01: Who is Adam going out with? Nicole Kidman? The
cast of Friends?
02: Is Adam African American?
03: Will Counting Crows ever come to _______?
04: What is Adam saying at the beginning of "New Frontier"?
05: Do you know when the new album is coming out?
06: Who did the Cover of "This Desert Life"?
07: Are Counting Crows selling out for world domination?
08: Did I see them in a Coke commercial?
09: Who sings back up on ______?
10: Why was "1492" excluded from "Hard Candy"?
11: What’s the difference between the US and UK editions
of "Hard Candy"?
12: Why are there extra tracks on foreign issues
of "Hard Candy"?
13: What’s up with all the covers? What covers have
been released so far?
14: Who is "Maria" and all of the other people Adam
sings about?
15: What books have inspired Counting Crows songs?
16: Who produced "Hard Candy"?
17: Did they switch labels?
18: How many official albums have been released?
19: Who plays the horns on "Chelsea?"
20: How many hidden tracks are there?
21: How did Counting Crows get their name?
22: What are the words on the cover of "August and
Everything After"?
23: * Where can I get a copy of the song "August
and Everything After"?
24: Counting Crows were only six, now seven? What
gives?
25: Are Adam and Fred Durst related?
26: What is that song that was playing before the
band took the stage?
27: Who are some of the famous fellow Counting Crows
fans?
28: What Movies/Soundtracks/Television shows have Crows songs appeared
in?
29: What are bootlegs?
30: Do you know the band?
31: How can I contact the band?
32: How come there are so many "unreleased" Counting
Crows songs?
33: Are there any DVD'S or plans to release a DVD?
34: Where can I send requests for interviews?
35: Who's the girl in the yellow hat?
36: When is the next Shim Sham?
37: How can I get backstage passes?
38: Whats the deal with the devil and the bunny?
39: Where can I find biographies on the band?
40: Who or what is The Himalayans?
41: What are the background lyrics to "Monkey"?
42: Why did Ben quit the band?
43: Where did the band originally form and start
playing?
44: Where can I find guitar tabs and sheet music
for CC songs?
45: Which band members are married?
46: Who's the voice at the beginning of the Storytellers
disc that says, "Please welcome, uhh, my favorite band, Counting Crows?"
47: What is adam mumbling in Rain king from Across a
wire (disc 1)?
48: Who is the girl in the Accidentally in Love Video?
49: What happened to Matt Malley? Has he been replaced?
* I need more information about the band, where
can I find it?
Did we forget anything? Drop
us a line and let us know.
1: Who is Adam going out with? Nicole
Kidman? The Cast of Friends? Back
to the Top
First off who he is going out with is no one's business. Having
said that, Adam has stated that he dated Jennifer Anniston briefly,
Courtney Cox for quite a while, and Nicole Kidman was just a tabloid
spawned rumor. I also heard a rumor that he has a crush on me, but
I'm married, so too bad. ;)
Please don't send in submissions for this section, it's not
a running tally on his love life. These three are the ones asked about
most often, so we felt the need to address it.
2: Is Adam African American? Back
to the Top
I wonder why it is I get asked this so much. Does it really matter?
For the answer, see the lyrics to "1492" -
"I'm a Russian Jew American impersonating African Jamaican"
3: Will Counting Crows ever come to _______? Back
to the Top
I don't have and hold onto this info so please don't ask me about
advanced information regarding tour dates before they are made public.
I promise to post that info on the official
as soon as it becomes available.
4: What is Adam saying at the beginning
of "New Frontier"? Back to the
Top
"Come on children mind the gap", In the English Underground system
(subway), there is a space between the platform and the train, called
the gap. When the subway trains are about to pull into the station
a voice comes over a PA and says "mind the gap", telling you to not
stand close to the edge while the train approaches as to prevent riders
from accidentally falling or getting their legs stuck.
5: Do you know when the new album is coming
out? Back to the Top
"Hard
Candy" was released in July of 2002. Films
About Ghosts (the best of), released November, 2003. Saturday Nights and Sunday mornings, is set to be released sometime in November 2007
6: Who did the cover
of "This Desert Life"? Back to
the Top
The cover for "This Desert Life" was done by Dave
McKean and is taken off the cover of the children's book written
by Neil Gaiman called
"The Day I Swapped My Dad for 2 Goldfish". All the artwork on
the booklet was also done by Dave McKean and is original for TDL.
