them right now well you're kind of right yeah okay I guess I'll go in a different direction
11:19um you have Grammys you have uh tons of awards I've read that you don't like to keep that in
11:28your studio or keep that in your workspace that's not true I wear them around my neck
11:31I have a Grammy necklace when I go out I bet right just a little replica no I have um I thought that
11:39was interesting I have a studio but it's in it that has a lounge okay so like my wife put up
11:46everything in the lounge area okay so like there's plaques and there's you know uh like those are where
11:52you kind of put things to remind yourself of past accolades and then in the workspace it's just like
11:59art you know because in the workspace I don't want that staring at me in the face I don't want a younger
12:05successful version of me looking at me going what do you got now oh stop but I I get I get the vibe
12:11but okay all right that yeah that makes sense not me I'd be like look what I won right you can do
12:17this maybe if I if I was single I might have a whole different game I'd be like oh let's go down
12:22to the studio oh what's this oh look at that is that a Grammy oh where'd that come from yeah I love
12:27that um you're working with your son on tour that's fabulous um now he I read that he went on
12:37tour with you guys with matchbox 20 and he hung out in Australia and everything so now he's your
12:41lead guitarist yeah how's that gonna go it's great so he went to he started playing I think when he was
12:46like 10 okay um and then he went to he grad he went to and graduated from Berklee College of Music in
12:52Boston yeah um and just really thrived there did all the right things you're supposed to do there
12:58learned all the things that you want him to learn there um met his band there they all moved out to
13:03LA together it's band called the Lucky and uh and he and I it was something I never even knew if he
13:09would want to do but my solo so this is again I like this is the 20th anniversary this year of my
13:14first solo record wow and my solo band has pretty much been the same band that whole time I can't
13:20believe it's been that long it has 20 years wow it was uh 2000 2005 it came out yeah so uh
13:28my guitar player in that band when we were talking about doing this record he had decided that he
13:35wanted to retire from playing live he's been writing for people and producing been really
13:38successful and just doesn't want to tour anymore and he was the first one that said you know I've been
13:42watching your son's Instagram you should have him do it I think he would love to and I was like
13:47he's good enough but I just don't think he wants to spend all summer you know hanging out with his
13:53dad how old is he now he's 27 okay but then uh when I asked him last year he was like dad that's
14:00the most time we've ever get we'll ever get to spend together that's awesome that's oh that's so
14:04cool that yeah it was really sweet and uh and he's and he's killing it like he's been he's been in uh
14:09up in up north rehearsing we started rehearsing but they started last week so I just came in last
14:15night for the first time and just stepped into it and was just like oh you guys sound great so
14:18that's amazing probably your best known collab uh Carlos Santana when you did a radio show uh for
14:25WNEW um a while back we stepped outside and and we were chatting because we were waiting for
14:32to go on stage and you were texting on your phone you were texting Carlos Santana um and you were like
14:39he calls me my child are you guys still in touch I mean like what a great relationship what an
14:46amazing song what happened like the relationship that came with me and Carlos and me and Clive Davis
14:53were both very very special relationships that that kind of just continued on you know through
14:59those years and Carlos especially like when we're on the road together like you know touring at the
15:04same time I mean it's our wives laugh at us because we'll get off we'll get off we'll get on
15:09the I'll get on the bus and he gets on his plane but we uh and we you know we start texting each
15:14other like how was the show we send each other pictures you know like he'll send me like he'll
15:18send me an article and I'll be like are you bragging he's like yeah I'm bragging I'm like oh yeah
15:22that's good that's great yeah but him and Cindy are just you know those guys are like family to us
15:26I was wondering about that because that was a really cool moment um and I'm like yeah it was kind of
15:31funny like it was something that neither one of us saw coming uh I don't think either one of us
15:36really even knew what it was worth when we were doing it you know but it's something that you know
15:41we're really proud of and really proud of of in all the ways that that one little song has kind of
15:47helped us and brought us together you know it's amazing I love I'm so glad you guys are still in touch
15:52that's great well congratulations on all night days uh that comes out on September 5th and the tour
16:00begins uh August 1st in Atlanta and um are you going to be doing live audience shots in your tour
16:08well you have to you have to ever since the invention of social media you have to do live
16:13audience shots I've been trying to get an all nude audience but they will not go for it uh that
16:18probably would take off more than what has happened I'm referring to what happened at Coldplay
16:23yeah it's just like that's my thought if everybody's nude it's fine it's fine because
16:28we're all doing it everybody's doing it you feel bad for that guy I feel I mean listen forget morality
16:34just like damn that's a bad way to go what are the chances that's a bad way how many people
16:3980,000 at that studio uh state uh venue rather and you two get caught you've and they went up to
16:46Boston from New York and you've I'm sure you've interviewed Chris before right yes I mean he is
16:51the sweetest guy in the world I know he is horrified by that do you know what I mean he's he is lightly
16:58joking about it and and and moving on he's lightly acknowledging and come on but I bet you that night
17:03he went back and he was just like oh that's awful I don't know why my version of Chris Martin sounds
17:10like Liam Gallagher that's awful Gallagher's are like do whatever you want I just had to ask your
17:19opinion on that and congratulations thanks for coming in today to talk to us I appreciate the time