Goo Goo Dolls - Dizzy Up The Girl

Great news! My 4 books are finished. I mean it, that's it, i'm not trying to write any more of them. From here on out we're just gonna let 'em be what they are as album reviews. Tonight it's the 6th Goo Goo Dolls album, Dizzy Up The Girl. The thing about the Goo Goo Dolls is that they are actually 3 different bands. You got John Rzeznik's Alt-Rock bangers, John Rzeznik's ballads, and Robby Takac's almost pop-punk sensibilities. Think Gin Blossoms/Soul Asylum, Goo Goo Dolls' biggest hits, and Alkaline Trio without the death humor for comparison, respectively. I like 2/3 of that, but the ballads are totally fine for what they are. This is a great album if you know that's exactly what you're getting into.

I have an interesting history with the Goo Goo Dolls. It's roughly 1) Long Way Down is an amazing song, 2) oh, i can't find a copy of A Boy Named Goo anywhere, 3) i cannot afford to buy albums anymore anyway, and 4) Iris? It's fine, i guess, but i definitely don't feel bad for not caring anymore if that's the direction their career is going. Let's unpack that.

John's summary of the Walmart problem goes like this:

"The name of the album is A Boy Named Goo. The picture is of a boy covered with goo. What part of this concept are they unclear on?"

See, people complained that they though that boy was covered in blood, like some kind of demon summoning ceremony in the forest or something. That's creatively stupid, i'll give you that, but stupid nonetheless. So, Walmart told Warner it was declining sales, which by the way is totally morally motivated market manipulation and groundless censorship, and stopped carrying it altogether. This was all part of that war on restless teenagers i hated living through, and also reminds me of that Rotary Connection Christmas album, but it wasn't a total career killer back then. They just switched gears and bumped the rudder to point toward a demographic that didn't offend the Waltons as much, and put out their 6th album to humongous commercial success. That demographic was teenage girls. See, nothing problematic here, she looks totally happy and intellectually stimulated, and that wall covering is tres chic, not at all reminiscent of the padded walls of a psych ward. All dressed up and not allowed to go on a date, just the way Conservatives like it.

Yeah, i quite enjoy this. A bit of nostalgia never hurt nobody, and it's a proper 45 minute album showcasing the infinite variety of Alt Rock with weird noises thrown in. You could rag on John's moderately schlocky vocal fry, and change some of the lyrics like i'm silently doing in my head, but i don't feel the least bit embarrased by enjoying any of it. Good solid all around alt rock of its time, which was also my time, so that's fun. Not particularly provocative, but i'm just as guilty as anyone of enjoying the blast from teenaged years past, when Alternative was Mainstream. Quite a lovely listen.