Dave was chosen to do the artwork after Adam saw his work on Neil
Gaiman's series "The
Sandman" and other various CD covers he did.
7: Are Counting Crows selling out for world
domination? Back to the Top
First off it was a misquote. The whole "world domination" idea came
from a list the rest of the band made while making Hard Candy of all
the places Adam names in his songs. Hard Candy became known as the
"World Domination" album. Counting Crows will never sell out.
8: Did I see them in a Coke commercial? Back
to the Top
Yup, you sure did. It's not such a big deal, you can see it on the
official web site
(in the video archives). Adam was quoted as saying :
"I like Coke. Well, not really Coke. It's too
sweet, but I am completely addicted to Diet Coke. So the commercial
seemed and still seems perfectly harmless to me."
9: Who sings back up on ______? Back
to the Top
Just to name a few:
Vanessa Carlton - Big Yellow Taxi
Sheryl Crow - American Girls
Maria Mckee - Sullivan Street
Ryan Adams - Butterfly in Reverse
David Gibbs, Matthew Sweet - Hard Candy
Leona Naess - Black And Blue
To turn the tables, Adam has done backup on several albums also.
Ryan Adams - Gold
- (Answering Bell) - Also appears in video
LIVE - V
- (Flow, etc)
Peter Stuart - Propeller
- (Propeller Girl)
Cracker - Garage
D'Or - (You Ain't Going Nowhere)
Joe 90 - Dream
This - (Drive)
The Wallflowers - Bringing
Down the Horse - (6th Ave. Heartache)
Dog's Eye View - Daisy
- (Last Letter Home, etc.)
Sordid Humor - Light
Music For Dying People - (Barberosa) - Also appears in video
Nanci Griffith - Flyer
- (Going Back To Georgia, etc.)
Maria Mckee - Sweet
Relief - (Opelousas)
Click here for sound samples.
10: Why was "1492" excluded from Hard
Candy? Back to the Top
"1492 failed to make the record because we never really got
a great recording of it. A lot of us really loved that song but I
have a really strict rule about that sort of thing. It doesn't matter
how great the song is if the recording isn't great too." - Adam
Duritz
11: What’s the difference between the
US and UK editions of "Hard Candy?" Back
to the Top
The US
version is enhanced, with access to the secret site.
The UK
version is not enhanced but has two bonus tracks ("Four White
Stallions" and "You Ain’t Going Nowhere").
Other import sequences have slight variations
but are mostly the same.
12: Why are there extra tracks on foreign
issues of Hard Candy? Back to
the Top
Straight from the bunny's mouth , err… fingers:
"The reason some international territories ask
us for extra tracks is that their economies are a little more fucked
up there and CDs are therefore more expensive. To avoid their markets
being swamped by cheaper imports, they ask us for material that's
not on the American version. It is not our intention to get you to
buy three different CDs. It's so Japanese and Dutch people don't buy
American CDs. That's all."
13: What’s up with all the covers? What
covers have been released so far? Back
to the Top
The band’s original plan was to release a covers album, or at least
a bonus disc of covers. Instead, the covers are being released on
foreign versions of Hard Candy and on the singles.
American
Girls #1 features "Start Again" (Teenage Fan club) and "Someday"
(Sparklehorse)
American
Girls #2 features "Blues Run the Game" (Jackson Frank) and "Mercy"
(Kurt Stevenson)
Hard
Candy UK edition features "Four White Stallions" (Patrick Winningham)
and "You Ain’t Going Nowhere" (Bob Dylan).
Hangin
Around (released) features "Friend of the Devil"
Visit the official
site for sound samples (audio archives)
Counting Crows do lots of cover songs. Most of which can be heard
on the sounds page.
The guys have made several low key appearances singing at nightclubs,
often doing all covers.
"Blues Run the Game", by Jackson Franke has been being played as
of late in the encore performances.
14: Who is "Maria" and all of the other
people Adam sings about? Back
to the Top
Maria is the only one who's not completely
real. "She's just an idea of someone I came up with when I was writing
"Round Here." I mean, she's me. It's through the eyes of a girl, but
it's someone very much like me struggling at the edge, not sure if
she's going to fall off on one side or the other. It's a theme that's
stuck through songs. So she keeps popping up."
Adam doesn't always say exactly who his songs are about. "Elisabeth",
"Anna" and "Amelia" ("Amy" in "Miami") are old girlfriends. "Amy"
("Amy Hit the Atmosphere") is a close friend.
