Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz delves into his high-profile romances, historical past with psychological sickness and extra within the band’s new documentary, Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Currently?
The movie, which hit HBO Max on Friday, December 19, revisits the band’s journey to stardom within the early ’90s through the making of their first two information — and doesn’t draw back from exploring how Duritz’s management affected their total success, for higher or worse.
“Over time, he’s pissed lots of people off,” bandmate David Bryson instructed cameras after the documentary delved into Duritz sparring with Saturday Night time Reside producers in 1994 once they threatened to chop again the group’s efficiency time. “He’s in command of the band, he makes choices, he doesn’t actually seek the advice of anyone about it. One of many causes we’ve caught collectively through the years is as a result of we settle for that. It’s OK.”
He added: “Generally it’s not OK, however largely it’s OK.”
Duritz himself is candid in his interviews, acknowledging that his psychological well being struggles sometimes led to stress within the recording studio, tour dates being canceled and drama in his romantic life.
“Loads of my songs are about tough moments in individuals’s lives, however they’re additionally at all times form of leavened with the concept of hope. I do know I’m the form of one that thinks about issues being hopeless in plenty of conditions, and I particularly was after I was youthful,” Duritz defined within the doc’s opening. “As a result of on prime of every little thing else and no matter difficulties you could be going by means of, I had a psychological sickness that I didn’t know what it was, I didn’t perceive what was taking place and I simply knew it was actually laborious to reside with. It’s like, how do you progress your self extra in direction of hope when you possibly can’t sleep and you’ll’t suppose clearly?”
He added that whereas it was nice to “all of the sudden have a profession,” his superstar standing solely heightened his struggles. “There have been all these items that got here together with [my career] that simply made every little thing actually f***ing tough,” he mentioned.
His bandmates, in the meantime, are open in recognizing that Duritz confronted much more issues from fame than they ever did.
“I’m a Little League coach and a dad,” Bryson mentioned. “I’m nonetheless not well-known!”
Hold scrolling for the most important bombshells from the Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Currently? documentary:
Adam Duritz’s Psychological Well being Struggles Included Dissociation and Self-Hurt
The Counting Crows claimed that every one in every of them virtually stop through the making of their first album, August and All the things After, because of Adam Duritz’s strong-willed methods.
“Within the studio, he would have actually darkish episodes the place he didn’t actually know easy methods to talk what it’s he wished,” keyboardist Charlie Gillingham shared within the documentary. “And he didn’t like the best way it was.”
Duritz, in the meantime, mentioned he struggled as a result of he “simply wanted” the music “to really feel a sure means,” however he “didn’t know precisely what was incorrect. I simply wanted to really feel it. And I wasn’t superb at it. I didn’t know easy methods to inform individuals easy methods to be Counting Crows.”
Mary-Louise Parker, who dated Duritz within the late ’90s, mentioned that she may relate to his artistic course of however understood why some couldn’t grasp it.
“When he’s within the act of making, he’s not the best particular person. As a result of he’s striving for one thing past his expectations,” she defined. “He desires it to shock him. He desires it to be higher than he may think about. He’s going to be relentless in pursuing that. And never all people is like that.”
Duritz mentioned issues took a flip for the more serious when he turned 21. After ingesting a giant glass of water in the future, he began to really feel like he was “on acid,” a sensation that may go on to final for one yr.
“I might be afraid to open my eyes within the morning. I simply actually wished it to be over, and it wouldn’t be,” he recalled. “That’s the start of after I thought there was severely one thing incorrect with me mentally. And it had nothing to do with medicine. It was simply taking place. And that’s after I began to get medicated by a health care provider as a result of it was so scary and it wouldn’t cease.”
Whereas the primary file led to a three-year touring stint, Duritz continued to wrestle together with his psychological well being. His battle received extra intense after the band’s second album, Recovering the Satellites, hit cabinets in 1996.
Duritz’s therapist really helpful that he take time to relaxation, however the musician wished to maintain his promise of touring. As a substitute, he did a whole tour whereas coming off his prescribed remedy, which his therapist mentioned was a “actually tough” expertise for Duritz.
