Miles Doughty Reflects on 25 Years of Slightly Stoopid, Longevity, Cannabis and More (INTERVIEW)

Photo credit: Keith Zacharski / In The Barrel Photo

Slightly Stoopid has never been an easy band to categorize. A lot of the band’s sound is based in reggae, but they also incorporate rock, blues, hip-hop, and more into their sound. One thing is for sure: Slightly Stoopid is a band that does its best work onstage for its legion of devoted fans that turn out every summer. Those fans will get to see Slightly Stoopid this summer for the first time since 2019, thanks to the loosening restrictions of COVID-19.

By phone, co-founder Miles Doughty recently discussed the band’s longevity, its grass-roots approach, and its foray into the world of cannabis products.

Glide Magazine: What does it mean you that the band has been together for 25 years?

Miles Doughty: It’s pretty insane when you think about it. It’s been more than half of my life. Me and Kyle, we grew up since diapers together. You could never have dreamed a scenario like this no matter how many times you thought about it. I’ve been making music with basically my brother since high school. We’ve been able to do it this long. Most people can’t say they’ve known anyone that long, let alone be making music together and doing it together since kids. It’s a pretty cool scenario, a lot of great people on the way too. So many people helped to get us where we are. I think the organic, grass-roots way the band was built tells the tale of what it is today. There’s so many parallels between the Stoopidheads and the Deadheads when you think about it. There have been so many people that have grown up with the band that are now at the shows with their kids, so it’s another generation of people. It’s a positive wave. It’s pretty cool. There’s no rhyme or reason. It’s been a blessing. We’re lucky to do what we do.

GM: I’ve heard from other bands that they’ve been together long enough that they’re seeing the next generation come along and follow the band too.

MD: It’s pretty special. If you go to a Stoopid show, it goes from toddler to 70. It’s such an eclectic mix of music and fans. There’s something for everybody at a Stoopid show. The fan base is so spread out. It’s really cool. It says something about the longevity of the band and what the fans have gone through with the band. It’s almost like a family experience.

GM: How would you say you have evolved over time?

MD: I think experience, and everyone evolves over time as a human being. When you’re younger, you’re more rebellious against the system. Everything’s a party. As the journey goes, the party continues. Although the message may be the same, the translation of it is different. I think you see more over time. After being in the band this long, you see so many different things, whether it’s how the bands change musically or the way music is in general. We’ve always prided ourselves as a touring band. If you listen to all of our records, there is change within the records, but the staple sound of Stoopid is always there. As fans of music, we like so many different styles. That’s been our MO for so long, having a million different styles on the record, and live, incorporating everything into the set. For us, that’s what keeps it fresh. So many artists have the same sound in each record. If you put one  of ours on, you can tell it’s us, but the sound of each record is different. It’s always a different story and timepiece. As you get older, the experiences you’ve gone through reflects in the lyrics that you’re saying as opposed to being the younger, more aggressive punk rocker and you’ve lived it. Just like how you grow up and you say, “Dad, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” As you get older, that line becomes funnier. You start to realize, “I sound like my dad.” I feel like we’re one of the last band that rages on the road and I love it. Stuff that’s unpredictable and more real than ever always wins I think. 

GM: How did you deal with being unable to tour because of COVID-19?

MD: It was kind of a blessing in disguise because we always missed a lot of things in our family lives because we dedicated our lives to being on the road. It kind of slowed things down to where we were allowed to enjoy life outside of music for a second. It definitely fucks with your mental. People went through it way worse than we did. As far as an entertainer that makes music for people, and that’s something that you’ve experienced for two decades of your life and it’s gone. It was mental fuckery. I feel like so many bands that were just starting out lost the ability to start out in that time, bands that were needing every $50, $100 paycheck to get to the next town, it crushed so many people. More so than anything over time, I think you’ll see the mental aspect over this period of time, it messed with a lot of people. The one blessing is that people could focus on family. What helped a lot of people was music itself. During that time when you’re shut down, music is what heals. I don’t care who you are. There’s some music for you. Not just our music, any music. That’s something that feeds peoples’ souls. During that lockdown time, we did a couple of those streams from the garage. So many people were stoked because of it. Music itself got so many people through  what was such an unpredictable time. People are still experiencing it right now as far as the cost of goods or whether you’ve got your job For us, I count our blessings that we’re able to go back onstage. People that have gone through so much are spending their money to come see us and the other bands on tour. It’s incredible. It just goes to show the power of music and what it takes for everybody.

