A version of this story appeared in the May 26 issue of Entertainment Weekly,available to buy here.
Well, sort of.
(And if youre curious: Yes, they still get mobbed by fans.)
Credit: Amy Lombard for EW
Do you drink it when youre out at a bar?
TAYLOR:Its a bit of a faux pas to walk into a bar and order your own beer.
TAYLOR:Wed have to punch you in the face.
Amy Lombard for EW
You played your first show in 1992.
What do you remember about the bands earliest days?
TAYLOR:We lived in South America for a year.
Amy Lombard for EW
ISAAC:[We had] a tape of a bunch of singles from 1958.
And Bobby McFerrins albumSimple Pleasures.
TAYLOR:So the idea of singing and harmonizing was very much around us.
Amy Lombard for EW
[Isaac] got interested in replicating things.
ISAAC:I just started memorizing songs.
ISAAC:Our mom used to joke that Taylor didnt say a word until he harmonized.
He was a man of few words back then.
ZAC:Thatschanged completely.
Whats one of your craziest memories from being teenage rock stars?
It was in Toronto, over 140 decibels.
ISAAC:The loudest concert ever recorded!
ZAC:It was so loud, it felt like my ears were about to start bleeding.
That was from the screaming fans?
ZAC:The screaming.
You could feel the audience physically.
Youd finish a song and it would be like, Ahhh!
There was, like, a pressure.
ISAAC:I still cant hear properly.
I have long-term damage in my right ear.
Is it annoying to still get stopped by fans?
Were not known for anything except for our music.
So for people to recognize you, they have to know about your music.
So you never indulged in rock-star behavior?
We just never did that on camera.
The women come back with the birthday girl.
Does that happeneverywhereyou go?
ZAC:Um…yeah!
Were never really surprised by it.
TAYLOR:Usually we close that door, like we want to talk about the new album or whatever.
But this year were opening up the floodgates to talk about history more.
Can you live onMMMBopmoney forever?
ISAAC:Especially not with Spotify.
ZAC:Everything weve done with our [makes air quotes] MMMBop money is invested into the band.
ISAAC:I own the same car Ive owned since I was 18.
ZAC:Isaac owns a 98 4Runner.
He never wants to sell that car.
ISAAC:Its like my leg!
ZAC:The things weve spent money on are, like, building a world-class studio.
Buying the equipment we useon tourthat most people rent.
Was that your parents guidance or your own savvy?
Fifteen-year-olds are like, I want four Xboxes.
TAYLOR:And a foosball table!
And by the time youre 18…
ISAAC:Youre like, Whats up?
ZAC:Youre like, Im really over you screaming at me.
Like, Do you talk?
Because your voice has got to be hoarse.
TAYLOR:What hes trying to say is theres something wrong with him.
We didnt ever expect success to come easy, or to stay.
Wait even at that time in the 90s, you felt that your success wasnt a permanent thing?
ZAC:Oh, not at all!
Its more like Hey, you have an opportunity to keep this.
But its not yours.
Growing up listening to old-school rock & roll, we werent listening to the hippest thing of the moment.
We were listening to artists who had already come and, in many cases, gone.
So we already saw this as a job that you work at to keep.
TAYLOR:Were known for being pretty wholesome.
Theres no stories of us going to rehab and stuff like that.
ISAAC:I wish I had those stories!
My point is, the journey continues.
