Q:Have they really broken up?
A:Yes,  Gin Blossoms have apparently called it quits. No official announcement has been made that we're aware of, but numerous sources close to the band have indicated that they're through, at least for the time being.

Q:Who were the Gin Blossoms?

 

All the guys are married, and Bill and Scott also have young daughters.

Q:When are their birthdays?
A:Bill: March 1, 1962. Jesse: May 22, 1962. Scott: October 11, 1962. Robin: July 12, 1965. Phillip: May 26, 1969.

Q:Where are these guys from anyway?
A:Tempe, Arizona, home of Arizona State University. It's just southeast of Phoenix.

Q:Who was Doug Hopkins?
A:Doug and Bill Leen played in several Tempe bands together before forming the Gin Blossoms in 1987. Doug was the Blossoms' lead guitarist and primary songwriter--he wrote almost all of the band's early songs, including Hey Jealousy, Found Out About You, Lost Horizons, Pieces Of The Night and Angels Tonight. He was no slouch as a guitar player either--it was mostly Doug and his pearl-white Gibson Les Paul that gave the Blossoms' their distinctive sound. Doug's other claim to fame, unfortunately, was his
drinking, and when the band went to Memphis in 1992 to record New Miserable Experience, things really started to fall apart. The other four members of the group voted to fire him after the album was  finished, and the split was anything but amicable. But Scott Johnson replaced Doug as the Blossoms' lead guitarist, and Doug went on to start another Tempe band, The Chimeras. He was still battling problems with alcohol and depression however. Sadly, he committed suicide on Dec. 5, 1993, not long after Hey Jealousy had earned a gold record. He was 32. (See also: Biography, Articles &   Interviews.)

Q:How many albums did the Gin Blossoms release?
A:4 albums was released including 1 self-released album.
"Dusted" self-released November 25, 1989 on San Jacinto Records.
"Up and Crumbling"(an EP) released October 8, 1991 on A&M.
"New Miserable Experience" released August 4, 1992 on A&M.
"Congratulations I'm Sorry" released February 13, 1996 on A&M.

Q:What do the album titles mean?
A:"New Miserable Experience" was about the whole experience of being in a band, and "Congratulations I'm Sorry" is supposed to represent the spectrum of things that happened to the band in between the two albums.

Q:Did the Blossoms contribute any songs to soundtracks or compilations?
A:The Blossoms are featured on two tribute albums to date--they contributed a cover of Kiss' "Christine Sixteen" to the Kiss My Ass  album, and they backed Tommy Keene for his version of "Carrie Anne"   on the Sing The Hollies In Reverse album.
  They've also contributed songs to several soundtracks:
  "Idiot Summer" for Wayne's World 2.
  "Soul Deep" (a Box Tops cover) for Speed.
  "Til I Hear It From You" for Empire Records.
The Blossoms' hit "Hey Jealousy" also appears on MTV's Buzz Bin Volume 1 compilation. (See also: Discography.)

Q:What is (fill in song name here) about?
A:Your guess is probably as good as ours. But we have found   explanations for Day Job, Follow You Down, Seeing Stars, Allison Road, Until I Fall Away, Found Out About You, Mrs. Rita, Cheatin' and   Keli Richards.

Q:What's the story behind the success of New Miserable Experience?
A:The album took a really long time to catch on...it was released in August of 1992, but didn't crack the Billboard Top 200 chart until almost a year later. "Hey Jealousy" wasn't an immediate hit either; the label had actually moved on to promote "Mrs. Rita," but backtracked once "Hey Jealousy" started to take off.
Incidentally, there are two versions of NME: the first 120,000 copies had a different cover (a picture of a cactus), different liner notes and photographs, no lyrics, and was a picture CD that looked like a   basketball. (See also: Billboard 7/31/93, Billboard 8/5/95 & Phoenix Magazine 5/93.)
 

Q:What's this "Dusted" album and how can I find it?
A:Dusted is the Gin Blossoms' first record, which was self-released on Tucson's San Jacinto Records in 1989 (on vinyl and cassette only). About half the songs were re-recorded for later albums. It's very   difficult to find original copies now, but there are still a few floating around. You can sometimes find one for sale in Goldmine--a collectors' magazine that's available in most big bookstores and some music stores. If you're not a collector, your best bet is proabably just to find someone who will make a copy for you. Try the Strangers You Call Friends mailing list; lots of people there have it and would probably be willing to trade. (See also:   Dusted Lyrics & Faces 12/94.)
 

Q:Did the Gin Blossoms tour much?
A:They were bona fide road warriors. The Blossoms opened up for Toad  the Wet Sprocket, Del Amitri, The Neville Brothers and UB40 in 1992  and 1993, and then headlined their own Let You Down Live Tour '93 and Your Party Sucks Tour '94, playing mostly colleges and clubs. They did their first stadium tour with Spin Doctors, Cracker and Vinx (the   Cracker Kicked Our Ass Tour) later in 1994. After taking a break in 1995, they did a three-month college tour early in 1996, followed by a tour of Europe in June and July (opening for Bryan Adams and Melissa Etheridge) and a summer tour with the Goo Goo Dolls and Lush.
 

