Mike Doughty talks about the last straw with Soul Coughing

Mike Doughty talks about the last straw with Soul Coughing
City Winery NYC
Saturday, March 3, 2012
And because this has come up repeatedly in the comments, this was NOT a "Question Jar" show. No questions were asked. This was just Mike Doughty, talking about stuff between songs. I believe this tour was shortly after his memoir, "The Book of Drugs," was released.

[@NandorTheRelentless76]

Saw them LIVE last night in Boston.......IT. WAS. FUCKING. AMAZING! They were SO tight. I closed my eyes for a min and thought it was the album. They were laughing, joking, smiling together and Mike must've introduced each band member like 5 times during the show, especially Sebastian who he REALLY was showing a lot of praise and love for. It was such a feel good show where everyone was dancing and having a great time TOGETHER. Thank you to therapy, recovery, humility, maturity, forgiveness and a long fucking time in between, that brought these guys back to the stage and into our lives.

[@monrominee]

agreed, that show was life affirming

[@Everclearfan86]

I can't believe I'm writing 12 years later that Soul Coughing has fucking reunited.

[@Topnikko]

I got tickets this morning for the LA show. I can't believe I have the opportunity to see them.

[@Everclearfan86]

@@Topnikko I'm flying into Denver from 2 states away because I'm not missing this in case it's a one-off tour. i really hope the guys have a healing time though playing and spending time together again and maybe will continue in 2025 and beyond.

[@Topnikko]

@@Everclearfan86 Denver, my old stomping grounds. So many amazing music venues in that city. Have a great time. Yes, it would be very cool to hear new music from the fellas. Mike is great solo but together with SC it was special.

[@Everclearfan86]

@@Topnikko Will be my first time there, excited to check it out. If they even put out 1 new song during this reunion, I would shit a brick. I'd also love if new vinyl represses of the albums would be issued plus outtakes and bonus tracks.

[@cynful66]

Saw them last night in NYC for their last show - watching them hug at the end was stunning!

[@bdon58K]

As I always say, M. Doughty = 1/4 of Soul Coughing

[@pr00de]

Fast forward 12 years and the Soul Coughing songs sound waaaaaaaayyyyyy better than they ever did when he played them solo.

[@bobtis]

The Band was so great, this is what happens when ego gets in the way. They all needed each other. The misic was just great and I loved the band. MD is lost here for sure.

[@bi0008]

I'm not saying you're wrong, cause I don't know. But neither do you. How do you know it was ego that got in the way? How do you know they all needed each other? Were you there?

[@bobtis]

bi0008 What I am saying is that made a very distinctive sound together making them think each one was the leader. No I was not there.

[@bi0008]

Fair enough. For me they would have been pretty average without Doughty's voice, but that's just my personal preference.

[@bobtis]

bi0008 I agree with that.

[@Everclearfan86]

Meh. I think SC's super solid rhythm section and excellent sampling work really added worlds of depth of Doughty's songwriting. Stripped down, one begins to realize how standard the songs he writes really are. Even Soul Coughing ones, if you take away the dense instrumentation. Not to discount Doughty's genius song and lyric writing abilities. But he needs to give credit where credit is due.

[@CosmosTheMouse]

Related videos : Mike Doughty talks about Soul Coughing Mike Doughty tells stories about Soul Coughing Mike Doughty's Soul Coughing story live Mike Doughty sets it straight about Soul Coughing Mike Doughty on stage talking about Soul Coughing

[@johnrhettbarrett]

Collaboration is difficult-'the guys' added SO MUCH!

[@rmns1234]

Soul Coughing very clearly was a group effort. The very elements he prides himself on inventing - chords and vocal melody - to me really are the more boring aspects of this great band. imho Soul Coughing was alway about Doughty's raspy voice, his far out lyrics, Steinberg's characteristic upright tone and his relentless ostinato lines, Gabay's hard-hitting tight funky drumming and De Gli Antonis otherworldly soundscapes. And, judging from the success Soul Coughing as a group had and Doughty as a solo artist hasn't, the majority of listeners out there seem to see it that way.

