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GW There is a definite tradition at the Grammys of making a statement with what you’re wearing.

DUTKIEWICZ Yup. My band is a bunch of wussies, that’s all there is to it. They’re so scared to make impressions.

GW Who did you chill with at the Grammys? Did you get to meet any other artists?

STROETZEL We didn’t really talk to anybody. I walked past a lot of famous people that I didn’t have the balls to say hi to. We’re not glamorous people. We were definitely out of our element

DUTKIEWICZ We lost our category, so we watched the show and left. That was pretty much it.

GW So Adam, how’s your back doing?

DUTKIEWICZ Not bad. A little sore today from working out, but definitely not bad compared to what it’s been.

GW It must have been rough going through all those surgeries and missing so many tour dates. Was there ever a point where you felt like the jig was up? That you would have to leave the band?

DUTKIEWICZ Oh absolutely, yeah. That’s happened many times.

STROETZEL Adam and I talked about that at great lengths. There were times when he said, “Maybe you guys ought to think about finding somebody else, because I’m not sure I can tour anymore. I still want to be part of the band. We can write music together, but I don’t know if I can tour.” We weren’t sure what was going to happen. But basically he made a pretty remarkable recovery. He’s been holding up really well on tours since.

GW So how does one get through a misfortune like that?

DUTKIEWICZ Well, it’s just a fact of life. Everyone’s dealt a hand of cards. It’s all a matter of how you play them. If I couldn’t play in the band, then I guess I’d have to find something else to do.

GW You also have a promising production career. You could always have done that.

DUTKIEWICZ Yeah, I’m pretty lucky to have a few different jobs that I like.

GW Even without a painful back condition, life on the road can be pretty difficult. Do you have any strategies for handling the pressure, and the sheer boredom?

STROETZEL Yeah, actually it’s the boredom that’s the worst part of that. Sometimes the venues are way the hell out of the cities, so unless we have transportation, we’re stuck either in a dressing room or on a bus. People tend to bring a lot of DVDs on the road. Some of the guys like to play video games, but I’m not much of a video game player. I usually have my little practice amp in the dressing room and riff for a bit. Most of the time, though, we just drink. That’s probably not the healthiest option to keep you entertained, but it works.

GW What are the current top-five DVDs on the bus?

STROETZEL The top-two lately have been Grandma’s Boy and Idiocracy. Stupid comedies. Everybody enjoys them. Anchorman is another one we like.

GW You probably don’t want to mention the porn titles.

STROETZEL We don’t have too many porn geeks in our camp. If they are, they’re secret porn geeks. Maybe it’s best kept that way. Besides we’re all old, married and drunk, so we don’t care about that. Alcohol—I wouldn’t recommend it, but I can’t deny it either.

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