Mike Doughty Talks about his Memoir "The Book of Drugs" on Soundcheck

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW: wny.cc/x4fgZR
"I loved drugs. I loved them," former Soul Coughing band member Mike Doughty told John Schaefer today. Hear how Doughty got sober, how Soul Coughing broke up and more.

[@3340steve]

Definitely cool to see Doughty survived the messed personal dynamics of his band.

[@bramhallfan]

Fast forward to today 2024, I have tickets to see Soul Coughing next week in Boston hahaha.,....

[@jeff7764]

I read this book early in sobriety after a counselor recommended it. It helped me immensely and I’ve recommended to many

[@TheBadMoJoe]

I appreciate the insight as to why Soul Coughing doesn't exist anymore but Ruby Vroom is one of the best albums ever made!

[@jdmac44]

Now I need to hear the story about him bringing them back together. I'm sure he'll be telling that story on stage. :)

[@DeusExAsmodeuos]

Soul coughing always hinged on doughty's lyrics. I don't care, I still love most of those songs. Especially screenwriter's blues.

[@benwarner468]

Mike Doughty is incredibly talented. He WAS Soul Coughing , he was their foundation. He is. The Doughty-lama

[@sw9979]

Thank you!!!! He formed that band and WAS the most important band member. They needed him badly to go as far as they did. I’ve read comments bashing him and saying that he needs them and I was like, yes, they sounded good together but….didn’t he create the band? Didn’t he write ALL THE LYRICS??? Those members were just jamming to his songs and never wanted to listen to him bc they felt intimidated by him bc he was way younger which is not fair at all. Mike is a musical genius and if you ask me, if they would’ve listened and worked as a team, they would’ve been bigger than Red Hot Chili Peppers and I don’t usually say that bc they are also my favorite band.

[@MarioFlogar]

i was thirteen when i watched this interview and i still quote it

[@bigslam2727]

I love this guy. Too cool.

[@joesutherland2017]

Yes, too cool for just about anyone, including most of his fans. In the dictionary under narcissism, it says, "See him".

[@bigslam2727]

Loved SC, but If i may comment--Being in bands, there's always the one guy( usually the singer) who think they are the "talent" of the band---noone else matters--and can't see anything beyond themselves---this guy--is that guy.

[@TheHighExecutioner]

Yeah man.. he's got those anxiety fueled pentadactyl maneuvers

[@chriswatson3056]

Complete with the totally anxiety-motivated thumb-flick of the nasal cavity and resulting snort to make sure the last of that anxiety isn't wasted 😂

[@jefflevesque6]

Mike, collaboration is a difficult thing, but worthwhile. Soul Coughing's body of work is evidence of this. To call Soul Coughing "cute", and then serve up the stuff that you are now, is laughable, unless bland is what you were going for. Anyway, thanks for being 1/4 of one of my favorite bands.

[@reflux51]

He seems high in this. Some people maintain a lot of the mannerisms after quiting drugs but appears to be on something here.

[@bobbnowicki]

he is high as hell in this

[@definitelynotjasonmomoa]

Look at how dilated his pupils are, and thats under STUDIO LIGHTS. He is geeked tf out.

[@jackingwads7513]

@@definitelynotjasonmomoa definitely geeked and to be honest I don't think it coke I'm thinking meth cause cocaine never got my eyes that dilated only a crap tonne of iv meth ever did that

[@joemartinezjr828]

You all know nothing. He's fine. He may not be sober technically but he's definitely not on meth or coke. Maybe caffeine. But he's not muffed up. People see what they want. I'm a very deeply educated recovering drug addict. And my humble opinion is he's not high.

[@monrominee]

@@joemartinezjr828 it's pathetic how people just immediately assume the worst, like, without fail. I'm glad you are better and on the other side of all that.

[@fully_retractable]

thank you for not dying mike ...

[@EldonMoore]

I know he didn't like being in Soul Coughing, but I would like a reunion tour :)

[@FMXIAN]

12 years later, wish granted

[@johnnybgood5666]

love and respect mike, you're a musical genius . come back to mpls soon.

[@JonSchappell]

I met him. He may have been high at the time.

[@ico7909]

Love soul coughing.... it takes a team! . ...they put out some great music together. Mike's awesome but he could not have came out with that music with out those other puzzle pieces to be honest. Million ways to skin a cat, ....it worked because it was a mess!

[@robdavidson1876]

Whatever Soul Coughing was good stuff!Ruby Vroom was fun!

[@LucidEyes17]

well read his book guy if you really wanna know. I did, it's a great read, he's as much a writer as a musician imo

[@TheRealDustinNunn]

Never do drugs. Drugs are bad.

[@stolendan4769]

M’kay 👍

[@dadsongs]

This is hard to listen to, on many different levels.

