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With most musicians, 20 minutes is more than enough time to get through a simple Q & A.
With Matthew Good, 20 minutes barely scratches the surface.
Down the line from Vancouver, where he is readying himself for a cross-country tour, which begins with a one-off show in Williamsville, New York, next week, Good is relishing the opportunity to hit the road and play for his fans.
And touring behind last month's "In A Coma: 1995 - 2005," a retrospective that features two new tracks "Oh Be Joyful" and "Big City Life," the previously unreleased "Pony Boy" and 14 other hits from the singer-songwriter's career, you would think that the outspoken rocker would want to sound off about his illustrious career (Good has sold over 800,000 albums), but not so.
Admitting that there have been plenty of highlights (sharing the same stage as the Who, being able to make a living playing music in Canada), he prefers talking about the quieter, less glitzy moments.
"Interacting with my fans and hearing their stories are things I'll always be grateful for," Good says. "Being able to share in those personal private moments has been worth everything. If I was paid in that instead of money, that'd be fine with me."
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Laughing about how he's able to act as a kind of connector, Good says he's happy that through his shows, his participation in humanitarian causes, like Amnesty International, and his events-laden blog, he's been able to bring people together. Not to tell them what to think, but to make sure they are informed enough to have their own opinions about things.
"Some of my fans have met and got married (thanks to Good's highly interactive website, which lets fans sound off on just about anything).
"Politics plays a big part in what I sing about," he says. "And I'm not preaching, I just want people to be aware of what's going on out there. I like to create an environment where dialogue can take place."
But when asked why, with dissent coming from the highest echelons of the American entertainment industry, the U.S. media refused to take on George W. Bush during last year's presidential election, Good is less sanguine.
Calling the lock-step fashion in which mainstream papers and television outlets covered Bush's re-election campaign "not surprising," Good is quick to point out that papers like Britain's Independent were pointing out follies in American foreign policy long before it become cool to diss Bush.
And it isn't just Bush that gets Good going.
"I think if Canada was an island on its own, our artists would be far more successful. Part of the reason I don't make videos anymore, is you can't compete with million-dollar-plus eye candy from the likes of Green Day."
While there's plenty on the new disc to satisfy fans ("In A Coma" also comes in a deluxe edition, which includes nine acoustic reinterpretations of classic Good songs, as well as the "Loser Anthems" and "Lo-Fi Bsides" EPs, and a DVD featuring 17 videos), the passage of time certainly hasn't made him more nostalgic for his time spent fronting the now-defunct Matthew Good Band.
"Being in a band with four people who didn't like each other wasn't any fun," he says. "But at the early stages of my career I wasn't in a situation to get some sort of unity from my bandmates. Now I can."
Good confides that in the early goings of the Matthew Good Band, record executives wanted him to separate from group members Ian Browne (drummer), Dave Genn (guitarist/ keyboardist, and Geoff Lloyd (original bassist). "Maybe I should have," he wonders aloud.
Time's almost up, but there's still something lingering. It's the title of his greatest hits package. "In A Coma" hardly seems appropriate for an artist who's been in anything but one the last decade, but Good says the retrospective came by its title honestly.
"It's probably called 'In A Coma' because that was what I was in during the recording of some of these songs," he laughs.
And don't be surprised if Good follows up his fall tour with a winter jaunt. He's in the early stages of planning an acoustic tour that will feature music and, you guessed it, open dialogue. "Being able to go out and play acoustically is something that I'm looking forward to as well."
"In A Coma: 1995- 2005" is in stores now.
MATTHEW GOOD'S CANADIAN TOUR SCHEDULE:
15-OCT-2005, TORONTO, PHOENIX CONCERT THEATRE
17-OCT-2005, OTTAWA, CAPITAL MUSIC HALL
18-OCT-2005, MONTREAL, CLUB SODA
20-OCT-2005, KITCHENER, ELEMENTS
21-OCT-2005, KINGSTON, STAGES
22-OCT-2005, LONDON, THE DRINK
24-OCT-2005, THUNDER BAY, COMMUNITY AUDITORIUM
25-OCT-2005, WINNIPEG, COWBOY'S
26-OCT-2005, WINNIPEG, COWBOY'S
29-OCT-2005, EDMONTON, STARLITE ROOM
30-OCT-2005, EDMONTON, STARLITE ROOM
31-OCT-2005, EDMONTON, STARLITE ROOM
01-NOV-2005, CALGARY, MACEWAN HALL
02-NOV-2005, VERNON ARTS CENTRE, VERNON, BC
04-NOV-2005, VANCOUVER, COMMODORE BALLROOM
05-NOV-2005, VANCOUVER, COMMODORE BALLROOM