PUBLISHED IN THE KITCHENER-WATERLOO RECORD Saturday, March 09, 1997
Nick Krewen
Kitchener-Waterloo Record
Saturday, March 09, 1997
Matchbox 20 rhythm guitarist Adam Gaynor promises a really big shoe when his band performs at The Lyric this week.
He wears a size 13.
The rest of the band — singer and songwriter Rob Thomas, lead guitarist Kyle Cook, bassist Brian Yale and drummer Paul Doucette — wear, in no particular order and as listed on the sleeve of their smash album Yourself Or Someone Like You, sizes 8, 9 1/2, 9 1/2, and 11 1/2.
Matchbox 20 is obviously a band with a lot of sole.
“I have the biggest foot, and I’m not bragging,” claims Gaynor, 34, who goes on to state that another part of his anatomy pales in comparison.
“Can I say my package is not big at all? Can you say that in print? Take a thimble….”
Yeah, yeah, yeah. We get the picture.
As you can tell, Gaynor is in a joking mood on this particular afternoon as he awaits the band’s first Canadian gig in a Vancouver hotel room.
Why shouldn’t he be? Plucked from his gig as receptionist after eight years at Miami’s famed Criteria Studios due to a recommendation by Collective Soul‘s Ed Roland, Gaynor has become an instant pop star due to the resounding success of Yourself Or Someone Like You, which has sold five million copies.
Rob Thomas’ uncanny vocal similarity to Hootie & The Blowfish singer Darius Rucker and the band’s soul-fried rock ‘n roll have prompted chart-topping hits “3 a.m.”, “Push,” and the current ear grabber “Real World,” but Gaynor says he’s always felt he’s been a success no matter what his profession.
“I’ve always been a successful lad at whatever I’ve challenged,” he says. “Whether it’s answering phones, or whether it’s grooming my dog, I’ve always put my best foot forward.
“Right now we’re just having a great time meeting all these people. The response has been great, and that keeps us motivated to keep us going back out (touring.) Man, it’s a wonderful feeling. It’s nice to know you can do something you love on a decent level.”
Back to his studio days, Gaynor made friends with a lot of famous stars who recorded at Criteria.
“I can say that I’m pally-pally with Julio Iglesias,” Gaynor name drops. “He is such a cool guy. He’s so nice. He’s the hippest and the hardest working guy in show business. He’s in there all day, non-stop, forever.
“We’ve had everybody from Gary Cherone, who is with Van Halen now, but was with Extreme when I met him, and the guys of Collective Soul. Ed is very responsible for helping me get this job. Michael Stipe – there were so many wonderful people, and it was great to get the insight into the biz before actually getting into the biz.”
For the record, Adam Gaynor says Matchbox 20 loves Canada.
“What can you say about Canada? You come up here and it’s right next to the States. It’s not on the other side of the world, and I’m very happy to be here,” he says.
“Umm, your weather is quite lovely. Your temperature right now is just divine. The barometric pressure may be a little high. My skin’s a little dry. But I’ll be alright. Don’t worry about me.”
Gaynor also says that the band hasn’t got tired yet from the grind of performing songs from its only album night after night.
“I can’t listen to the album ever again, but playing it’s fine,” he jokes. “It’s still a challenge. Every night we put our best foot forward.”