25 years after Soul Coughing’s debut album, Mike Doughty is taking it back on tour
Grunge still reigned supreme when Soul Coughing’s wickedly inventive debut album “Ruby Vroom” dropped in 1994. The project, which combined the beat poetry of Mike Doughty, the clever use of samples courtesy of keyboardist Mark Degli Antoni, the jazzy acoustic bass work by Sebastian Steinberg and the asymmetrical drumming of Yuval Gabay, was unique. The classic but under-heralded album is quirky, unpredictable and inspiring.
It also is dusty since Soul Coughing splintered in 2000. But to mark the album’s 25th anniversary, Doughty is touring on it, and will perform Sunday at Motorco Music Hall in Durham.
We caught up with him in New York to talk about why he believes “Ruby Vroom” became a great album, why he tried to reunite Soul Coughing and what’s next. Here is an edited version of that phone conversation.
Q: When I first heard “Ruby Vroom,” I thought, ‘so this is what it would sound like if surrealist comedian Steven Wright wrote and recorded songs.’
A: Good call, very good call. Steven Wright has always been a huge influence on me. We had this running joke when we were recording. When something didn’t sound quite right. We would say it sounds like the song has been stolen and replaced by an exact replica, which approximates one of his jokes. (‘The other day someone stole everything in my apartment and replaced it with an exact replica.”)
Q: Do you ever think, ‘man, ‘Ruby Vroom,’ should have been held in a higher regard?
A: When I look at the top ‘90s albums lists in some magazines, I do think it should at least be somewhere between 82 and 97.
Q: “Ruby Vroom” sounded great back in the day and it still holds up. Why do you think that is?
A: One of the reasons the album sounds so great is because we played the material for two years. We cohered as a band, as a quartet. We played the songs from “Ruby Vroom” so much in front of people in New York City. The funny thing is that when the album came out the locals in New York didn’t like it. I thought we were doomed. But we discovered that there were obsessives. I remember answering a phone at a San Francisco radio station and someone said, ‘You’re God.’ It was evident that people were getting it.
Q: The use of samples was laudable. Sampling Howlin’ Wolf next to the Andrews Sisters was inspired.
A: He ( Degli Antoni) was amazing. It was the way he used samples and sounds and then there was his own work. The samples on ‘Screenwriter’s Blues’ were from his own composition. It all came together with that album.
Q: It was an ugly split with Soul Coughing but did you consider trying to reunite for the benefit of “Ruby Vroom?”
A: I did. I went to them and it was nuts. The upside is that I’m good friends with Sebastian Steinberg again. He’s a great musician. He makes everything sound better.
Q: Who was the problem?
A: I don’t want to tell ya. It was all crazy except for Sebastian. One of the guys in the band wrote back to me that Soul Coughing didn’t have songs. He said that we were the masters of illusion.
Q: What does that mean?
A: I don’t know. All I know is that they weren’t down with it. They had their feelings. I have my feelings, but I’m over all of whatever bad feelings there were.
Q: Most reunions don’t work out anyway.
A: The best part of most rock reunions is that moment when you take a shot of your Pixies ticket and put it on Instagram. It’s down hill from there typically.
Q: Has playing the songs from “Ruby Vroom” inspired you to write in that manner once again?
A: Yes. I’m writing in that manner again and I’m thinking about doing an album with Sebastian called “The Ghost of Ruby Vroom.”
Details
Who: Mike Doughty; Wheatus opens
When: 8 p.m. Sunday
Where: Motorco Music Hall, 723 Rigsbee Ave., Durham.
Cost: $20 in advance; $23 day of show
Info: 919-901-0875, www.motorcomusic.com