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The Moffatts Grow Up
Philippine Daily Inquirer
December 13th, 2000


Throngs of girls are waiting outside the Westin Philippine PlazaÕs Siete Pecados restaurant. Waiting for a local showband? Nuh-uh. ItÕs smack in the middle of the afternoon for some techno music. Quite obviously they cut their afternoon classes to hang out at the cafˇÕs entrance because--The Moffats are in town.


What the public is used to seeing--clean-cut pre-pubescent boys with screaming girls following--has clearly changed over the past three years. The Moffatts are older, taller, got multiple piercings, and, well, screaming girls still following them around. And of course, since their "pop/rock" debut album, "Chapter 1: A New Beginning" raked in gold and platinum awards, the Canadian band stripped the mushy love ballads and put on some serious leather pants (and did I mention the piercings?) to deliver their second album, "Submodalities."


Although the change isnÕt just in the image--"Submodalities" is a far cry from "Chapter 1," experimenting with funky guitar riffs and beats that would send the Orlando boy-band pool running for their money. The lyrics are still about love--after all, we do experience it at any age, with multiple holes or not. And the albumÕs credits arenÕt to be left behind from the smash line-up of "Chapter 1" (think Glen Ballard of Aerosmith and Alanis Morissette), the brothers got to work with producer Bob Rock of Metallica and Seether fame.


I enter the restaurant and find the four standing by some chairs, ready to do an interview, just like the many other interviews theyÕve done. The drummerÕs tired, the guitaristÕs sleepy, and the keyboardist is quiet. And the girls outside are still screaming.


This is the fourth time you guys came here. What keeps you coming back?!
Clint: Just the fans, and the people buying the album. ThatÕs why we come backÉitÕs really exciting, I mean, the first time we came here, it was really fun.


You do know youÕve made history by being the first act to have fans smash down the doors of the Hard Rock Cafˇ, right?
Clint: Yeah, exactly! So itÕs really fun to come and see all the fansÉand even though the economyÕs really bad, I mean, even around the worldÉpeople still want to have fun, you know.


LetÕs talk about the album--what was it like recording the album?
Dave: We recorded it in Maui, Hawaii, with Bob RockÉ
Bob: Well recording was a really awesome experience. I mean, you go in the studio and you have the opportunity to work with these really great people. I mean, at the beginning, it was Glen Ballard, and then now Bob Rock. You know, he helped us a lot. He took us to this whole new level, with our vocals and stuff. The album is really who we are, who we are at this moment.


And itÕs really different--you went from country to pop rock.
Scott: Well, you know, we were getting older, and of course your songs become more mature. ItÕs personalÉitÕs like, you get personal with the music. We want to say something with our music, like, before we wrote love songs and love songs. Now itÕs about life. I mean, you can be happy, but thereÕs another side to that.


Even the transition of sound from the first album and this one is evident.
Bob: With Chapter 1, the songs were written by us, but most of the album was like, a real band, right? Writing songs, playing them, but it was boy-band music. But then the songs that we wrote were band music. And now in this album, itÕs not boy-band music. We actually had the opportunity to listen to the old album while we were in the hotel, it was playing on the hotel stereo, and you can see we evolved from that sound.


You get this a lot--but what can you say about comparisons to Hanson?
Clint: You get that a lot.
Bob: Because we play almost the same music. You know, like, the Backstreet Boys get compared to ŌN Sync. I think itÕs just about the musicÉand besides, when we came out they compared us to Hanson, right? But for the past two years they didnÕt anymore, because they realize that weÕre both two bands who play good music. So thereÕs not much differenceÉI mean, you listen to HansonÕs album, itÕs different from ours.
Clint: And also when people compare us to brother bands, like, the Beach Boys and stuff, just because weÕre brothers. ItÕs stupid. If youÕre in a band, youÕre in a band, period.