"Mrs. Potter" is Monica Potter (actress). "Galen" ("New Frontier)
is Galen Aires, daughter of Kevin Aires. "Nicole" ("Children In Bloom")
is Adam's little sister. "Mr. Jones" is Marty Jones (bass player with
Sordid Humor and Himalayans). ,
Mary-Ann ("Butterfly in Reverse") is Mary Louise Parker (actress)
. "Richard Manuel" was the singer/piano player for "The Band"
Many fictional characters are inspired by books (see below). For more
in depth explanations to song meanings see The
Meanings Page
15: What books have inspired Counting
Crows songs? Back to the Top
A lot of adams songs are inspired by books.
"Henderson
the Rain King" and "The
Greening of America" to name a few.
"Another Horsedreamer's Blues" was inspired by the Sam Sheppard play
called "Geography of a Horse Dreamer". It can be found in a compilation
set called Fool
For Love and Other Plays.
The song Margery Dreams of
Horses has nothing to do with the song "Another Horsedreamer's
Blues". It's said to be a sequel to "Anna Begins".
(Speaking of books)
- A Dutch writer quoted Adam in his book
"Phileine Zegt Sorry" (Phileine Says Sorry) in the book, the girl
lies down to listen to some music and sings along with it. Then he
quotes the beginning of Perfect Blue Buildings.
- From a book by Stephen King titled "Everything's
Eventual"
...Three weeks later I'm on an airplane for the
first time in my life-and what a way to lose your cherry! The only
passenger in a Lear 35, listening to Counting Crows pouring out of
quad speakers with a Coke in one hand, watching as the altimer climbs
all the way to forty-two thousand feet..
- Adam is quoted on the jacket of a book called "A&R" by Bill Flanagan.
"You begin with the things you love. You end up
with the things you'll do. And one day you find yourself staring at
a line on the ground, knowing that if you cross that line you'll never
be the same again"
- He is also quoted in "Mouthing
Off : A Book of Rock and Roll Quotes"
"I don't know where I am when I'm singing. I
don't take care of my voice when I'm performing. I just lose my head.
I'm gone."
- He also makes a cameo in the political book "We
the People: A Call to Take Back America," a 200 page non-fiction
comic book about how a government of, by, and for the people has been
replaced by corporate domination.. By Thom Hartmann.
16: Who produced "Hard Candy"? Back
to the Top
Steve Lillywhite and Ethan Johns. Each producer spent time with
the band separately, at different times throughout the recording process.
The band recorded for a while with Ethan Johns, took a break and toured,
then went back into the studio with Steve Lillywhite.
17: Did they switch labels?
"This Desert Life" is the band's first release since the Universal/PolyGram
merger, which resulted in massive staff layoffs at the Universal-owned
Geffen. Geffen's duties have since been primarily absorbed by the
staff at Interscope Records, also owned by Universal.
18: How many official albums have been
released? Back to the Top
4, "
August and Everything After", "Recovering
the Satellites , "This
Desert Life", "Hard
Candy" & Films
About Ghosts", The crows greatest hits album. The band also
released a double live album called Across
A Wire and two official bootlegs called "By The Time We Got To
Woodstock" and "Face the Promised Land". You can get a copy of "Across
A Wire" . The official
bootlegs were exclusive to their website and are no longer in
print.
19: Who plays the horns on "Chelsea?" Back
to the Top
The brass is played by Soul Rebels, a New Orleans brass band...original
is all piano. It was slated to be on RTS but Adam said it fell out
of the time frame that the album covered so it along with Margery
Dreams of Horses was omitted. Chelsea was later included as a hidden
track on the double live album "Across
a wire"
Didn't know there was a hidden track? It's ok, you're not alone.
20: How many hidden tracks are there? Back
to the Top
3 -
"Kid Things "(at the end of "This Desert Life")
"Chelsea" (at the end of "Across A Wire")
"Big Yellow Taxi" (at the end of "Hard Candy")
21: How did Counting Crows get their
name? Back to the Top
The term counting crows comes from an old english divination that
stated..
"If you hang on to the flimsiness of anything
you may as well be standing there counting crows...
I don't think anyone (not even the band) has a copy of it, for they
in fact just heard it quoted in a movie called Signs
of Life and adopted the term as the bands name.
22: What are the words on the cover of
"August and Everything After"? Back
to the Top
The words are the lyrics to
the song "August And Everything After", which was excluded from the
album itself.
23: Where can I get a copy of the song
"August And Everything After"?