[@spoddie]

+rmns1234 I have the same opinon. Have you heard "Circles, Super Bon Bon, and The Very Best Of Soul Coughing"? It's Doughty's version of Soul Coughing songs. That underscores exactly what you are saying.

[@prufrock1977]

Soundscapes--that was the key to what made Soul Coughing great. Mike's lyrics are a thing of beauty, but the music just made everything ethereal.

[@leon4000]

@@prufrock1977 Soul coughing I believe was a team effort, and they had this surreal and unique music that made me like their songs. It's just a shame to see that such a incredible band broke up. I still listen to their music, having a place in my heart from those childhood and teenage days.

[@AnimalHouseVetVideos]

He's had plenty of commercial and financial success since leaving Soul Coughing, so I'm not even sure what you're talking about. The highest charting Soul Coughing album was El Oso that hit number 50-something on the charts. His highest charting solo album hit number 60-something. That's really not too far off. Also, maybe you need to listen to this again or something because most of the time is spent talking about what a dick HE turned into. That's hardly whining. It shows humility.

[@WXVA9]

It's bizarre to me that people deny that Doughty was the creative force behind Soul Coughing. The other guys could've stayed together and found another singer if they were the ones making the songs happen.

[@jordancooperlalala]

One listen to his embarrassing "Circles (etc)" album reveals how important those guys were. You can't deny it.

[@thomasmhopkins1]

Ah man... heartbreaking that they didn't get back together.

[@Topnikko]

And then they did! 😁

[@UsTheMusicTVOfficial]

I always wondered what happened to then. This explains a lot... 😕

[@random666777]

Kinda sad. Why didn't he just hire studio musicians if he didn't want to share royalties? Bands are a collaboration where each member will contribute their own part. So maybe Mike deserved some percentage points more, but how can he negate the sound of the other talented members of the band? We'll see how the new re-recorded music compares to the Soul Coughing originals.

[@jordancooperlalala]

It was shite!

[@erniehead]

Even John Lennon had to share credit with Paul McCartney for Come Together, I Am the Walrus and Strawberry Fields and didn't lose this mind... and he had heroin!

[@MrDelicious84]

It's tough when one guy writes the stuff, but the other band members are dedicating their time to the music. So many situations where the songwriter is making bank, and the other musicians in the band get squat.

[@refraktr6223]

In that case, the musicians who aren’t songwriters are more likely to be hired guns who hopefully are paid for studio time and touring

[@whatismindnomatter]

the appealing part, for me, at first, was the well-played upright and the samples. Drummer was capable. Listened to the words and then really liked the band. Would listen to that band again w/another poetry-type pseudorapper. Like UNKLE, wish this band had its shit together and kept on being creative....

[@spoddie]

Did you write the haunting keyboard and fantastic bass in Screenwriter's Blues? Sorry Mike but you had something great but were just greedy. Many bands share the royalties because that's the only way they can survive as a band.

[@AnimalHouseVetVideos]

He's not being whiny. He's telling his side of the story. I'm sure the other three members tell their sides, too. The whole point of this show, which the uploader didn't mention and which might have cast it in a better light, was that this was a "question jar" show. You could literally write any question you wanted to ask Mike (not even anything to do with music) and he'd read and answer them between songs. Someone asked what the deal with Soul Coughing breaking up was, and he told the story.

[@robertdavidson9393]

Que sera sera!

[@davidpenn1123]

Interesting. Life as an artist is no joke.

[@robertfrost8264]

This was the era where I lost my childhood love for Mike Doughty. I'm still a fan and still go to shows when he's around. This specific tour (post release of Book of Drugs) he *refused* to play any SC songs and said he was retiring them and would never play them again. That was 2012. Lo and behold he swings back the other way, realizing that alienating at least half of his fan base would be an incredibly poor decision. He crowd funded the hardly palatable "reimagined" record the next year. I foolishly pledged money and listened to the disc once when it arrived. I'm sure he's been through hell and back with this portion of his musical history and identity, but he really spent a lot of time shitting on his old band and true fans.

[@Roberto-de8xv]

Did you get tickets for the reunion tour?

[@schuylerwillson]

sometimes the victim talks so for long u learn they weren't the victim

[@TheGreatPumpkin]

His memoirs. I can't remember what it's called but it's a good read: Book of Drugs i think.

