If you're wondering exactly how chill OneRepublic is, the answer is this -- so chill that despite being up for 36 hours straight, the soul-pop fivesome still took their sweet time to talk to us after they finished performing live on TRL, even though they probably would've rather been back at the hotel napping.
First we caught up in the MTV Studios green room and reflected upon the finer points of the show: the wad of $2000 in real bills dangling from a gold rope around The-Dream's neck; and Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams, whom the boys declared can "Sing. Like, Kelly Clarkson-sing." Then we chatted about Brit rock, Lance Bass and what it feels like to be treated like The Hoff. Read on, won't you?
Buzzworthy: Before we get into it, let's talk touring, because you're blowing up, and people wanna know when they can see you live. What are your tour plans for 2008?
BW: We'd be remiss if we didn't ask this: how do you feel about all those comparisons to Coldplay?
Drew Brown: It seems like the Coldplay comparisons are kinda unavoidable, because we are really attractive, and we have a piano player who writes songs about life and hope and love. And one of us is married to Gwyneth Paltrow. Seriously, we aren't all die-hard Coldplay fans, but because of the comparisons, we've done our research and I'm sure we've got a large handful of common influences.
RT: I read an article about Chris Martin's influences, and it was like their influences are our influences. The big difference, though, is that I come from a much wider hip-hop and urban background. I've been producing, writing and performing urban stuff, and I try to bring that into the group because we're not trying to be a British band. We're American, you know? We're not trying to ride their wave or anything. But I remember when Coldplay first came out like six or seven years ago, and I called Zach [Filkins], and I was like 'Dude I'm so pissed. This band came out!' And they were exactly like, if I had been doing rock then, it would've definitely fallen in that vein. But yeah: I sing in falsetto. We're both [Jeff] Buckley fans. And Radiohead fans; right now a lot of us in the band are listening to In Rainbows. We're heavily influenced by a lot of old Brit rock, up to current Brit rock. But there are definitely worse bands to be compared to. And there's other bands that we're compared to and we're like 'Uhh… are you serious? Did you hear the album?'
BW: You've said you're fans of big, accessible sing-alongs. What are some of your all-time favorite epic, totally emotional, gut-wrenching anthems?
RT: "Bittersweet Symphony." "Hey Jude." "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." Oh! God, Oasis! Almost every song!
Eddie Fisher: For me, it's "Bittersweet Symphony." The Verve's early albums too. Urban Hymns was a breakthrough but before that it was A
RT: I'm a massive Peter Gabriel fan -- I could name pretty much every song. He's influenced a lot of rhythmic stuff we do. But yeah, we could make a list of sing-alongs. Like every song off (What's the Story) Morning Glory? is like 'Are you kidding me?'
BW: You've had a long, winding road to where you are now. Have you had any record execs you worked with in the past call you up looking for a piece now?
DB: About a thousand!
RT: It is so funny. People want what they can't have, and they don't want you until you've got something they don't have. I've experienced it with the band and from a writer's and producer's standpoint. People try to bust down the door now to get you to do work from them, and they're like 'We have to have two songs for this upcoming album!' or whatever…
BW: Have you had any interactions with Lance Bass?
RT: No. Honestly not in six years.
BW: What would you say to him?
RT: Someone told us he put us in his Top 8. Which is great. And I've heard through the grapevine, just because
BW: What was the last thing you had to apologize for?
RT: Driving across the border with Cuban cigars in
BW: What was it like being on TRL for the first time?
RT: This is probably the most intense TV appearance we've done. Of all the TV stuff we've done, this was definitely the most like 'Okay don't screw up.'
DB: We didn't grow up watching German TV, you know? Which we've done lots of. And it's great to be on a German music station, but it doesn't have quite the sentiment as TRL.
RT: We don't really feel too much stage fright anymore, but TRL was on toward the end of my high school or college days, and I was on it originally so I definitely understand that TRL is pop culture. So in my mind there was more weight to playing this show than any other show we've done live. It was like 'Don't screw up on TRL! Don't screw up on TRL' going through my head. It was a good crowd though.
RT: Yeah that chick started it out and they stuck with it!
DB: This was our best clap-along performance ever!
BW: It’s that not hard! What's wrong with people? This is just another reason why we need to continue music programs in schools!
RT: White people don't have rhythm. We were cursed!
DB: But we're very intense about doing something for saving music down the road. So all of those young, up-and-coming hand-clappers, OneRepublic's gotcha!
BW: Have you started to get recognized more?
RT: I've gotten recognized more. But that's just because half the music video's focused on my face. It's flattering because mostly if someone stops you, they like your music.
BW: Yeah, so there's not like big paparazzi issues…yet?
RT: I live walking distance from where all that nonsense takes place [in
BW: By not wearing underwear...
RT: Yeah, and it's like you bitch about the paparazzi? Don't eat at The Ivy every day. Don't go to Mr. Chow for lunch. I hopefully don't anticipate us being in the tabloids for anything other than music in the near future. And none of us hang out in those areas or have anything to do with it. But we landed in
BW: Did you feel like David Hasselhoff?
RT: I did! Yes! Basically all of us collectively feel like The Hoff!
Missed their performance? Watch OneRepublic perform "Apologize" and "Stop and Stare" live during Spankin' New Lyrics Week on TRL.
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