[@oliverkloesof]

y lmao...love his music but the dude is tweaked...love the finger to his cheek

[@bobbnowicki]

yep . Coke for sure

[@michaelshaw1327]

@@bobbnowicki that's not coke he's on

[@jwhaskin]

it's really unfortunate that mike got too full of himself....soul coughing had so much potential

[@pkthunderbolt]

This is Mike's perspective, yet a lot of people take it personally that he speaks his mind, and doesn't want anything to do with Soul Coughing. He's evolved, what exactly are the other 'brilliant' members doing?

[@LunaSeaSane]

Really like 300$. And the 1st album.

[@45Driver]

fucked-up, talented, self absorbed genius weirdos really irritate me. I love Super Bon Bon and I guess that's all that should matter to me.

[@mitchelllepore8968]

he is one of the best!!! But he is tweaked!!!!!!!11

[@bobbnowicki]

"cocaine is a hell of a drug"

[@pm2007est]

This is how alot of bands are tho, everyone in the band is creative and has opinions, strong opinions on how a song should sound, how the lyrics are sung... and it is difficult to be around a bunch of guys who get their way or dont get their way, because you get really pissed and hold grudges, believe me its easy to get to hate someone who is in a band with you after aguing , but Mike needs to recognize that he would not be well known if not for SC, he needs to stop whining about it

[@jefftruzzi]

Interesting that his new recording is 'remaking' Soul Coughing tunes, which got pledge funding in like 19 hours. All bands are collaborations to an extent, and Mike did the lions share, but not ALL. Check out his remakes vs the originals and you'll see. He intimates if they would have done what he told them, they could have bested Beck & the Beasties. Wrong: it would have been more like the music he does now. He 'wrote' most of the tunes to Yuval's samples, not a drum machine.

[@eXiLe824]

I just listened to Ghosts of Vroom and it's funny that it sounds so much more like a cornier, bargain-bin Beck or the Beasties. I guess that's really what Doughty was going for with the band originally, but most of the cool jazzy influence and madcap sensibilities that made Soul Coughing so vital and unique are gone. It gives me new perspective on what the rest of band were on about.

[@weezerman2002]

What the band was saying was, soul coughing is a band lets share everything equally, and Mike being the twatwaffle he is thought the whole creative process was him and him alone.

[@MrCaliking415]

He is definitely bitter about something. The drugs hardly not...

[@stacyanthony3367]

There's a novel called wasting talent by Ryan leone. It's considered the darkest novel ever written about drug addiction. It's excellent but should not be read by the easily offended. They have a good sample section for free on amazon. Let me know what you think.

[@armyoflight66]

when materialists got to face spiritualists…😂😂😂

[@pm2007est]

What is this talk therapy crap, hes got a really cool voice, brilliant lyrics

[@robertnorth1681]

LOL. So he pushes for a reunion.

[@zeagus]

He also wrote most of the music --- the rest of the members of SC were positively VILE to him.

[@joesutherland2017]

Gimme a break. The guy's a douche, through and through. Sobriety didn't do him any good. Most people become more grateful and gracious in recovery, this guy did not. You say, "the rest of the members of SC were positively VILE to him". Yeah, that's MD's drug-addled, drunk memory and opinion. Ever hear the other 3 sides to the story? I bet the other 3 guys have sone interesting tales to tell about MD being a massive fuckup and breaking up their band. Go ahead and scour the internet. Apparently they were able to move on with their lives, for I don't see much vitriol directed at MD from them. MD, not so much. "The World Conspires Against Doughty". That's essentially what the title of the guy's book should be, in a nutshell. If you haven't read it, you can thank me now. I just saved you $10.71, plus shipping and a couple hours of your life that you'll never get back. Don't get me wrong, I was a HUGE SC fan, but this guy's lost. After taking some coin to re-record the SC stuff, coincidentally soon after his POS book was released, he pretty much destroyed the SC songs, I believe as an attempt to sabotage the songs. Also, he reached out in the last couple years to the SC guys asking about the reunion tour that he swore he would turn down millions to NOT do and also he would gouge his eyes out or some silly shit if he were forced to do it. "He wrote most of the music".....yeah, according to HIM. He'd probably tell you he invented nuclear energy if you gave him a couple minutes to blather on about himself, which it seems, is his best talent.

[@AmbientShrub]

His band mates were probably mean to him out of jealousy.

[@herrajesmuro558]

would never be better than the Beastie Boys-.........NEVER!!!

[@maddog3902]

I don't think you ever saw this band play live. They were phenominal. The only other popular bands at the time who I'd seen who could really put on a musical performance of this calibur were Radiohead & Primus... I could write a book based on the amount of shows I was going to in the mid-late 90's. Soul Coughing really were a magical thing.

[@maddog3902]

T.W. Elliott Don't say that dude you fucking hate radiohead

[@maddog3902]

T.W. Elliott Yeah but live they were really up there...

[@maddog3902]

T.W. Elliott STFU

[@benjaminsurname5584]

T.W. Elliott did you just... have a KZbin argument with yourself? Because I enjoyed it.

[@MrHeyduh]

but he was the talent of the band