3 Doors Down – Interview [2003]

When I caught up with 3 Doors Down’s multi-talented Brad Arnold (lead vocals, drums, and songwriter), he talked to me from the bus on a cell phone that kept breaking up. Even with all of the disconnections, I was still able chat it up with Brad, whose southern accent reminded me of childhood visits to my grandmother’s house. Now it’s your turn to find out what you need to know about this band. Here’s the hip guide to 3 Doors Down.

For those unfamiliar or unsure about whether they should buy the album, what would you tell them about it?

To me, “Kryptonite” is not the best song, and there are a lot of good songs on there that have a message. “Kryptonite” has a message, but it’s not as deliberate.

Any track we should know about?

“Be Like That” means a lot to me because I don’t think there is a person on the earth that doesn’t want to be like something or somebody. I think that song applies to everybody. It’s one of my favorites.

Who influenced you growing up?

I’d say that everything influences me, but I’m only twenty-one so the music I grew up with was mostly in the ’80’s. So I listened to a lot of Def Leppard and Poison, shit like that.

What does each member bring to the group?

Everybody is important with writing. I write the lyrics, but everyone writes their own parts. There is no one person that writes everything, so everyone brings something to the table.

How do the shows work with you on drums?

Well, actually we hired a touring drummer. His name is Richard Lyles. Prior to being signed, I always played drums, but now I’m up front and I get to play with the crowd. It’s a lot more fun now.

Did you have a tough time of it at first?

Oh, dude! Man, the first show I walked on stage and I was like ‘Oh my God!’ I’m sure the crowd could see my hands shaking when I grabbed the mic for the first time. Oh, man! It took me a couple shows and I got comfortable with it. I got comfortable moving around. It’s just a lot more interacting with the crowd.

So now you see why it is that other band members want to be the frontman?

(laughs) It’s fun, man!

The band grew up together, right?

Yeah, we all grew up together in the same time. We all live within a few miles of each other. I’ve known Matt (Roberts, guitar) since we were in like third grade. Todd (Harrell, bass) used to date my sister when they were in high school. He is like twenty-seven now, so I was always like the little harassing brother. (laughs)

Does that dynamic help a lot in the studio and on the road?

Yeah, it’s great because you don’t have to get over that whole getting-to-know-each-other phase.

How did you find the new drummer for the tour?

He was actually a drummer in another local band in Biloxi. We played in that area a lot and we knew him. He was actually our first choice. It’s nice.

When did you and the other members begin to play instruments?

I played a little snare drum in like sixth or seventh grade. Besides that, I pretty much taught myself. Matt might have taken some lessons but we are all pretty much self taught.

When did you first start jamming together?

Matt and I have been playing since the beginning, and Todd and Chris (Henderson, guitar) have been playing together for a while. They used to be in a band together.

How did you get signed to Universal?

We recorded a demo a couple of years ago and sold it at shows in the area. We went on the Home Grown show, which is a local radio station’s local music hour they do once a month. We played on there a couple times, and one night the program director heard “Kryptonite” and he added it the rotation. It ended up being the most number one most requested song on the station. It set a record for the most requests. And they are a reporting station, and looking at the reports, the record company was looking at their bands and seen us, then came down and snagged us. I’m glad they did. (laughs)

How do you write?

Playing the drums has always helped me. I’ll just sit there and play and just let the thoughts come. There is no set way on how it comes out. It’s just a welcome however.

What is it like knowing that a song of yours is going to be a song that will always mark a time in someone’s life? From a wedding song, graduation, to a song marking a summer in someone’s life, and so on.

That is an honor. You can only imagine the feeling. That is my dream. It’s just great. There are no words.

What are your dreams now?

Be involved in music for as long as I can. My biggest fear is not having a job and hto go back to what I was doing. I would hate that. My goal is to be gainfully employed by making music. I love to have fun; you know my family like me a whole lot better now. (Laughs)

+ charlie craine