Blind Melon members Rogers Stevens (guitar), Brad Smith (bass) and Glen Graham (drums) -- guitarist Christopher Thorn was on an airplane -- chat about the band's third and final album, Nico, released as a tribute to late lead singer Shannon Hoon. Nico includes rare and previously unreleased tracks as well as a CD-ROM track. The band members also discuss their post-Melon musical plans. A Blind Melon website is at www.blind-melon.com.

Andrei Hey Rogers, how did you come up with the solo on "No Rain"?

ROGERS Usually I just roll the tape and play -- I try to do things in two or three goes and then pick the best one.

SonicMod What has life been like without Shannon?

GLEN Life has been very slow without Shannon. We were in the middle of a tour and it's like the rug was pulled out from under us. We were expecting to be busy for a really long time. It's been difficult adjusting.

melonheads What's your favorite song to play live?

ROGERS I enjoy playing "2 x 4" and "Toes Across the Floor."

Valerie What do you all see for yourselves in the future?

BRAD As for replacing Shannon, first of all we're trying to find a good musician and then a singer. I've personally been playing on other people's records, writing a lot of songs and doing my own record, titled "Slow Down Good Times." I played on Joe Tullos' record -- he's out of New Orleans -- and I'm gonna play on Jenna Kraus' record -- she's from Philadelphia. I'm always looking for work, and I love playing on other people's records. The other guys are in different states so it's hard to keep up with them.

Johnboy Is there a reason the song "Soup" was left off the album of that name?

ROGERS At the time we were picking the songs it didn't seem to fit. But it fits better on the new album.

SonicMod Are the four of you going to continue playing together?

GLEN Yes, we will be playing under a new name. It will be a new band with new songs.

Spacegirl Does Christopher still paint his nails?

ROGERS It's been awhile since I gave Christopher a foot massage, so I can't tell you.

BRAD Yes, Christopher still paints his nails.

Johnboy Any progress on a singer? Any impressive auditions so far?

GLEN Nope, no progress on a singer yet.

BRAD We've tried out a few people. It didn't feel right, and now we would just like to run into the person. Music is the main focus. We're looking for magic.

silver67 Can you share some of the great times you had with Shannon? Any stories stick out?

ROGERS We were in a restaurant in Japan and we had to take our shoes off. Shannon put squid in my shoes, and I was a bit tipsy so I was squishing about in my shoes.

Johnboy Obviously you will have a different vocalist, but will your sound change much?

ROGERS We've already progressed into a new area, but the basic sound is still there. With a new singer, and without Shannon, it will be different.

BRAD I hope so. I personally have grown musically and we're pushing forward. None of the three previous Blind Melon records have sounded alike -- the fourth should be different as well.

thesweep Do you think Nico would have sounded like it does if Shannon were still with us?

ROGERS Obviously it would have been different with Shannon there. He was such an overpowering force that it is definitely not the same.

Johnboy Do you think the fans who worshipped the old Blind Melon will remain for your new stuff? Does that question worry you?

GLEN I think that some will remain and some will not. I am not worried at all.

ROGERS We're not trying to fill the shoes of the old band, but to step into new ones. We all miss Shannon and we hope people will give us a chance with this new thing.

jc Do you think Shannon would have approved of Nico?

GLEN I think that Shannon would have loved it. It's the closest he ever got to a solo record. He always wanted to do very creepy Syd Barrett-type material.

Loony Why is the album called Nico?

Melonman Nico is Shannon's daughter.

ROGERS We wanted Nico to have something from her dad, like a gift.

Vernie Are you all self-taught musicians?

GLEN I am self-taught, from listening to John Coltrane and the Meters.

BRAD The only schooling I had was baritone in sixth grade. I was a band geek.

ROGERS I would say we are self-taught -- you're influenced by what you hear and what you like. I had a couple of lessons in high school, but that was about it.

Valerie Do you feel the media virtually ignored Shannon's death, and Blind Melon after his death?

GLEN Yes, the media did ignore it. We were disappointed because we appreciated Shannon's talent and gift, and I felt that he was overlooked. That is why we are doing the Nico record.

thesweep Are you guys doing a lot of publicity for Nico?

GLEN Not as much publicity as we did for the first two records.

Spacegirl Rogers, do you still listen to the Squirrel Nut Zippers?

ROGERS Yes, I was just in the studio with the Squirrels in New Orleans. We did some songs together.

Valerie I heard that Kurt Cobain's death really hit Shannon hard. How did it affect the rest of you?

