Article: It's A Wonderful Life

Rolling Stone
October 1994

It's A Wonderful Life
By Dave Liebson

The Natural Wonders' are at it again! This month they released their fifth album, Colossus, which became an instant hit, reaching number one on all the charts. The Natural Wonders are on top of the world. How long can this success last? We visited the Wonders in their hotel room in New York City to find out:

RS: How do you do it? How do you keep putting out better and better albums? It seems like every Natural Wonders review starts with "their best album yet!" You're really making it tough for us reviewers--I gave your last album five out of five stars, what do I give this one?

Nick: Six. Definitely six. No, seriously, I don't think any of our albums are really better than the others. It would be like choosing which child I love better--I love them all. It's so cliche to say it, but each album is great in its own way. They represent different points in our development, as a band. We were exploring different things which each one.

RS: And what are you exploring in Colossus?

N: I think we were trying to understand our success and its impact on our music. I mean, we're playing at Shea Stadium tonight. Shea Stadium. I saw the 'Stones play here back in '89.

RS: Do you think that fame and fortune has gone to your head.

N: That's one question we were trying to work through with the songs on this album. I don't know that we ever answered it. We're not different people now, but the fame has definitely changed our relationship with the fans. We can't get as close to the fans as we used to--there are just so many of them. We can't take everyone out for pizza after the show, you know, we can't hang out with our fans like we used to.

RS: Do you wish you could go back to being a small-time band playing small-time clubs?

N: Things weren't perfect back then, either. We were young and naive. We made mistakes. Like, we put suggestive pictures of Amber on our album covers. Amber's mother was already upset that she was hanging around with people like us, in smokey bars and stuff, that this just put her over the edge. And Amber was so caught up in the glamour of being a rock star, she didn't want anything standing in her way, so she ran away from home. And, of course, there was the tension with Luke, and Eddie's drug abuse, and everything that caused the split up.

RS: Speaking of Luke Heinz, he has mentioned on occasion that many of your songs, since the split, have been aimed at him and his band, the Stomach Contents. Particularly, he points to "Johnny in the Corner" as a song about him. Is there any truth in his claims?

N: He's crazy. If it makes him feel important to think that all our songs are about him, then he can go on thinking what he wants. We really don't care. Early on, maybe, it was hard to ignore him, but we've moved on. I sometimes wish he'd get the fame and fortune he wants, then,well, he'd leave us alone, but also he'd find out what it's like. Being a star isn't the greatest thing in the world.

RS: What is?

N: Enjoying a banana split. On Coney Island. As a kid, without a care in the world. Although, I think I'd just settle for the banana split.

RS:	How do you do it? How do you keep putting out better and better albums? It seems like every Natural Wonders review starts with "their best album yet!" You're really making it tough for us reviewers--I gave your last album five out of five stars, what do I give this one?
Nick:	Six. Definitely six. No, seriously, I don't think any of our albums are really better than the others. It would be like choosing which child I love better--I love them all. It's so cliche to say it, but each album is great in its own way. They represent different points in our development, as a band. We were exploring different things which each one.
RS:	And what are you exploring in Colossus?
N:	I think we were trying to understand our success and its impact on our music. I mean, we're playing at Shea Stadium tonight. Shea Stadium. I saw the 'Stones play here back in '89.
RS:	Do you think that fame and fortune has gone to your head.
N:	That's one question we were trying to work through with the songs on this album. I don't know that we ever answered it. We're not different people now, but the fame has definitely changed our relationship with the fans. We can't get as close to the fans as we used to--there are just so many of them. We can't take everyone out for pizza after the show, you know, we can't hang out with our fans like we used to.
RS:	Do you wish you could go back to being a small-time band playing small-time clubs?
N:	Things weren't perfect back then, either. We were young and naive. We made mistakes. Like, we put suggestive pictures of Amber on our album covers. Amber's mother was already upset that she was hanging around with people like us, in smokey bars and stuff, that this just put her over the edge. And Amber was so caught up in the glamour of being a rock star, she didn't want anything standing in her way, so she ran away from home. And, of course, there was the tension with Luke, and Eddie's drug abuse, and everything that caused the split up.
RS:	Speaking of Luke Heinz, he has mentioned on occasion that many of your songs, since the split, have been aimed at him and his band, the Stomach Contents. Particularly, he points to "Johnny in the Corner" as a song about him. Is there any truth in his claims?
N:	He's crazy. If it makes him feel important to think that all our songs are about him, then he can go on thinking what he wants. We really don't care. Early on, maybe, it was hard to ignore him, but we've moved on. I sometimes wish he'd get the fame and fortune he wants, then,well, he'd leave us alone, but also he'd find out what it's like. Being a star isn't the greatest thing in the world.
RS:	What is?
N:	Enjoying a banana split. On Coney Island. As a kid, without a care in the world. Although, I think I'd just settle for the banana split.