Rigging The Question Jar With Mike Doughty

Mike Doughty led the one-of-a-kind Soul Coughing in the 90s, one of the original “alternative” rock bands, and one that really tested the limits of the genre, with improv jazz, odd samples and glitch-punk experimentation. They were, and remain, one of our favorite bands from that era, and many a Soul Coughing song have found their way onto several of our infamous road trip mixes. (My personal favorites include Collapse from 1996’s Irresistible Bliss, and 16 Horses from the first X-Files movie soundtrack.)

Soul Coughing broke up in 2000; Doughty was battling a heroin addiction when he wasn’t battling bandmates over credits and publishing money. Doughty however, didn’t break pace, continuing on as a solo artist, selling handmade CDs from the stage at gigs before running into Dave Matthews at Bonnaroo in 2004. Matthews professed to being a fan of both Soul Coughing as well as Doughty’s solo records, and Doughty was eventually signed to Matthews’ ATO label.

ATO released Doughty’s Haughty Melodic to critical acclaim, and its single Looking At The World From The Bottom Of A Well brought more success than is usually expected of a kicked-the-heroin-and-gone-solo frontman of a sort-of successful defunct 90s alt rock band. And Doughty has been going strong ever since.

After failing to line up schedules to cover his performance in Redondo Beach last weekend, Ali and I were invited to swing by the Standard Hotel in Hollywood, for an on-camera chat before his show at The Largo.

In addition to carrying the ’slacker jazz’ torch, Doughty is an active blogger via superspecialquestions.com, with a little more to talk about than shoes and remixes… usually anyway. To sample, recently he’s penned explorations into the legend of the hipster grifter, the talk of cab drivers, Gladwell’s Outliers, The Beatles, kicking people out of shows, and Glen Campbell’s Foo Fighters cover (yes, the last four were all in one epic stream-of-consciousness blog).

Doughty’s “Question Jar” tour (in support of last year’s Golden Delicious album) continues north through the end of the month. His site has dates, some not listed elsewhere, as well as a few in-studio and in-store performances scheduled.

If you can make it out to one, be sure and pick up a copy of Busking, recorded live in the New York Subway system. It’s special, and only available at gigs.

Doughty is working on a new album entitled Sad Man Happy Man. It may possibly be preceded by a digital EP of outtakes, and perhaps some demos recorded at the prestigious upstate New York artist colony Yaddo, which welcomed Doughty this past February. We’ll be keeping an eye out for both releases.

Live clips by BK via YouTube.