[@patriciaschulz6125]

Mike,You may have some talent but your arrogance reduces that talent to nothing. I met you once, I am a good friend of Yuval's, and you totally disrespected me. Funny, I don't hear any of the other members of Soul Coughing commenting on you. That is because they have dignity and honor and would not waste their time on your nonsense. Music is an art and art is meant to bring inspiration and awareness to others- you have a long way to go to achieve that. Like I said before, grow up, and be grateful for all of those who have helped (tolerated you) you along the way.

[@leon4000]

Now try telling that straight to him, instead of someone else's video. This isn't even his KZbin channel.

[@ricklindemann9003]

soul coughing was great and doughty is a shade of his former glory without them

[@billjohnson1423]

Rick Lindemann Lol.. yea ok buddy. Golden Delicious on its own says 'youre a fuckin moron and completely suck at music'

[@Rodrigombia1990]

Glory? THEY WERE AS UNDERRATED AS FUCK, cult band as it's best, if it wasn't for the cartoon network music videos I'd probably not answering you at this moment.

[@badreligionbomb]

Rick Lindemann his solo shit rules... youre dumb

[@geyote23134]

he mentions here he was using at the time, junkie memories are completely orthagonal to reality. sad to hear all this, really cheapens the music that was actually released. i mean saying how the last album was a shrug (implying if you liked it you're a mark)? I'll choose to forget this and revisit the music that they actually released

[@philipkenbok1302]

+geyote23134 El Oso was so much better than Irresistible Bliss imo.

[@brianbonifacio7536]

@@philipkenbok1302 I completely agree. Actually it's the album that got me into them. And I was blessed enough to see their last gig in NYC.

[@albinrose418]

I think I liked Doughty more before I heard him whining and griping for 6 minutes about the most commercially successful endeavor he's been part of. When the audience could have heard, like, 2 entire songs instead. Glad he's on his own path now, but do *we* need to sit through it? If I was sitting next to him at a bar, I'd get up and sit somewhere else.

[@ProjectDv2]

You mean, you liked him better before an audience member asked him for the story behind Soul Coughing breaking up because this was a Q&A show, right?

[@mew1216]

It's funny, but my friend who has been in a number of bands has always told me that being in a band is like having a bunch of girlfriends - I.E. number of band-mates = number of girlfriends. Impossible Situation.

[@UsTheMusicTVOfficial]

Yep, it's like a marriage/dating relationship. Oddly. Lol

[@patriciaschulz6125]

Doughty, you were never Soul Coughing; it was a group and you were just a member. And from the inside information I have is that the breakup was a contract problem - so, grow up and spare us your nonsense.

[@Mike-gs4uq]

+Patricia Schulz Take your own advice sometime sunshine, spare us your nonsense.

[@markreichenbach4604]

If any remaining Soul Coughing members want to go whine on-stage, let 'em. Oh that's right, they're not on any stage, are they? I believe he is telling the truth and they messed up trying to push him around. Without him, they had nothing that couldn't be replaced.

[@Everclearfan86]

+Mark Reichenbach Sebastian actually still tours with several high profile musicians: Fiona Apple, Beth Orton, Fiona Apple, Dixie Chicks, Watkins Family Hour, etc etc.

[@digitalbarrito3555]

Tours with Fiona Apple, Beth Orton, and Fiona Apple?! Impressive.

[@Everclearfan86]

Hah.....whoops

[@Topnikko]

Sum of its parts fits here. Mike was a major piece, but every guy brought distinct talents that made the band what it was. Mike has had a decent career without them but I'm guessing he could have achieved far greater success with them. It's unfortunate they couldn't work out their differences......until now.

[@UnlimitedGekko]

thats the world man.. dog eat dog. its all a game to some people.. all about money. anyone complaning that hes bitching, id like to see how you would handle your problems. sometimes find ourselves in a situation thats hard to get out of, cause what you know is right isnt possible, and all we can do is defend ourselves.. which makes others more likey to have aggressive attitudes...

[@Brewnoe]

lawn darts ...