Had you asked prior to 12/12/03 I'd have said the following: You
can't. No one has it, rumors say only Adam's dad has it, but I've
heard that certain band members say, that in and of itself is just
a rumor and the song is probably lost to oblivion.
HOWEVER After some ranting on the official message board,
someone showed up with lyrics that she claimed came from a demo tape
(11/18). These lyrics were sent
to Adam with a request to confirm or deny. He did neither (11/31).
He was later given a copy (12/08) and proceeded to play it on 12/12.
Saying in his update
the next night that he used those lyrics to remember the song. The
fans were pretty relentless about him playing it and he finally gave
in, giving their "bitching" full credit.
If you don't know this song is considered the Holy Grail of all
crows songs.
Ashlee Speight, who transcribed the lyrics, and Mike Mckee
who recorded it, deserve extra special thanks for making this happen.
You can download it on the sounds
page.
I was there, it was the coolest thing ever. [Click
here for the intro]
24: Counting Crows were only six, now
seven? What gives? Back to the
Top
David Immergluck
(Immy) is a talented musician who played on all of Counting Crows
albums. He officially became a member of the band with the release
of "This Desert Life" in 1999.
25 : Are Adam and Fred Durst related? Back
to the Top
No, they are not related although they have the same record label
(Interscope). Look carefully:
Adam DURITZ
Fred DURST
dig it?
26 : What is that song that was playing
before the band took the stage? Back
to the Top
Some of the songs that have preceded the guys coming on stage are:
California Dreamin' - Mamas and the Papas
Whippin' Picadilly - Gomez
Abide Me - Thelonious Monk
Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles
Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith
Jeepster - T Rex
Inspirational Information - Shuggie Otis
Walk Away Renee - Left Banke
The Kids Are Alright - The Who
Pinball Wizard -The Who.
Young Americans - David Bowie
27 : Who are some of the famous fellow
Counting Crows fans? Back to
the Top
David Letterman (talk show host), Ryder Strong (Boy Meets World),
Hanson ,
Danny
Ferry - (Cleveland Cavaliers), Michelle Kwan (figure skater),
Scott Wolfe (Party of Five), Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina- Teen Witch),
Gillian Anderson, Chris Carter (The X-Files),Jennifer Garner (actress),
Sean Marks, Yogi Stewart (Toronto Raptors), Dennis Rodman, , Jeremy
Dean (keyboard player for Nine
Days), ESPN
News anchor John Buccigross, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, David
Lago (The Young and the Restless), Ellen DeGeneres, Fabio Volo (Italian
anchor-man), John
Mayer, Mathieu Schneider (Detroit Red Wings)
28 : What Movies/Soundtracks have Crows
songs appeared in? Back to the
Top
Shrek
2 - Accidentally in Love
Two Weeks Notice - Big Yellow Taxi (not on soundtrack)
Mr.
Deeds - Goin' Down to New York Town
Rules
of Attraction - Anna Begins - (cover, not on soundtrack)
Rounders - Baby I'm a Big Star Now (not on soundtrack)
Cruel Intentions - Colorblind
Clueless
- The Ghost In You
Unhook
the Stars - Raining In Baltimore (not on soundtrack)
Visit the official
site for more soundtrack samples (audio archives).
Television shows which have featured crows songs:
Boston Public (they made a personal cameo as "band in bar")
Dawsons Creek
The Days
Everwood
E.R
Laguna Beach
One Tree Hill
Party Of Five
Roswell
Scrubs
Homicide: Life on the Street” episode 5, “The Last of the Watermen.”
29 : What are bootlegs? Back
to the Top
Bootlegs can be defined several ways but in a nutshell they are
live or demo recordings that are traded among fans. Don't let anyone
fool you into believing that anything other than "Across A Wire",
"By The Time We Got To Woodstock" and "Face The Promised Land" are
official releases, for they are not. Counting Crows recently adopted
an official taping policy. Visit the
BDB for more information on bootlegs.
30 : Do you know the band?
Back to the Top
To be honest, they are like family to me. I imagine thats how everyone
who has worked for them any length of time would feel. The word "know"
is a pretty general, one I like to avoid using. I can say however,
I'm well aquainted with them ;)
31 : How can I contact the band?
Back to the Top
Leave them a message on their website.
I'm not obliged to give out contact info for obvious reasons. So please
don't ask.