Ultimately, Duritz mentioned he started to “minimize” himself to really feel higher. “And the worst half about reducing your self is you do it and it really works,” he mentioned. “It does launch a few of it, so [you think], ‘I ought to minimize myself some extra as a result of it’s really making it higher.’”
Fortunately, Duritz realized that he had sufficient “logic” to acknowledge that self-harming wasn’t “really good logic,” and he admitted himself into UCLA Medical Middle for a therapy keep — the identical day Mariah Carey was allegedly testing.
He was later identified with a dissociative dysfunction that usually results in derealization and depersonalization. As soon as identified, Duritz mentioned he was in a position to get on the best medicines, though the sickness by no means “goes away” solely. (In response to the Mayo Clinic, dissociative problems are psychological well being situations that contain experiencing a lack of connection between ideas, reminiscences, emotions, environment, conduct and id. These situations embody escape from actuality in methods that aren’t wished and never wholesome and trigger issues in managing on a regular basis life.)
Adam Duritz Had Points Adjusting to Fame
Adam Duritz defined within the documentary that he first balked on the thought of superstar when the band was requested to be on the duvet of Rolling Stone.
“I couldn’t assist however suppose what my life was going to be after that and the way it could change, as a result of I used to be very shy,” he mentioned. “Journal stands have been all over the place and Rolling Stone was on the entrance, and that’s your face. … Your anonymity is f***ing gone. And I couldn’t assist pondering there have been actual repercussions to saying sure to that, although there’s no means you’re saying no.”
The band did their picture shoot and interview in Paris, however Duritz was closely dissatisfied with how the images, largely in black and white, got here out. “I appear like a donkey. I”m so f***ing mopey,” he quipped. “They appear like a parody of a band.”
Counting Crows’ Drama With ‘Saturday Night time Reside’
The band was requested to play the late-night present in January 1994, however because the night time received nearer, producers at SNL instructed them they have been going to need to swap their two songs and likewise minimize a couple of minute off of every efficiency. Adam Duritz refused, claiming that the present “promised” them the total time to carry out “Mr. Jones” and “Spherical Right here.”
When producers insinuated there was nothing they may do, Duritz stood his floor and insisted they get the total time. “It’s the most important second of our lives and we gotta do it the best means or else I don’t need to do it,” Duritz defined.
Finally, they got their full time slot and delivered an incredible efficiency, however they haven’t been requested again to the present since.
“Within the occasions he’s carried out that through the years, he’s pissed lots of people off,” bandmate David Bryson instructed cameras. “He’s in command of the band, he makes choices, he doesn’t actually seek the advice of anyone about it. One of many causes we’ve caught collectively through the years is as a result of we settle for that. It’s OK. Generally it’s not OK, however largely it’s OK.”
Adam Duritz Moved to L.A. Solo After a Cellphone Name From Johnny Depp
After touring for 3 years after the discharge of their first album, Adam Duritz started to really feel “dissociative” and wrestle as soon as once more together with his psychological well being.
“It made it laborious to need to play, and I had a little bit of a breakdown,” he confessed within the doc. “We needed to cancel a number of reveals.”
Duritz additionally took problem together with his rising fame in Berkeley, California, noting that children would camp out on the band’s garden to get a glimpse at them, main Duritz to have “panic assaults.”
“I can’t do something right here. I don’t know the place to go. In all places I’m going, it’s a problem,” he recalled pondering. “You begin to draw back from all people. I used to be about to turn into a shut-in.”
After receiving a cellphone name from Johnny Depp inviting him to go all the way down to Los Angeles and have a good time Kate Moss’ twenty first birthday on the Viper Room, Duritz realized he felt extra at house within the Metropolis of Angels.
“L.A. was an actual refuge,” he defined. “This entire city of dreamers.”
Duritz ended up bartending on the Viper Room almost “each night time” — giving his tricks to the house owners — as a result of it grew to become the one place he felt snug and like himself.
When the remainder of the Counting Crows known as him up about writing one other album, Duritz would say, “I’m not in a band now.” Nonetheless, his L.A. experiences ultimately impressed him to get again into the studio.
“I lived a totally totally different life, then I moved to Hollywood and met all these actually cool individuals and I wished to make a file about it,” he mentioned.