BRAD Kurt's death affected us all really hard. We were out on the road playing and it's just too bad that he cashed in. I'm sure that everybody who was close to Kurt wishes that they could've helped him, just as we all wish we could've helped Shannon.

Vernie Do you think that "No Rain" did more harm than good, since after so much airplay people might have gotten turned off to the band and not given you guys a fair shot?

GLEN No -- before "No Rain" we sold a few records and shortly after it came out we sold quite a few more. If you are a fan, you can turn off MTV -- you don't have to watch the "No Rain" video 4000 times.

blind Do think it's easier or more interesting to write music when influenced by some sort of drug?

ROGERS I think our story speaks for itself. Anyone who has a heavy drug problem should look at our situation and wake up.

Loony Which of you were in the band Styff Kytten?

BRAD Shannon was in Styff Kitten with his friend Mike Kelsey, who's out right now in his car touring. He's an amazing guitar player. He plays the guitar like a conga.

Brett What is the name of that hidden track with the backward lyrics on Soup?

BRAD That was just a track that Mike Kelsey jammed on. We did the arrangements and flipped the lyrics from "New Life" around backward because they were in the same key.

Vernie Do you all sit down and write music, or do you improvise, jam and create music that way?

BRAD Soup was a collaborative record -- like five solo records jammed into one. The first record was more of a jam thing.

Vernie What is the song "Dumptruck" [on Soup] about?

ROGERS Well, the end of "Dumptruck" is about a friend of Shannon's who died of cancer -- about a visit to the hospital to see him.

Johnboy Does the irony in some of your lyrics haunt you? Do you still listen to your old CDs?

BRAD I can't listen to them -- yes, they're too ironic to listen to.

SonicMod What do you hope your fans will take away from the new album?

GLEN A new appreciation for Shannon's abilities, and a reminder of the fact that cocaine and heroin can kill you.

ROGERS I hope that they have a more complete picture of what Shannon was all about, and a new appreciation for him as a songwriter.

Loony What are your favorite albums of all time?

ROGERS Sticky Fingers by the Rolling Stones. I wish I'd written it.

BRAD Probably Nothing's Shocking by Jane's Addiction.

Johnboy What bands influenced you? What do you suggest we listen to until you guys put out more music?

BRAD The Flaming Lips, Parliament ("Tear the Roof off the Sucker") and the new Fiona Apple.

ROGERS The Squirrel Nut Zippers ... Tricky is cool ... Tom Waits.

blind Roger, what guitarists have influenced your playing the most?

ROGERS George Harrison, Django Reinhardt and Eric Clapton.

Brett How many licks does it take to get to the center of a lollipop?

ROGERS None -- just one bite.

RazzleDazzle Are you working on any soundtracks?

ROGERS We've considered doing a soundtrack -- it would be something we could do while we look for a singer.

Brett I heard the new name of the band will be "Melonsoup." Is that true?

BRAD LOL -- That's stupid, we don't even have a band yet. How can we have a name? It reminds me of high school -- nobody had their instruments, but we had a band name.

silver67 Does "The Duke" [on Soup] have any specific meaning?

GLEN The Duke is the inventor of surfing.

BRAD He was a master spiritual surfer in Hawaii. There's a statue of him on the beach there and he's dubbed "The Duke."

Johnboy Is there a song that you think best sums up the band?

BRAD Probably "Pusherman" from the new record sums us up in one song.

GLEN No, there isn't just one song.

ROGERS I think "Toes Across the Floor" says it best.

Vernie What brand of guitar do you use?

ROGERS 1955 Gibson Les Paul Jr. Christopher has two Telecasters but I don't know the specifics about them.

Madcap How do you feel about marijuana and psychedelics?

BRAD They're good for a vacation, but not for a way of life.

Vernie Thanks for the music -- it has helped me in the hard times and kept me rolling in the good times.

GLEN Thanks, that's a nice message. I want to say thanks to everyone for participating, and we will see you in the funny papers.

ROGERS Thanks to everybody for caring and for sticking with us through all this. We're sorry that we haven't talked in the past year, but it's been hard for us and there's been a lot to deal with. We hope that the record will mean as much to everyone as it does to us. And thanks, Tom and Diane, for the website work. It looks amazing.

BRAD Bye all -- I'm gonna go get a descrambler box now so I can watch Tyson knock the hell out of Holyfield!

RazzleDazzle Holyfield won't last three rounds, that old fart.