03/06/2009 [Artists]
Josh Doyle, the man who was a founding member of the hit 90’s band the Dum Dums, now lives in Nashville as a song writer/family man and has just got back off a UK tour which he organised without any aid from a record company. We catch up the man who is flying the flag in the post-internet music industry and doing things a little bit differently…
1) Let’s start at the beginning – what got you into playing guitar?
When I was 10 years old my Mum and Dad got rid of the TV – I used to be a complete addict and would even read the entire radio times from front cover to back cover, people would save their radio times and give them to me for presents! So when they got rid of the telly I discovered football and music. I used to walk around the house making up songs and singing them to myself… this was when I was about 11... and I realized I needed to play something to accompany myself so my mum wrote a few chords on a piece of paper (happy together by the turtles) and from there I learnt more chords and wrote songs – actually thousands of songs even before the band started…
2) Tell us a bit about the Dum Dums, how did they come about?
I was in a sort of grunge band, Soundgarden esque band, when I was 16,17 and I wanted to do something totally different, like a 50s sounding pop thing with all the fake perfect iconography of the day, wanted to make pop songs that were catchy etc… so the name “dumdums” – a lollipop - came through that… then hooked up with a couple friends and it soon became more natural to gravitate towards ‘Foo Fightersy’ rock – like the police three part harmony bittersweet punk pop songs… we practiced and wrote songs for a couple years and then got a record deal, fame, success, money etc…
3) You’re living out in Nashville as a song writer? That must be quite an interesting lifestyle? Tell us more…
Yeah I work as a songwriter and I have a dayjob too in a restaurant, look after my kids, write my own solo stuff which has actually taken off lately too so it could go any way really… Its interesting - I try not to keep back my favourite songs for my own projects but sometimes I cant help it… I also do all my own web stuff as well and am currently looking at 1,011 fan messages on Facebook I need to respond to and 2,000 odd emails with concert opportunities and licensing stuff I need to get on top of!! I should get a P.A!
4) You recorded your new album in a very unique way offering fans to contribute to it up front and in return get their name on the sleeve. How did that idea come about? And more importantly - did it work?
Yeah I tend to not do anything for a long time (except plug away writing and getting better as a writer) and then suddenly have a big burst of inspiration/frustration and get a new CD out with a ridiculously short lead time, and this is no exception. This time I needed to get money from somewhere else to make these new songs - - I had already built up quite the solo fanbase through Myspace and my website joshdoyle.com and I thought “If they want me to make music, I’ll see if they will help me fund it!”. There were different levels of commitment – people could get the basic package in advance, or extra downloads, or a t-shirt on top of that, up to getting guest list for any gig I ever do and their name in my cover artwork or in the sleeve notes. It worked indeed!! The CD, postage, t-shirts, etc were paid for entirely within two months!
5) You organised the tour all off your own back – how’s it worked being performer and tour manager in one?
It has been a lot of fun and a lot of work. I have had help from my wife Jenny who administrates and plans out my steps getting planes and trains and also Mark who has been playing guitar and getting me to the gigs via automobile. I am very in touch with my fanbase, so I chose the venues and locations based around where they were and that was a success, so many came out and so many new fans were made too. I should have given myself another days rest to be fair – my voice was shot by the final London show… It has been good to know where all the money comes in and goes out because nothing is wasted unlike when youre working through a big label.
6) Other than your current band, if you could play in any line-up of any band playing any gig in history – what would it be?
I think I would like to have on drums matt Cameron from Soundgarden/Pearl Jam, rhythm guitar Pete Townsend – the Who and Josh Homme – Queens of the Stone Age, bass John Entwhistle – the Who, lead guitar/dual lead vocals Lindsay Buckingham – Fleetwood Mac, and a great cellist in there too…
