In my hotel of fond memories, Mike Doughty will always have a guaranteed late arrival, smoking-permitted Junior Executive Suite, complete with Heavenly Bed™ and a pillow mint. When I was a young player trying make it in the journalism game, Doughty was a consistently magical interview and overall nice guy. Also, unbeknownst to him, Doughty sparked the first major argument my wife and I ever had: About three hours into a five-hour road trip I popped in Irresistible Bliss. After a few songs, my then fiancee says, “Do we have to listen to this again?” To which I respond, “Listen, if I were a band, I’d be Soul Coughing. So get used to this.” In the stuff of sitcoms, our pal Ned had to sit through the next two hours in the backseat, wishing he’d found a different ride. I’m happy to report that our marriage weathered that debate and that Doughty is back, badder and deffer than before. My man’s talent still lies in his intrinsically rhythmic yarns, wherein he turns observational minutae into hypnotic commands through nasal, raspy repetition. But his writing has matured and the subway busker sound of his first solo effort has been replaced by some genuine instrumental weight, making Haughty Melodic sound bigger and warmer.
P.S. All you other Mike Doughtys are just imitating…
FINALLY. MP3s. Our long national nightmare is over.
As an addendum to Sam's post, I'd just like to add that not only was M. Doughty a magical interview, he was willing to do anything for a cool photo.
And these songs are rad.
I read Mike’s blog on a daily basis, http://www.mikedoughty.com/blog/
I’m so glad you’ve finally put him on here.
Thanks for the post. Mikes music is quite good, and my wife would also have said “do we have to listen to this shit angain” She never misses an opp to share her most inner thoughts too.
"if I were a band, I'd be Soul Coughing. So get used to this."
that is so funny. hearing old soul coughing songs nowadays makes me ache for a certain summer of my life spent quietly in athens ga that can only be described as an ignorant blisscapade with a heaping side of mild-to-hard drugs. must buy the new album… and grow up.
My wife and I recently had a spat over the Hold Steady. And she doesn’t love the Fall like I do, either. There’s something about those singers who don’t sing… If I were a band, I’d be the Fall; but would she be my Brix?
Favorite Doughty moment was in '97 or so when Sam had it in his heart to give this poor lackeye intern promo tickets to the Soul Coughing show, and in the middle of Super Bon Bon, Doughty improvised a three minute rap-scold about the morons in the mosh pit who should learn to dance. As if I didn't already think he was the coolest musician in the world.
I believe, Sam, he even gave you some props from the stage. Did that make you the coolest music journalist in the world, then?
yes, it did, my dear lackey intern. yes, it did. 🙂
i remember when soul coughing played the shelter in detroit, and i helped cover it for grid. after sound check, we went out for ethopian food with all the band (except m. doughty). anyway, radiohead was playing upstairs in st. andrew's hall, and during "creep," doughty stopped whatever song soul coughing was playing and just started making that ka-chunk, ka-chunk sound. a terrible beauty was born.
Yeah, The Hold Steady is not wife music. Don’t know why. It’s as toxic as MC Paul Barman in my household. Soul Coughing a little less so. Thankfully, Mike Doughty is A-OK, marriage-wise (and Rising Sign was the first song at our reception).
I guess I’m lucky to have a Soul Coughing friendly wife.
i just had to laugh at the other mike doughty link. hehe.
thanks for these songs! particularly like "looking at the world from the bottom of a well". =)
Mike Doughty is so great, I even forgive him for his horrible Kenny Rogers cover.
i must be a lucky man because my wife and i count mike doughty/soul coughing among the many things we have in common. 🙂