Adam Duritz’s Quick-Lived Romance With Jennifer Aniston
Adam Duritz had a short-lived romance with Jennifer Aniston in 1995, which he claimed was due to their associates working extra time to set them up.
“After I met Jennifer Aniston, my associates lied to me and her associates lied to her. They instructed us we each have been actually into one another,” he revealed within the documentary. He famous he didn’t know “something” concerning the Buddies star on the time, including that he was “busy throughout prime time” and unable to look at any of the large TV reveals.
Nonetheless, when Aniston confirmed as much as see him play, he was intrigued. “Once we have been on the brink of file, we might do these reveals on the Viper Room and we’d take a look at out the fabric, and Jen got here to the present and she or he’s cool,” he mentioned. “She’s sensible, she’s actually humorous, she’s stunning and she or he likes me, apparently.”
Adam Duritz Offers Uncommon Perception Into His Relationship and Breakup With Courteney Cox
Duritz’s bandmates and associates mentioned within the doc that they’d seen their singer “deeply in love possibly 4 of 5 occasions,” noting that he would fall in love “in a short time.”
Duritz famous that his “longest” relationship was with Aniston’s Buddies costar Courteney Cox, whom he started relationship in 1996 after she starred within the band’s “A Lengthy December” music video.
“She’s hanging out with us or she’s on our tour bus with us. She painted my fingernails,” former bassist Matt Malley recalled, claiming that Cox was a giant inspiration for the band’s second album, Recovering the Satellites.
“I don’t suppose their relationship was the healthiest factor on this planet as a result of Adam wasn’t the healthiest factor on this planet at that time,” Duritz’s longtime good friend Randall Slavin famous.
Duritz, for his half, shared his perspective on why the pair in the end didn’t work out. “Courteney was most likely my longest relationship, however I don’t know whether or not we have been actually collectively for lots of it,” he defined. “We have been very, very totally different individuals. And there have been moments that have been completely great collectively and there have been moments the place it was actually laborious. We simply weren’t on the identical wavelength.”
Mary-Louise Parker Throws Shade at Adam Duritz’s Exes
Though Mary-Louise Parker and Adam Duritz dated within the ’90s, they maintained a long-standing friendship. When the actress was interviewed concerning the “Mr. Jones” singer for the documentary, she overtly confessed to not loving a few of his different former romantic companions.
“My reminiscences of Adam are 98 % platonic. Perhaps 98.6,” she insisted. Nonetheless, she added, “He may have carried out with no few of these girlfriends, I feel. I may have shaved a number of of these off the record, very fortunately.”
Adam Duritz Will get Rid of His Dreadlocks
Adam Duritz’s present companion, Zoe Mintz, whom he met in 2017, opened up within the movie about what first drew her to the singer.
“He was charming and simply utterly candy,” she mentioned. “We had dinner and we’ve been collectively ever since. I really feel very protecting of Adam. I’ve had that concern earlier than, of being relied upon for happiness, however Adam isn’t reliant on me or anybody.”
Mintz famous that from her perspective, Duritz’s desire of carrying dreadlocks was “one of many issues individuals didn’t perceive about him” and sure grew to become “an element by which the general public responded to him,” referencing a few of the criticism he obtained within the ’90s. “I feel there was just a little little bit of ridicule,” she added.
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Mintz mentioned that the dreadlocks appeared to turn into a kind of “protect” for him over time, so she would gently attempt to persuade him to vary up his look.
“They have been a barrier, and after I may get by means of them and see his face, I simply love his face. He’s received stunning eyes and my favourite smile on this planet, and I simply at all times gently inspired him, ‘Perhaps it’s best to attempt, , not having dreadlocks,’” she mentioned.
Ultimately, Duritz adopted her recommendation and shaved his head.
“I used to be shocked and so blissful for him as a result of he was blissful,” Mintz gushed. “He was prepared for a brand new period. He was able to be a brand new model of himself and a extra uncovered model of himself, and I used to be ecstatic for him.” (Earlier within the documentary, Duritz talked about that he didn’t really feel like himself whereas wanting within the mirror till he received dreadlocks.)
Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Currently? is now streaming on HBO Max.