32 : How come there are so many "unreleased"
Counting Crows songs? Back to
the Top
Counting Crows have always been the kind of band to test out new
material on the road. Like with any band lots of that material will
never see the light of day. Since Counting Crows have always been
cool about people taping shows, those songs get recorded and subsequently
circulated, sometimes heavily.
33 : Are there any DVD'S or plans to
release a DVD? Back to the Top
There are as of yet NO DVD releases by Counting Crows. There are
however rumors of possible future releases and online petitions pushing
forth trying to force a release. Visit DVD
CC for more info.
34 : Where can I send requests for interviews?
Back to the Top
Again I'm not obliged to give out contact info to anyone who asks.
If you have a legitimate request, drop me a line and I'll try to get
your request forwarded to the appropriate people.
If it helps : their record label is Universal/Interscope/Geffen -
Their manager is Gary Gersh.
35 : Who's the girl in the yellow hat?
Back to the Top
Amelia - Adams former girlfriend. The "picture" in question can
be seen here.
36 : When is the next Shim Sham?
Back to the Top
Who knows, maybe never? Adam and Immy had an anual "secret" show in New Orleans at a small club in the french quarter called "The Shim Sham Club". The first year it was low key and only a few words were ever discussed about it. The second year I found out and announced it on the site. Big mistake. The next year I kept my mouth shut and had a great time in New Orleans. The club that hosted it has since been closed down and there has not been another D&B show since.
37 : How can I get backstage passes?
Back to the Top
CountingCrowsBackStagePasses.com ? Kidding.. you can't. Occasionally
brokers secure after show passes,
and sell them for outrageous rates. Some vendors (like the HOB) also
have "club" V.I.P. access which will often let you into an after show
also. "Backstage passes" are reserved for the people who work for
the band, their friends and family. Why you wanna go back there anyway?
It's boring..hang out around the venue after the show, the band always
comes out and it's more fun out there neways.
38: Whats the deal with "The Devil and
The Bunny"? Back to the Top
Back in 99, the band dressed up for a show in Boston on Halloween.
Adam dressed like a bunny, Immy a devil. From there they launched
an online radio station on a site called mediatrip, where they played
de-jay and called their show "The Devil and The Bunny Show". Since
then the bunny references have shown up in "Holiday in Spain". A revisited
devil and bunny show WAS also being featured on the HOB website (the
green room). And the band once again took the stage in their infamous
outfits on Halloween night, 2002. The Devil and The Bunny will never
go away ..
39: Where can I find biographies on the
band? Back to the Top
We are working on that. No one has ever compiled a definative list,
and the guys have not been very forthcoming about it. The most information
that has ever been compiled can be found in Jessica Roop's Crow
Talk.
40: Who or what is The Himalayans?
Back to the Top
The Himalayans were a local bay area band, Adam was the lead singer.
The music is a far cry from Counting Crows, but has Adam's signature
vocals and meaningful lyrics. For more information see the lyrics
page, and/or Thehimalayans.com
where you can purchase the C.D.
41: What are the background lyrics to
"Monkey"? Back to the Top
Isn't it a shame
Gone away again and I've been in
Can't you see the pain I'm in
And Monkey where you been?
42: Why did Ben quit the band? Back
to the Top
Basically, he wanted to devote more time to his family and other
projects, such as Nuçi's
Space and his new
band. He left on very good terms, although the band is sad to
see him go. Here
you can read the official statement from Ben and Adam's
letter to Ben. You can still catch Ben with his band around the
Athens area, and check out his website.
He announced his departure mid-tour. He finished up the U.S. tour
and Jim Bogios was named as his replacement. He is best known for
his work with Sheryl Crow. Jim has been friends with David Immergluck
of the Crows for years (Jim played with David in a band called Papa's
Culture). David actually recommended Jim to Sheryl in 1996.
43: Where did the band originally form
and start playing? Back to the
Top
Berkeley/San Francisco, California
44: Where can I find guitar tabs and
sheet music for CC songs? Back
to the Top
Tabs and some sheet music can be found on, the "Tabs"
page on this site. Sheet music for the first three albums can be purchased
through sheetmusicplus.com
45: Which band members are married? Back
to the Top
Charley and Matt are married and have kids. *Update: Mr Gillingham is now divorced, and Matt Malley is no longer with the band. They are all fair game.
46: Who's the voice at the beginning
of the Storytellers disc that says, "Please welcome, uhh, my favorite
band, Counting Crows?"
Chris Carter, the creator of The X-Files.
Information