Since Soul Coughing broke up in March of 2000, frontman Mike Doughty has gained a first name, lost a backing band and released a solo album, , which is available only through his Web site. He has toured solo extensively, playing a mix of reworked Soul Coughing songs and new material. Before bringing his one-man act to the Orpheum Thursday night, he chatted with The Daily Cardinal.
How's the tour going so far?
Oh, it's going good. I'm playing a lot of new stuff. It's about two weeks so far.
Do you like to experiment with new stuff live, or do you wait until it's done before you start playing it to the public?
Well, I get a little nervous about doing it. I'm going to play the songs that people know in the set. I'm not going to focus on all new shit. Actually, I like playing a lot of the old shit.
When you're making the set list, do you try to find a balance between your solo stuff and Soul Coughing, or just do you not really care?
No, I don't really care. I try and make it a good show. I try to set it up to have a certain kind of flow to it. A journey from point A to point B. Oftentimes, if you try to go for a ratio, you end up with something that isn't as interesting as a mini-journey.
Are you planning on releasing Skittish in record stores or anything like that?
I like it being a white label. There's something very attractive about that to me. There's no art, and the only way you can buy it is from me.
When planning the set list, how do you decide which Soul Coughing songs to do? Are there ones that you feel belong to you?
There are just ones I really like. There are others that I don't think I could do justice. I don't think I could do ""Super Bon Bon"" justice. I don't think I could do ""Screenwriter's Blues"" justice. That's about it, though. There's all kinds of songs that frankly freak people out that I can do acoustic, from how they were written.
You've toured with Redman and collaborated with They Might Be Giants. Are there any other people you would like to work with if given the opportunity?
God, there's a million people. You know who I'd love to work with? Jay-Z. He's so funny'oh my god'and he's insanely talented. I've been hearing him on the radio for six or seven years and he's so casual, you don't even notice how freaking talented he is.
Anybody else you're listening to? You seem to have pretty eclectic music tastes.
Yeah, that's not really by design. I just kinda go for whatever. I got the Strokes record, I like it a lot. ... A lot of people dig the Strokes. They're a phe-no-me-non [enunciates]. Everyone's like, player-hating them in New York. It's kind of depressing.
They're getting so popular that hipsters hate them.
It's so stupid. They're a great band, and they're really good looking. What are you going to do?
You've released a book of poems, too. Do you write with one format in mind, or do you just write?
I just kind of write and figure what to do with it later. Figure out what to do with the good lines.
How do you get inspired to write? Do you have a set routine?
I try to start early in the morning. I get up at like seven in the morning and turnon the drum machine. I try and start before my mind has a chance to wake up. Sometimes interesting things can happen.
In the future, do you plan on still continuing solo, or would you be interested in forming another band?
I'm at least going to form a little quartet to record with. I've already got a bass player, and I'm talking to drummers. I've got one drummer I really like, and my bass player recommended to me this other guy who's supposedly really good. But I don't know if I'm going to tour with them. I really love doing this. It's just simple, just me and a car and a couple of guitars in the trunk and that's everything.
When would you plan on recording with those guys? Any idea?
We're probably going to do some stuff in March, but I don't know if it will be on a record. I've been in and out of the studio for a couple of years now. I go in for a week and then leave. When I find the right sound I'm definitely going to stay in for a couple of months, but I haven't found the right sound yet.
