For the surviving members, getting back together again to work on the album served a therapeutic function. "We were able to laugh and talk about every nutty thing Shannon used to do," said Brad. "I definitely thought about him a lot. In a way, it was like easing out, getting used to him not being around. I'm just thankful I had Rogers, Glen and Christopher to help me get through it. Not having Shannon in your life is a good thing and a bad thing. He was a tyrant and an angel."
"Doing this record was a healing process for all of us," adds Glen. "As soon as we got into the studio, it just felt right. Playing again with these guys was the same as it always was, because we always wrote the music, went in and recorded and then Shannon would come in afterwards to lay down his vocals. So, instead of coming in later, he was already there on tape."
“Now
that Shannon's dead, you sort of realize he was basically telling us what
was going to happen to him," said Rogers. "Everybody knew he was
putting himself in danger living his life the way he did. To hear
those songs now can be real emotional. When we first started working
on the album, I still couldn't believe he wasn't around. I went into
complete denial. I kept expecting the phone to ring and him to be
on the line screaming at me. It took awhile to realize he wouldn't
be. I talked to Shannon every day for five years."
After Shannon's death, the group split up physically, with Rogers moving to New York, Brad and Christopher to Seattle and Glen Staying in New Orleans, where the band had recorded. After two or three months, they began contemplating organizing the remaining tapes they had of Shannon and the band into an album. Thanks to Christopher's portable ADAT eight-track digital recording unit and the 16-17 songs they finished for Soup which didn't make the record, there was quite a bit of material to choose from.
"It was really frustrating for me to read the press after Shannon died," said Christopher. "Everything focused on his troubles, his addiction. And I just kept thinking to myself, 'Jesus Christ, man, listen to the songs.’ The guy wrote some amazing songs. And that was one of the reasons to complete this third record. I hope people can just listen to the record and say, 'Hey, they were a band that wrote some great songs together.' I don't care about selling records. Part of the reason was for Nico. You realize this child will never get the chance to know her father. This is some music for her to sit down when she's ready, listen to and get a feel for what her father did, get some insight into him. Shannon's greatest creation was Nico, so it seems like a perfect title."
“I thought Shannon got overlooked," agreed Rogers. "He had a true talent that his personality sometimes overwhelmed. Or the hype around the band overwhelmed. Or the media exposure overwhelmed. If people give the album a fair chance, they'll understand more of what Shannon was about. He had a real gift for words, a real simple way of saying things a lot of people can relate to. It's hard to be simple, direct, honest and powerful at the same time.”
"These songs deserve to be heard by the people who were into the band. I want people who appreciated Shannon to get this last batch of songs. I think some of our best stuff is on this record. We had a good time working on this record. It wasn't all sombre. It's not our motivation that's important. We want to make music. We want to be heard. We want Shannon to be heard. Sure, we'd love for it to sell a million copies and make money. Who wouldn't? But that's not our reason for putting it out. It's our responsibility to Blind Melon's fans.”
“There are a lot more chapters that should have been written as Blind Melon, but that's not going to be. This is it. This is all the music we have to put out with Shannon. We're moving forward because this is all we know how to do. None of us has gone to college. It's not like we can go out and get jobs.”
Being a musician is something you can't kick. We have a few good years left in us in terms of songs and inspiration, but as far as Blind Melon goes, I wish there could've been more. I think Shannon would have gone on to write more amazing things," said Rogers.
The band donated a percentage of the sales from Nico to the Musician's Assistance Program (MAP), which offers drug treatment for musicians who can't afford it. They are hoping Shannon's death will be a wake-up call for others as it has been for them.
"When your best friend ODs, it's a real eye-opener," admits Rogers. “Especially someone like Shannon, who had 50 times the energy I'll ever have. If it got him, it can get me ... or just about anybody I know. It was a senseless thing. We learned some hard lessons. You begin to realize the impact his death had on everybody around him. I spent a lot of time getting mad at Shannon; in the end, I know he was really trying ... but his demons got the best of him."
"Everybody did a lot of soul-searching after Shannon's death," adds Brad. "I'm still learning from it. I just have to remember the positive things about him and move on."
"Shannon's death made me realize what's important in my life." states Glen matter-of-factly. "My wife, my family. It also made me aware I'm in this for the work. It's not about fame or money. I got into this because I liked playing music."
And in the end, the music remains, a loving memorial to its quixotic creator.