[@bassinnov8r]

man, the ego of singers. "I wrote the song part of the song" so you stand up there and shout your lyrics with no music and see how far the "song part of the song" gets you.

[@danberkman8227]

Not that it excuses the behavior but Mike wrote the lyrics, drum loops, and guitar parts.

[@terrencestreeter135]

Simon Gray the poet

[@jordancooperlalala]

​@@danberkman8227 Mike didn't write the drum loops. Maybe in some demo or whatever, but Yuval played the drums. He's a brilliant musician and didn't need a singer/songwriter to write drum parts for him. I say this as a singer/songwriter who has tried and failed to tell drummers what to play. Just let them do their thing.

[@jandrews425]

Soul Coughing was a much better musical experience. Love M. Doughty, but his ego is what got in the way of everything. He bashes the band that got him a cult following. Irresistible Bliss and El OSO were excellent albums. His solo stuff is just noise to me...

[@badreligionbomb]

Caligula the bands ego got in the way.

[@JohnSmith-hm6lv]

After hearing his band mates side of things I have to say Mike is being totally unreasonable, he takes rather small issues and blows them up into major slights against him. Hell his whole argument for cutting his bands mates out of the song writing credits is because he wrote lyrics and they didn't, even though they wrote a lot of the music. If he would just swallow his ego, sit down, and hash out the issues he has with his band mates in person he could get over 90% of the issues he has with them and stop bitching about them so much.

[@yrussq]

Samples are all his. So even i would never buy Mike's junkie flashbacks, he is the core of Soul Coughing. It's his lyrics, samples and chords. But yeah also his bitching shows that he definitely has an issue or 300..

[@ProjectDv2]

Nah mate, his ex-bandmates are notorious assholes. It doesn't take much digging to find out how shitty they've been to their fans for years. Fuck them.

[@jordancooperlalala]

Where did you hear the bandmates side? I've never been able to find anything.

[@davidlilly8465]

on the other hand, Soul Coughing without Doughty would be like the Stones without Mick or, as has been proven, The Doors without Jim. ain't gonna work.

[@ryanbombyk6632]

I'm really tempted to go off on a rant about how he would be an unknown coffee-house musician and have to work a "real" job if it weren't for Soul Coughing, but I wasn't there. Addiction can turn everyone against you, especially when you've got a big ego to begin with. I like his solo stuff, but it lacks the "soul" his songs had with the band. I'm glad he's found his niche with his solo career and an adoring female fan base. It would be sour grapes for me to hate seeing as his solo stuff appeared on just about every mixed tape/disc/playlist that got me a girlfriend. Keep it real you whiny, wonderful man!

[@hrothgarvonmt]

He wrote the songs. That's what he says. The songs. He wrote them. He doesn't say he's upset because of the money. He says he's upset because his bandmates have equal rights to those songs, and he still feels that they're his own. Anyway I don't think he can hear you. You should probably write him a letter if you think he needs to hear your advice.

[@jordancooperlalala]

DID he write the songs? It's also been said a lot of those songs came out of jams. Which would mean the entire band wrote them.

[@spoddie]

You need to listen more carefully, he didn't say that. He wrote the lyrics and sometimes the melody.

[@blt4life112]

I'd much rather listen to the Sebastian, Yuval and Mark as a trio than listen to Mike solo.

[@bi0008]

For me they would have been less than average without his voice. So they needed him. But that is just my personal preference. He shouldn't complain about them taking his songs from him though because that is his own fault for letting himself get pushed around. That is an unfortunate lesson that he had to learn. He should have told them to get fucked and found other players. But he obviously had low self esteem, hence the drugs.

[@jpoprock]

My friends loved SC and Doughty until they met him recently. They said he was a total dick and as a result they pitched their CD's and are no longer fans.

[@badreligionbomb]

Jason Sheroan thats very strange... he was the nicest guy I ever met... a very warm person who was great to talk to.

[@badreligionbomb]

Jason Sheroan so my guess is your friends may have done something shitty or annoying.

[@jordancooperlalala]

@@badreligionbomb He wasn't very nice to me either.

[@badreligionbomb]

@@jordancooperlalala very strange indeed

[@badreligionbomb]

@@jordancooperlalala was this during his SC days or solo?