If someone mentions the band Bowling for Soup, what do you think of first? Is it their hit single Girl All the Bad Guys Want? Is it their hilarious music videos? Or maybe even their theme tune to Phineas and Ferb (AKA one of the best-animated shows ever). Strap in as Dom Smith interviews Jaret Reddick from the band and talks about touring, mental health and much more.
Having been in a band for nearly 31 years, Reddick is very self-reflective and grateful for the success they’ve achieved, saying, “Part of the phase of life that I’m in is to be able to be proud of myself. To be proud of these things that I’ve worked for, and I don’t know if deserve is the right word, but it’s okay to feel like, you know, we’ve earned this.”
For those that didn’t know already, the band formed in 1994 in Wichita Falls, Texas and gained mainstream recognition with their 2002 hit Girl All the Bad Guys Want, which also earned them a Grammy nomination. Other popular songs include 1985, High School Never Ends, and Almost. Since then and through a few line-up changes, the band released their 11th album, Pop Drunk Snot Bread, in 2022 and has recently released the live album Stoked on Trent. Their current line-up is Reddick, Gary Wiseman on drums and Rob Felicetti on bass.
The band’s next challenge will be playing the OVO Wembley Arena in December this year, with support from the legendary Wheatus and Punk Rock Factory, £1 of every ticket sold will go towards the Live Trust. Having just come off of a blazing UK tour, Jaret reflects on their previous touring schedule close to a decade ago. “Even as close as ten years ago, we would come over for 21, 25, 28 days and wouldn’t take a day off.” Touring back then with bands such as Simple Plan and American Hi-Fi, they didn’t know what they were letting themselves in for.
“We were crazy, is basically what I’m saying; other bands would see that schedule and be like, ‘holy crap, I can’t believe we signed on for this.’ Now that I’m a bit older, and we’re a bit older, and I feel a little bit more mortal, I get the importance of those days off.” Even with those days off, the band are heading to cities most wouldn’t consider when touring. Locations such as Swansea, Bournemouth, and Plymouth are on the list, and Reddick explains why they love doing all of these dates. “We have relationships with those cities, we have relationships with Plymouth, we have relationships with Portsmouth, and we have relationships with Bristol and all of these towns like Stoke on Trent.” They’ve even played Bath!
Even though Chris [Burney, ex-guitarist] is still with the band in spirit, he has recently left the due to medical issues. On this Jared says, “every step of the way, he was there making everything better, so he’s just such a huge part of this.” Initially, he was the face of the band before Jaret and brought a striking image to the table. “He’s such a part of the legacy that I feel like no matter what we do in years to come, it’ll be the photos with him in them.” The current photos for the band feature the current three members, mainly to give the audience reasonable expectations for the shows ahead.
An artist’s legacy is always a tricky topic – in terms of Jaret and Bowling for Soup, it goes a lot deeper than you might think. For a while now, Jaret has been open on stage about his struggles with mental health, specifically anxiety and depression. It’s something he’s only begun to reckon with during his forties and was hesitant to talk about it at first due to his positive persona, “because I’m the happy guy, I’m the fart joke guy, I’m the dude that’s up there acting as nothing else matters in the world apart from right now.” When he saw the response, he knew it was the right thing to do. “Once I started to have all of these experiences and feelings, and what little I did talk about it, just the impact and the lights that would go on in people’s minds and eyes, I quickly realised I sort of have a responsibility.”
He deals with his depression through medication, which he’s very open about. He also mentions how it can affect anyone, “it can get you, and it got me, and it gets me.” Talking about his legacy, he hopes to be a good father, friend and positive figure for people, and according to his therapist, he will live forever. How, you ask? ‘Your music is there and is there forever.’
We end by asking Jaret what he would tell his younger self, and he has the perfect answer, “Stay the course, it’s worth it, I wouldn’t have changed one thing.” He compares life to a series of choices we make every day, with multiple different paths. The crux of this is he’s happy. “I love my band and where we are right now. I love my family and my wife, my children, my dogs, my neighbourhood, and I love life more than I ever have.”
Words: Brett Herlingshaw | Interview: Dom Smith
Listen to the full chat here:
