To mark the 35th anniversary of the Spin Doctor’s multi-platinum album “Pocket Full of Kryptonite,” ECV Analog is releasing Brain Surgery With a Monkeywrench: 35 Years of Spin Doctors and Pocket Full of Kryptonite. You can pre-order it now on Ko-Fi, and it will be available on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and other major retailers in the coming weeks.
The project features essays from contributing writers, a pair of short comics inspired by the song “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues,” and interviews with each member of the band, as well as former bass player Mark White and longtime friend and New York scene photographer “Crazy” Steve Eichner.
Ahead of the release of Brain Surgery With a Monkeywrench, ECV caught up with Spin Doctors founding members Chris Barron, Aaron Comess, and Eric Schenkman after a recent concert in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Russ Burlingame: Pocket Full of Kryptonite is 35 now, which…none of us are that old.
Eric Schenkman: I’m only 26. That’s impossible.
Burlingame: Obviously it’s a big commercial success, and you guys still play a lot of the shows in concert, but what has that record meant to you guys as an act? It really feels like those songs continue to be not just popular with your audience, but like vital. “Two Princes” was on a TV show like a week ago.
Chris Barron: I think for us as a band — if I may speak for us as a band — I think that record is a creative triumph in that it was coming out of a very commercial musical moment.
We had a major label that was breathing down our neck to make certain kinds of decisions about editing songs, and making them shorter, and trying to make the whole record this sort of pop record. And we stuck to our guns. We stuck together as a band and supported each other.
For example, Aaron wanted to use that like piccolo snare on “Two Princes,” which was just not a thing back then. The snare sounds were much deeper and boomier. Aaron had this idea that he wanted to do it, and that that took like hours for us to go, and keep trying these big, loud, nasty, f*****g booming snares that Aaron didn’t want to use, and then Aaron being like, “No, this is what I wanna do.”
And we all had his back, and we all had each others’ backs. I think the record set kind a template for us to be the creative unit that we have been all along, because if we had capitulated back then on that, I don’t think we’d be the band that we are now.
Burlingame: One of the things that I think is really interesting about this record is…“Refrigerator Car” and “40 or 50,” and some of the songs that aren’t conventional single material are incredibly popular with Spin Doctors fans. Chris, you and I talk all the time on Threads with that guy whose name is Refrigerator Car.
“Pocket” feels to me a lot like Jagged Little Pill in the sense that there’s not a single song on that record that isn’t somebody’s favorite. How satisfying is it to look back at a completed work and know you made the right cuts and the right choices?
Aaron Comess: Yeah — we were such a prolific band, particularly early on. We were playing clubs around New York. By the time we went in to make Kryptonite, we had 50 original songs. We put a lot of thought into picking the 11 that went on the record, and I think we made great choices.
Our goal was to make a record that really highlighted all the different aspects of the band, highlighted us as a band and also as individuals, and we wanted to showcase all the different kind of material we had. so you’ve got these songs, we used to call them the whitebread hits — “Two Princes” and “Little Miss,” “Jimmy Olsen.” — but then we had these songs like “40 or 50” and “Shinbone Alley” and “Off My Line” and “Refrigerator Car,” and it’s cool because I remember I had some friends saying “your record, it’s all over the place,” but that’s what we wanted to be.
But somehow it all really fits, and I’m really proud of it. Here we are talking about 35 years later, and we’re gonna do a couple shows coming up where we’re gonna play the whole record, which we’ve done a couple times. And I can honestly say it’s a blast to play that record because there’s all these different styles thrown in the pot in those songs.
And like you said, it’s great that at least the diehard fans really dig that. The hits have kept us going — having “Little Miss” and “Two Princes” is the reason I think we’re still here playing big shows like this. But having that diversity in our sound is keeps us really interesting, for sure.
Schenkman: Also, we were lucky because we’re from New York, and we had the opportunity to be big, because we were popular in New York, so those songs really had extra ballast.
I was just gonna add that what Aaron’s saying is correct, but after 40 years, or 110, or however long we’ve been around, it’s like we couldn’t help making that record. We’ve made a bunch of other records since, and to me, it’s like we keep making the same record.
They’re different songs, but there’s always a few that could be hits. Like, “Margarita” could’ve been “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong.” It’s just as poppy of a song. And on every record, there’s this wide splay of songs that’s all over the place. It’s just us.
Comess: We, the three of us, have been the primary writers, and we’re all three very different musicians and people. I think that really explains the diversity in our songs. Yeah. And you’re, like, you’re exactly right because yeah — if you look at all of our records, they’re all like that.
Schenkman: They all have that, right? I was just thinking, even the most recent one, it’s like it’s got this really wide scope to it. And and it’s cool because when we go out and play live, there’s a lot of choices there.
Barron: Early on, Aaron said — I think this is such a great way of putting this — Aaron was like, “We should play songs with different tempos, different rhythms, and different tonal landscapes, so that it’s not boring.”
Basically, so it’s not boring, but that covers such a multitude. And then I took that on as the lyricist, to expand that to also include different emotional and thematic landscapes as well. It was definitely a conscious choice to play stuff that was different.
It came out of, we’re gonna be playing at a club from f*****g 9:30 until 4:00. So we just needed to change it up so that the crowd wouldn’t go home. But it also, it’s very satisfying to have a repertoire like that.
To go back to your initial question, people come up to me and their favorite song is “40 or 50” or these deep cuts, and I’m like, “Wow, that’s that’s a deep cut.” And I think we’ve done a good job of not having filler on any of the records. We pay very close attention to the writing, and to the performances, and to the production of every single song that we put out, and we don’t we don’t stop working it until it gives you an involuntary reaction. Then you know you’ve really got something.
Comess: Just to add to that, I think we’ve always been real organic, so the songs that make it usually just make it ‘cause they sound good organically and they work. Sometimes songs won’t work as well. Those usually just fall by the wayside, because we had so many songs, and they’re all cool. We work hard at it, but it’s also like — things either come together with us or they don’t.
On Kryptonite, it was a really good time. The record we just made, Face Full of Cake, was very similar. It just was really organic. The songwriting process was really easy and fun.
And then when we’re in the studio, we’d never really played those songs before we went and recorded them, but it just was easy. There’s definitely been records and times in the band where it wasn’t like that, and that creates another sort of friction and sound. But I think Kryptonite and Face Full of Cake both were just kinda easy to make.
Kryptonite was…every band, it’s like you have your whole life to write your first record, and we played those songs like 500 times. We literally played that many gigs before we went in the studio, in a short time. So we had a sound.
Barron: And we were like filled with glee that we were making a record, too. It was our first record. There was a lot of enthusiasm.
Burlingame: It’s interesting that the first commercial release was a live record. That’s super uncommon, but with you guys having a reputation as a jam band, it kinda made sense.
Barron: It was easy, and the price was right. Like, all we had to do was bring the recording equipment to The Wetlands. We knew we were gonna walk out of there with a record, so it was a no-brainer for us.
Comess: And I don’t know if you know this, but the, the original plan was to put out a studio EP. So, our first recording session was at The Power Station. We recorded “Two Princes” there. We recorded “Shinbone” and “Hard to Exist” there. We also recorded another, a different version of “How Could You Want Him” and then a few other songs.
Barron: “Hungry Hamed’s.”
Comess: “Hamed’s,” yeah. And then we decided, “Let’s save this. We’re a live band, let’s do this live EP.” So then we ended up going back and using some of that stuff for the record. But the original plan was actually gonna be a studio EP, so I’m glad we didn’t do that.
Burlingame: One thing I wanted to point out to you guys. So when I’m talking to Eric one-on-one, he’s incredibly prolific, articulate storyteller. That interview was super fascinating, and also, I hardly got in a word edgewise. But these guys are in the room, and you’re just like, “I’m gonna wait.”
Schenkman: I probably just smoked five joints before I talked. I’m just kidding! Actually, I didn’t.
Burlingame: No. It was first thing in the morning!
But how is that dynamic? I think most fans who don’t know you personally would think that you are the quiet guy. But in the room, I kinda doubt that’s always the case.
Comess: Eric’s definitely not the quiet guy.
Schenkman: I’m not. No. We have like a, we have a very... it’s organic. we have a pecking order and a a relationship, and everybody’s pretty happy. Everybody takes their turn in this band, and nobody’s particularly…
We’vealready had all our fights. I have this saying now — when you’ve been doing this for this long, you, sooner or later you realize that everything is everybody’s fault. So it’s all of our fault already, so it doesn’t really matter. If I, if I have something to say, I usually talk, but a lot of times Chris or Aaron they’ll say something and they speak for me quite effectively
Comess: We all pretty much say the same s**t at this point anyway.
Barron: Yeah…
Schenkman: Exactly. Pretty much, yeah. And we’ve said it all before, a number of times.
Burlingame: Is Harrisburg gonna be the first time that you guys have done the record end to end with Jack?
Schenkman: No. We did it in Colorado. Remember that?
Schenkman: Utah.
Comess: Yeah, we did it a couple times.
Schenkman: Olympia. Freezing!
Burlingame: What’s that like? Obviously it’s a slightly different energy with Jack than with Mark White. Jack is such a great player and he’s such a great guy, but your rhythm section in particular has a very specific fingerprint and it’s never gonna be exactly the same thing.
Schenkman: No. But if I may, it would be a f*****g drag…
Barron: Oh, now you start f*****g talking!
Schenkman: They asked Aaron a question, so now I have to answer it! But it would be a real f*****g drag if we were looking for a guy who could be Mark White. First of all, we’d never find him in a million f*****g years, and second of all, Jack’s…he’s like the other side of that card. He’s So he’s very capable. These guys play great together.
Comess: Listen man, not many bands who stay together this long can keep everybody. We had a lot of good years with the original four, and Jack’s an incredible addition. It’s great.
Going back and playing that record with Jack, he brings something else to it, and he totally respects all the important stuff that Mark did. The basslines that are part of the songs that need to be there, while he’s made it his own.
We told him from the beginning do it your own. He’s enough of a professional musician to know when something needs to be there, and there’s been a few times where we’re like, “Take a listen to that. There’s this one thing Mark did that’s really cool,” and he’ll f*****g listen to it and he’ll do it. You know what I mean?
Schenkman: Yeah.
Comess: We’re lucky. It’s really hard to replace a member of a band, we’ve tried it a few times. It never really worked. And Jack’s really worked out really well. It’s a tough gig to follow somebody with all that history, and then Mark White is an incredible bass player and just very unique. He really deserves a lot of credit to the sound of the band. We’re never gonna take that away from him. We don’t want anybody to come in and try to be Mark, so I think Jack does an amazing job.
Barron: I agree. I [thought], “If one of the original four gets abducted by aliens I’m out.” And then, Mark was out.
I was talking to Aaron, and I was like, “Okay, let’s, we should just break up the band.” But Jack was lined up to do the gigs that we had for the rest of that summer, and Aaron was like — because I’m always kinda flying off the handle, and Aaron always kinda talks me down — he was like, “Look, man, just let’s finish out the gigs we have this summer. Jack is great. You’re gonna love him.”
And I had serious doubts about whether we could maintain the kind of chemistry. Of course, it’s not gonna be the same as with Mark, but to maintain a level of chemistry. ‘Cause, a quartet, one of the guys is gone? Then you’re limping along. And Jack showed up to f*****g soundcheck. Halfway through soundcheck, I was like, “Oh, this is f*****g great. This is totally gonna work out.”
It’s like he said, it’s not imitating Mark, but he’s hitting all of the marks. He’s hitting all the spots that need to be hit, and he’s bringing his own thing to it. And these guys have done a million records together. They’ve played together a ton.
I’ve known Jack, and we used to live in the same building, so I’ve known him a really long time. Definitely a mutual admiration society. And just we’re just really lucky, honest to God. I didn’t think anybody was gonna be able to come in and make it work, and Jack is just — we’re really lucky to have him. We’re lucky that he came along. And it’s just f*****g really cool to still be doing, it and have it feel really great with another guy. And hats off to Mark. We, we would not be the band that we are without him.
Burlingame: Kind of on that note — This is a band that for a lot of folks, it’s like they know two songs and they’re like, “Oh, they’re the guys who do those kinda quasi-novelty things.” But you are all A-list musicians in your own right. What is it like putting together a fun, poppy show with guys who have completely disparate interests and completely different disparate influences, but who are all really great at going in that one direction?
Schenkman: It just makes it makes this band super good ‘cause everybody’s really good at their part and at what they do. We’re all great musicians and we are really serious about what we do. When we get together, there’s four of us, so we surprise each other. I think that’s the key. There’s always a surprise.
Comess: I think the the best musicians serve the song first, and also realize that you’re putting on a performance and there’s a crowd out there that you need to entertain. We’re all capable of doing all kinds of stuff. We could go out there and show off all our b******t or, or just focus on the jam s**t all night, but you have to know your audience.
For instance, this tour, we’re doing 45 minutes. We’re playing with two other bands. You gotta look around and figure out what’s gonna really work, all while maintaining our integrity, which we, we always do.
And then at the end of the week we’re playing Vermont on our own. Full 90-minute set. It’ll be a whole different thing. I think we’ve learned, we definitely had times where we didn’t know that.
We kinda had to learn the hard way. We started off playing three, four sets a night, and our fans would go anywhere we wanted to with us. We were playing little clubs. And once we started to play really big venues, I don’t think we totally got it at first. We’ve been doing this a long time now, so I think we really understand how to play a show. And again, it really has nothing to do with how good of a accomplished musician you are. If anything, that should be all the more reason to do it right,
Barron: are really f*****g lucky because these guys are great players. You can put four of the best players in the world together and they won’t play with a chemistry and a volatility. And for some reason, the four of us starting, with Mark, played f*****g great together. And we got Jack and we kept that volatility and that chemistry going.
We’re different players with very different interests coming from different places, but we have a lot of common touchstones. When I met Eric, Eric was 25 and I was 20. So Eric we hung out a lot and Eric played me these Ike and Tina Turner records and pointed out very inside aspects of how those songs worked, and what they were doing.
And it’s art, and it doesn’t always make sense why something works. Salvador Dali — if you tried to tell that to somebody “Listen, I got this thing. It’s melting watches.” And you’re like, “What the f**k? Melting watches?”
“No, trust me, it’s gonna be f*****g great. It’s gonna be on a fork stick with a kind of a camel with really long legs.”
Then you’re like, “What the f**k are you talking about?” But you put that f*****g s**t in front of somebody, and the fork stick and the f*****g dripping watch and the camel with long legs, it’s the greatest f*****g thing I’ve ever seen. And that’s kinda that’s kind of us. We’re like — remember Dr. Dolittle, the “Push Me Pull You,” the llama with a head at both ends? It’s like — for some reason it just works.
Schenkman: there you have it. To the llama’s ass.
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