by Kevin DeLury
Senior Staff Writer


In the summer of 1998, I was 16 years old — license in one hand and car keys in the other. The car, along with legal permission to drive, introduced me to the wonderful world of unsupervised adventures in dating and all-around merry-making.

As with all great summers of reckless abandon, there was a soundtrack. For me and my friends, the summer of 1998 was embodied in the Soul Coughing album “Ruby Vroom.”

For three wonderful months, we drove about aimlessly with “Ruby Vroom” blaring from our cars, the funk/jazz/hip hop weirdness ringing in the heads of those who were smitten with it, while the kids who were too punk rock for their own good would sneer in disapproval and ask: “What is this, Dave Matthews or something?”

Alas, the summer ended and so did Soul Coughing. After three albums and a string of radio hits such as “Super Bon Bon” and “Circles,” Soul Coughing simply quit.

But just as it seemed we would never hear fresh tracks from what was in our minds arguably one of the greatest albums ever, lead singer Mike Doughty began revving up his solo career.

Doughty’s collaborative efforts with N*Sync producer BT on the song “Never Gonna Come Back Down” for the “Gone in 60 Seconds” soundtrack have seen him experiment with techno, while his guest appearances with They Might Be Giants continue to provide the rock.

Since then, Doughty has published a book titled “Slanky,” provided the liner notes for the Soul Coughing greatest hits collection “Lust in Phase,” written songs for the independent film “Evenhand” and also released three albums: “Skittish,” the live album “Smofe + Smang,” and most recently “Rockity Roll.”

Stripped down yet overwhelming, Doughty’s solo work breathes life into old Soul Coughing tunes and demonstrates the beauty in simplicity with a style that has become known to his fans as “Small Rock.”

Doughty will be embarking on tour starting this month, with a date at The Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill set for March 14.

I was able to speak with Doughty earlier this month on small rock, Soul Coughing, fake words and goth.

So what have you been up to recently?

I’ve just been finishing up my record, writing new songs, playing around New York, doing some secret gigs here and there … just doing the do, living the life.

Since your act consists of just you, how do you travel?

It’s a rental car. I just rent a Mazda or something and hit the road. I drive myself, I have a suitcase and a guitar and that’s the whole show.

Doesn’t that get lonely?

No. I think it would have been lonely before the invention of the cell phone, but now I pretty much chat all day with somebody back in New York.

What prompted you to start working as a solo act?

When I was still in Soul Coughing I started playing alone. I did some shows in Europe and did a few little tours here and there and just discovered that I loved it and decided I wanted to do it all the time.

How does your work now differ from what you were doing with Soul Coughing?

I think this is much more emotional. It’s more centered around a feeling. It’s not about a big bombastic sound, which is lovely, but I find that kind of feeling, that sense of yearning almost is really great and really beautiful.

With so many songs from over the years, how do you decide what to play on tour?

At the beginning of the tour I just figure out what I like and what I’m attracted to. I’ll definitely have a “Rockity Roll” song or two, I’ll definitely have some Soul Coughing songs and “Skittish” songs but other than that I just go for the joy, just being selfish.

You like to mix in a lot of top 40 hip-hop songs into your set. Is that to give the fans a treat or just to break up the monotony of playing “Circles” for the billionth time?

I actually like playing “Circles!”

Oh.

But I do it to kind of surprise people. I do it because it’s funny and I do it because I like playing that stuff as weird as that may sound.

Tell me about the creation of fake words, featured most prominently in the song “Grey Ghost.”

My manager just called me and said “Is there some way we can do something interesting for Christmas for “‘Skittish’?” Right off the top of my head I was like, “I’ll write a unique fake word on each CD” and he was just amazed.

Then there’s the business of talking to someone’s assistant about “Oh, have you got the fake words ready?” and the “fake this” and the “fake that.” It’s hilarious that this is a real business.

So what’s in your CD player right now?

I went through a goth phase recently. I’ve listened to a lot of Cocteau Twins, which is really absurd. I’ve got iTunes and a Cable Modem so I can download stuff so I’ve been going online and I guess I kind of dredged up all my old favorites from me being 16 in 1986.

Do you ever get tired of the guy who always yells out for “Super Bon Bon?”

I think the only thing worse than having a guy yelling out for your old hit single is to not have a guy yelling out for your old hit single, or to not have an old hit single at all. At the end of the day, I’m pretty grateful for every aspect of my life and my career.To find out more about Mike Doughty, visit his Web site: www.mikedoughty.com.