GM: The livestreams became such an important thing during the lockdown. 

MD: Every time I did it, I tried to keep it like a party. I’d have my own mini-bar set up and I would talk to people just like at a show to keep it how it usually is. They appreciated that not only because it keeps it fun for them but also for us. When you’re sitting in your garage looking at a camera playing a show, we spruced it up so it looks like you’re playing in some studio, but it’s a funny thing. I’m glad it translated well. Now we’re back with a great lineup of bands, it’s gonna be awesome this summer.

GM: Is that grass-roots approach a big part of you record label?

MD: We’ve had it over 20 years now. When we were first a band, we were brought in through Skunk Records, which was Sublime’s label. Miguel and Brad brought us under their wing. They preached about the grass-roots nature of music, getting out there and touring, and earning the fan. Not necessarily worrying about radio or MTV. There was a time where they were just telling you, “Get your ass in the van. Do as many shows as you can. Go back to the same towns and work your ass off. Earn that fan base.” It was some of the best advice you could possible ever get. That’s exactly what we did. We played in front of 0 people and we played in front of 50,000 people. Even the people that are just the bartenders and security guards, they get the show. That whole process I feel is lost in today’s music with the internet and YouTube and everything. That grind was real back then.

GM: My older son is reading a book right now called Sellout. The first chapter of the book is about Green Day and Dookie. It talks about how even at their very beginning, Green Day built a network with shows and interacting with fans. When it came time that they wanted to leave Lookout, the label was worried for them, and Green Day was like, “We’ll be fine.”

MD: Honestly, I’m not even mad at Green Day. People talk a lot of shit. Those guys had already worked their asses off. Say what you want, but they went on to be one of the biggest punk-rock bands on the planet. So did bands like Rancid, which was a favorite band of mine growing up. How can you be mad at those guys for working their butts off? I’m glad that people like that get rewarded. Those were real bands. I love when a real success story is a real band. 

GM: How long have you had the cannabis products? How is that going?

MD: We have Stoopid Organics and Stoopid Strains. John Phillips is one of our managers. They’re basically a dynamic duo, Matt and John Phillips. He connected us with Humboldt Seeds, our own seed strain, CBD, and different things. Really, we’re still in the beginning stages, but it’s only gonna take off as we start to push more product and things. It’s in development still, but we’re excited because it’s another avenue. We’ve been such big supporters for so long. It’s good that we finally have our own product. It’s pretty amazing. That’s kind of where everyone’s rolling now that it’s been legalized. For us, everything has to be authentic. It’s gonna be one of the things that lures people to Stoopid Strains and Organics, just the authenticity with how the band acts. We’re excited to keep pushing it off the ground. John spearheads most of it. We’re the guys that put our stamp on certain things we approve and hope for the best.

GM: What would you be doing if you weren’t making music?

MD: Honestly, I have no idea. I’ve been in the band since I was a teenager. It’s been more than half of my life. I grew up at the beach, so maybe I’d be a lifeguard or something. I don’t know. I’ve been making music so long, I couldn’t even imagine what life is like without it. I coach kids on the side, so I would be involved in youth sports. Other than that, I don’t even want to think about it. I want to keep playing music. The last time we really toured was 2019. We’ve done some shows, but now that we get to go back, it’s going to be insane. We have an awesome tour with Pepper, Common Kings, Fortunate Youth. The Elovators are going to do a couple dates toward the end. Summer Tradition is gonna be a smash. We’re gonna be barbecuing every day, collaborating onstage, and just getting back to what we love. I know the energy from the fans is going to be out of control. It’s gonna be a great summer.

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