Marvelous Three – Interview [1999]

How have people who have seen you guys in previous musical incarnations generally responded to The Marvelous 3?
– unknown

Actually, very well. Being that we are a band with a history instead of just new kids on the block, so to speak, we’ve been able to evolve and roll with the times and mature gracefully without completely throwing a curveball at our fans from previous incarnations.

At the same time, you have to try to be open-minded to things, just like if a marriage doesn’t work out and you want to try something different. That’s what divorces are for and falling in love all over again with something different is all about. I’d say overall I commend our audience for being so open-minded and really liking everything we’ve ever done. And anyone who hasn’t, I guess I would be concerned about their closed-mindedness.

How does it feel to have so many fans all over North America? – terry- toronto, canada ([email protected])

That is exactly what we’ve always wanted. The whole reason you get into this in the first place, and don’t ever let anybody lie to you and tell you any different, is because they want to go out and have people acclaim them for their work. We want people to come out and appreciate the art that we give. I think that is the best thing in the world, to be able to go around the country and have people singing your songs and your shows. That is the biggest form of flattery you could ever get.

What do you think of your fans? – michelle-miami, florida-usa ([email protected])

We love our fans; our fans are the best. So far we’ve seen great loyalty in our fan base that stuck with us from the very beginning even when we were playing to just ten people. And it is because they really appreciate what we are all about, which is giving one-hundred percent even when they were the only ones there and we weren’t playing to anybody but two people and we were playing to them like we were playing in an arena. And we made them feel like part of the show. I think it created more of a friendship rather than a fanship.

How are your priorities different now from the first time you signed with a major recording label? – unknown

Well, you know the difference now is instead of driving around in a van playing two hundred and fifty shows a year, humping our own gear after the show and driving ourselves thirteen hours to the next city after the show, and playing to maybe three to thirty people a night, now we have someone humping our gear for us and are in a vehicle that we can actually stand up and change clothes in. We are able to play in front of anywhere from three hundred to three thousand people a night now. I say that feels pretty good, but as far as priorities go, the only thing is getting some sleep because anybody that thinks this is easy, that is bullshit. If you want to survive and stay on top, it’s the hardest work that there is. If anything, I’m working harder than I’ve ever worked in my life now just to try to be a cut above the rest.

What or who inspires you? – chris-new york city, new york-usa

There are so many. We grew up on so many influences that it is hard to tell or just to sum it up in one sentence. I don’t think it could be done. We like all the hardest working super-groups like Prince, U2, Kiss, Aerosmith. All these bands that withstood the test of time and were able to evolve and move forward and progress and not just be one-hit-wonders, even though the business that we work in right now is completely different compared to what it was ten years ago.

There are no career bands anymore so it is hard to have any inspiration these days because most bands get one shot and one single and they are dead-in-the-water and you never hear from them again. So, I’d say everything we grew up on were our inspirations; bands that just made a mark and were able to withstand the test of time by being true to themselves and always giving their fans what they wanted instead of rebelling against the system and becoming a huge popularity. And then becoming a victim to being rejected by your fans because you decided to become anti-social and anti-public and things like that and not being grateful for what you’ve been given.

What was it like to shoot a music video with a cast of young children? – unknown

It was great. It was the most fun we’ve had in a long time. We were able to go out and play in a high school made up as an elementary school full of six-year-olds and it was excellent. It was the most fun we’ve had in forever because we got to finally do what we probably dreamed of when we were six-years-old, which was to have a rock band come in and play right there on the desks. These kids loved it. They ate it up. They thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. (laughs)

If you could not play music, what would you be doing right now? – megan-baltimore, maryland-usa

I don’t think I’d be doing anything. I’d probably be doing just nothing. I’ve been doing this since I was eight-years-old and I wouldn’t know anything else. I’d probably be some guy working in a music store somewhere selling records because I’ve always loved music, but I don’t think there ever was a choice. I had to learn to play it and write it and sing it and perform it. There was no other way around it.

What is your favorite song to perform and why? – mana- davenport, iowa-usa ([email protected])

I’d say my favorite song is “Every Monday” to play right now. It is going to be our second single. It’s just got so much going on in it and it’s a great dynamic live song. I think the crowd really connects with it. They really love it. It hits hard. It’s something that accentuates our live show. Our live show is nothing but tons of dynamic energy and sweat. We try to pour out what seems to be missing in a lot of shows these days which is emotion and passion and sweat and humor; things that keep people’s attention for more than five seconds or more than just the single when it is played.

What is your best and worst memory from the road? – gerri- cleveland, ohio-usa

There are so many. You’ve got to figure we’ve been touring, even before we got signed we were doing about two hundred and fifty shows a year, for like six years. So everything kind of blends in. Every memory I have is a road memory. Anything that has happened to me bad or not has been while playing on the road. I’d have to say all the worst memories are of getting lonely, missing family, friends, and having no social life because people think you are just Mr. Social when you are out on the road, but really you become a recluse and you are forced into having tons of worthless driving downtime and there is really no one to relate to. So that is probably the worst, but I can’t complain and I don’t want to dwell on that because it’s been ninety percent positive. The best is every show that we’ve ever done that got the crowd completely off.

If you had to erase every memory except for one in your entire life, what memory would you keep? – maureen-newtown, pennsylvania-usa

That is a tough one to answer. What would I keep? Hmm. I ‘d keep the first concert that I ever saw. The memory of when I was eight-years-old, of my parents taking me to see my very first concert in an arena in Atlanta, and it was Kiss. It definitely changed my life. From that point on I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Even for an eight-year-old, that was pretty strong, but I knew from that point on. I don’t think that memory should ever be erased or I’ll forget why I started this in the first place.

+ interveiwer: Charlie Craine