Mike Rizzo’s Pivotal Mission: A Book About the Goo Goo Dolls Before They Made It Big—And He Needs YOUR Help

We’ve gotten to know Mr. Rizzo, one of our many readers, over the past few years. Recently, he let us in on a passion project of his: a book about the Goo Goo Dolls focused mainly on the band’s early days, up until they made it big in the late 1990s. Naturally, his mission perfectly aligns with this blog’s core objective.

Here at The Temple, we’re glad someone has decided to take what this blog has aimed to do for the past three years to the next level. What I’m referring to is a deep dive into what John and the band were doing from their the Goo Goo Dolls’ inception all the way to 1998, in a physical book format rather than the messy, digital one. I say “messy” because while blogs like this one hold plenty of information, they tend to be disorganized by nature. We do our best by using tricks like tags and categories to give users ease in locating whatever peculiar thing they’re looking for, but at the end of the day, there’s only so much we can do. Information, one way or another, tends to be buried under megabytes of data.

Conversely, a book is both efficient and convenient for data access compared to websites. Hence, Mike’s mission is a pivotal one because, for the first time, he’ll release an easy-to-handle product that specifically addresses two things: what The Temple has been doing for years (gathering and organizing this type of information, in the form of trivia and visuals) and what its readers have been wanting to find—everything about the older, pre-fame Goo Goo Dolls.

Let us introduce Mr. Mike Rizzo with a brief sentence he forwarded to us:

Buffalo native. I saw the band at The Continental in the late 80s. Been a fan since SSCW. I’ve written a dozen history books, mostly about Buffalo. Growing up there I know its history and I’m the same age as the band, so I know the times they grew up in.

Mike is set on finishing his book sometime next year. Below he provides more details about it, and most importantly, he specifies what kind of support he would like to receive from the Goo Goo Dolls fans community. How can YOU help him shape the first Goo Goo Dolls book of its kind?

Hi,

I’m writing the Goo Goo Dolls biography, focusing on their early punk years until they made it big. It includes interviews with dozens of people, managers, others bands, including the Goos. 

The goal is about a 200 page full color book with 100 pages of photos and 100 text.

I have already collected many fliers, photos, etc., but I’m looking for more. I’d love personal stories, pictures with or of the band, ticket stubs, memorabilia, etc.

I’d also love to chronicle the band’s t-shirt designs through the years. 

I’m going to finish writing the book over the winter with a goal to publish next summer. If you have anything you’d like to share, please send an email to me.

Both Mike and The Temple invite all of our readers—old-time Goo fans, new listeners, and even occasional followers—to get in touch with him. Do you have stories, photos, or information that would perfectly fit the book’s goal and focus?

Mike would also like to provide a bit more info in terms of the sources he’s trying to reach out to:

One thing I’d love to tie down is their fan club. I’m looking for the founders, early members, what they got, etc.

You can contact Mike Rizzo at googoosbio@gmail.com

Let’s help him write the best resource our community of Old Goo aficionados are in need of.