Speaking of the bandÕs image, whatÕs with all the facial hair?!
Scott: Well, you know when you grow facial hair, when youÕre a teen, youÕre really proud of that. (laughs) You know itÕs a cool thing, you feel more grown-upÉand weÕre not like, a clean cut, sissy looking band right now. So it makes sense.


Did you go around bragging that you got your first chest hair?
Bob: Actually, no, we donÕt have that much chest hair.

WhatÕs in your CD player right now?
Scott: RadioheadÉ
Bob: Well, my CD player right now is with Scott, since he believes that my CD player is his, just because heÕs using it. But when I have the opportunity to steal it back--to steal my CD player back--I listen to the Foo FightersÉFoo Fighters, Our Lady PeaceÉ
Dave: Foo Fighters.
Bob: I just said the Foo Fighters.
Dave: You said it twice.
Bob: I did? Sorry, IÕm really tiredÉso yeah, Foo FightersÉEminem. I actually like Eminem. Well I can listen to a lot of music.
Dave: The last thing I listened to was AerosmithÕs "Nine Lives." I think thatÕs a great album. I basically listen to anything.
Clint: I love the Beatles new album, "No.1." They have all the songs I love in there. And the Beach Boys. And Bryan AdamsÕ Reckless.


Okay music--free or not?
Scott: Well I like the whole MP3 sharing, the Internet is a great tool, weÕre very much into the whole Internet thing. But Napster? I think it ruins a lot of great song writers, financially. I mean, weÕre musicians, this is our job, we play music to put food on the table and pay our bills, and people can just rob that away from you. WeÕre anti-NapsterÉbut to download a song and pay 60 cents per download, that helps with the royalties and stuff. But you know Napster signed with BMG and hopefully EMI, and theyÕll probably ask people to pay a monthly fee, and thatÕs a great idea. I mean, I download music and swap music with my friends, and we do that a lotÉ (the others look at him) Okay, IÕll stop now.


Moving onÉwhatÕs on top of your Christmas wish list?
Bob: Well we donÕt really have a Christmas listÉ
Scott: I do. (others groan) I always let everyone know what I want. I want an AC 30, thatÕs a guitar amp, I wantÉ(goes on and on about guitar amps and guitars)
Clint: (cuts in) Okay, and on to mine. Well, we just bought a house thatÕs like, a vacationing house, and weÕre adding an extension to it, so we can have our own place and probably a recording place so we can make demos and stuff. ItÕs being built right now, and hopefully itÕll be done by ChristmasÉand weÕre gonna be home in seven days.
Scott: Seven days and already IÕm so anxious (sighs).
Dave: I want another dog! I have two Shitzus, but I want another one!


Do you still have any Christmas traditions?
Scott: Well, Christmas at home? We eat a lot of food and drink a lot of beer.
Bob: We make these Nuts and BoltsÉtheyÕre like, a mixture of stuff. Like, you put cerealÉ
Scott: Like those Trail Mix stuffÉ
Bob: And those Krispies? Rice Krispies? Oh yeah, and like, you put salt all over it, and you pop it in the oven, andÉoh man, you should try this! So you pop it in the oven, and you bake it, and it comes out itÕs really crunchy.
Scott: Yeah, that and a few beers.


WhatÕs your top five Christmas albums?
Scott: We donÕt really listen to Christmas albumsÉ
Dave: We had one out, and thatÕs number one on our list!
Scott: The Smashing Pumpkins had one, but it was like, three or four songs, that was really good.
Bob: Oh no--whoÕs the one with "White Christmas?" That songÕs really good. ThatÕs the number one Christmas song.


When did you realize Santa wasnÕt real?
Clint: WHAT? What are you talking about?
Bob: Oh noÉ
Clint: Maui, you know kids are gonna read this, you donÕt wanna spoil things for them!
Dave: I believe in Santa Claus! I believe in his spirit!
Clint: But youÕre making kids cry!
Bob: Oh no, our dad knows his phone number!


Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears?
All: Britney.
Scott: We had the opportunity to meet her, and we did one TV show with Britney, and Britney saw us on TV and asked if she could meet us, and she was really nice. And we did an eight-day tour with Christina Aguilera, and she didnÕt say hi to us, not once.
Clint: Look at this--U2, they drop by the dressing room and say hi. The Who? They do that. I mean, you donÕt get an opening act if you donÕt believe in the band.


Very diva.
Clint: Oh yeah!
Scott: Aretha FranklinÉ


I heard Mariah wonÕt do stairs.
Dave: (laughs) Yeah, I read that too, she wonÕt do stairs!
Clint: Very diva. But Canadian singers are really nice! Sarah MacLachlan was really nice, Alanis Morissette, Shania Twain.


Okay, Clint, whatÕs your guilty pleasure?
Clint: Well, I sing in the bathroom, but everyone knows that already.
Bob: He used to fix the bed in the middle of the night.
Clint: ThatÕs right. IÕd be tossing and all, and then IÕd wake up and like, fix it, just because itÕs messy. I got used to that ÉIÕll put the sheets back.
Bob: And IÕd wake up! IÕd wake up and heÕs like, making his bed, putting the blanket on, and then heÕd be fixing stuff in the room.
Scott: When I was 13 or 14 IÕd used to put beers in this bucket and put it under the bed, and every night IÕd get three or four beers.


Dave, if you could interview anyone, dead or alive, who would you interview?
Dave: Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. Just because heÕs been singing for how many years, and heÕs still doing it.
Bob: Albert Einstein. Because he was voted Man of the Century. And he failed math, and well, you knowÉI bet one conversation with Albert Einstein will change your life.
Dave: I agree.
Bob: But you didnÕt fail in Math, I did! Dave never failed in Math.


Bob--something no one knows about you.
Bob: I have a lot of scars. I have one on my chin when I was three years old, I fell off one of those high chairs. I have one on the top of my eye thanks to Scott who headlocked me and bashed me, over my other eye...and two scars at the back of my headÉcan you see those? Those are from hockey.
Dave: And scarred legs.
Bob: I donÕt!
Scott: Yeah you do. One time we were skateboarding, and we were going down this hill, and I told Bob not to move, and he started waving his arms to piss me off because I told him not to, and we lost control and crashed into this gravel-pit area, and into this carÉI did too, but I ripped my arm, but BobÕs was really bad.
Bob: I got something else! They couldnÕt determine if I was a boy or a girl when I came out.
Dave: Because itÕs too small.
Bob: (gives him the evil eye) No! Because Clint went first, then me, and then DaveÉI was in the middle. So they knew the others were male but I was an undetermined baby. (laughs)
At least they didnÕt call you Roberta
Dave: It could be Bobby.


Scott, if your brothers were in "Survivor," who would be first to be booted out by the Tribal Council?
Scott: Dave. I think all three of us would want him off. Because he annoys us.
Bob: Because Dave would be sitting in the tent going, "Okay, bring me some food, guys!" He wouldnÕt do anything!
Scott: The winner would be Bob. Because theyÕd knock me off because I have a really short temperÉand low tolerance for stupidity, so theyÕd knock me off because theyÕre all stupid. And Clint, theyÕd kick him off because heÕs very narrow-minded. And Bob, well, heÕs got a really good temper.
Bob: And when we were young, Clint and I would take apart TVs and make stuff, so IÕm good at making tents and forts and...(others groan) IÕm good at making fires, and you know, IÕm good at fishing.
Scott: IÕm good at hunting!
Bob: Well you know those clay pigeons? When you shoot Ōem up in the air and you shoot Ōem? I nailed one, my first shot, I nailed one. (others looks at him) Well okay, back to the fishing. I would get the fish, and that would put food on the table.


But youÕll be the only one left, youÕre the one whoÕs gonna benefit from that.
Bob: But viewers will go, "HeÕs the one who can catch all the fish, he should be the one who wins the million dollars!"