Q:Are there any live Gin Blossoms recordings?
A:There are several different bootleg CDs, plus some radio broadcasts of concerts and live performances. Here's more information on track  listings, availability and quality, so you'll know what you're   getting before you invest in one.

Q:What cover songs have they done?
A:Songs they've done live include:
  "Run For Your Life," "I Saw Her Standing There," "A Hard Day's Night" and "Wait" (from The Beatles)
  "Number One" (from The Rutles)
  "Jailbreak" and "Cowboy Song" (from Thin Lizzy)
  "Pipeline" (from The Chantays)
  "Ruby Baby" (from Dion)
  "Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down" (from Merle Haggard)
  "Cathy's Clown" (from Everly Brothers)
  "Little Bit Of Soul" (from Music Explosion)
  "My Sharona" (The Knack)
  "Mockingbird Hill" (from Les Paul and Mary Ford)
  "Sorrow" (from The Pretty Things)
  "Surfin' U.S.A." (from The Beach Boys)
  "Gloria" (from Them)
  "El Paso" (from M. Robbins)
  "Dead Flowers" (from The Rolling Stones)
  "Chimes Of Freedom" (from Bob Dylan)
  "Teenager In Love" (from Dion and the Belmonts)
  "Sugar Sugar" (from The Archies)
  "Brown-Eyed Girl " (from Van Morrison)
  "Louie Louie" (from The Kingsmen)
  "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" (from The Royal Guardsmen)
  "My Ding-A-Ling" (from Chuck Berry)
  "Little Sister" (from Elvis Presley)
  "Kung Fu Fighting" (from Carl Douglas)
  "Angels" and "Still The Night" (from The BoDeans)
  "Baby Hold On To Me" (from Eddie Money)
  "Already Gone" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling" (from The Eagles)
  "Movin' On Up" (from the Jeffersons theme)
  "Don't Fear the Reaper" (from Blue Oyster Cult)
  "Rock And Roll" (from Led Zeppelin)
  "No More Mr. Nice Guy" (from Alice Cooper)
  "Dead Skunk" (from Loudon Wainright III)
  "Henry VIII" (from Herman's Hermits)
  "Someway, Someday" (from Marshall Crenshaw)
  "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" (from The Byrds)
  "I Need To Know" and "Anything That's Rock & Roll" (Tom Petty)
  "If I Only Had A Brain" (from the Wizard of Oz)
  "I Want You   Back" (from The Hoodoo Gurus)
  "Hang On Sloopy" (from The McCoys)
  "Get Off My Cloud" (from The Rolling Stones)
and the Flaming Moe's song from the Simpsons, the theme song from the Munsters. The Blossoms also used to do a "Louie Louie" medley, incorporating parts of "Summer Loving" (from Grease)and others.

A couple of cover songs are available on recordings. (see also  discography)

Q:What bands have opened for the Gin Blossoms on tour?
A:The Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies, Lost Luggage, Tommy Keene, The Refreshments, Dead Hot Workshop, The Odds, 3 Day Wheely , Dishwalla, Fig Dish, Goo Goo Dolls and Lush.

Q:What bands have the Gin Blossoms opened for on tour?
A:Toad the Wet Sprocket, Del Amitri, the Neville Brothers, UB40, the Spin Doctors, Bryan Adams and Neil Young.

Q:What television shows did the Gin Blossoms appear on?
A:1992/93
    David Letterman, 1992 (Hey Jealousy).
    David Letterman, 3/93 (Hey Jealousy).
    Arsenio Hall, 7/28/93 (Hey Jealousy).
    Jon Stewart, 10/18/93 (Hey Jealousy, I Don't Wanna/Cold River Dick).
    MTV's Alternative Nation, 1993 (Allison Road acoustic).
 
    1994
    American Music Awards, 1/17/94 (Hey Jealousy).
    MTV's NBA All-Star Jam, 2/21/94 (Found Out About You, Allison Road).
    David Letterman, 4/28/94 (Until I Fall Away).
    Jay Leno, 6/94 (Until I Fall Away).
    David Letterman, 7/26/94 (Christine Sixteen, with Kiss).
    Jon Stewart, 9/26/94 (Allison Road).
 
    1995
    David Letterman, 7/27/95 (Til I Hear It From You).
    MTV's Alternative Nation, 8/14/95 (Robin, interview).
    VH1's Naked Cafe, 8/95 (Robin, Scott and Phil, interview).
    Concert for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, 9/2/95 (Wait, I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better).
 
    1996
    David Letterman, 2/12/96 (Follow You Down).
    Saturday Night Live, 3/23/96 (Follow You Down, Memphis Time).
    Jay Leno, 5/17/96 (Day Job).
    Friday Night Videos, 5/24/96 (Follow You Down, Day Job).

Q:What songs did the Blossoms produce videos for?
A:Hey Jealousy (two versions), Found Out About You, Until I Fall Away, Allison Road, Til I Hear It From You, Follow You Down, Day Job and As Long As It Matters.

Q:Did Robin sing all the Blossoms' songs?
A:No, Jesse sang the song "Cheatin" on New Miserable Experience, as well as "Something Wrong," "I Can Sleep" and "Fireworks" on Dusted. Robin sings all the songs on Congratulations I'm Sorry, though.