FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, SACRAMENTO'S CAKE HAS MANAGED TO, AHEM, HAVE THEIR CAKE AND EAT IT YEAH, I KNOW. THAT'S WHY I NEVER REALLY SAY WHAT SONGS TOO. THE COMBO PRODUCES INTELLIGENT, LEFT -OF - ARE ABOUT. PEOPLE CAN INTERPRET THEM THE WAY THEY WANT. CENTER MUSIC THAT SOUNDS LIKE NOBODY ELSE, FIRST OF ALL, WHAT IS A "COMFORT EAGLE"? YOU'VE WEATHERED A FEW LINE-UP CHANGES OVER THE GETS GENEROUS AIRPLAY AND ACTUALLY SELLS IT'S JUST SOMETHING PHONETIC THAT WE THOUGHT SOUNDED YEARS. WHAT'S THE CURRENT STATE OF THE BAND? RECORDS. CAKE'S MODUS OPERANDI, WHICH FEA- FUNNY. WE WANTED TO HEAR DJS SAY IT. WE HAD TO GO THROUGH DIFFERENT FORMATIONS TO ARRIVE AT TURES DEADPAN VOCALIST JOHN MCCREA'S TALKING DID YOU MAKE AN ATTEMPT TO BEEF UP/DUMB DOWN YOUR THIS. WE NOW HAVE A COMBINATION OF PEOPLE THAT ARE PER- BLUES/RAP/SINGING OVER AN ODDLY FUNKY, JAZZ- SOUND THIS TIME AROUND? FECT FOR WHAT WE DO. THE GOOD THING ABOUT THIS ALBUM IS ROCK BACKING, WAS FIRST UNLEASHED ON 1995'S NOT AT ALL. WHEN THE BAND FIRST STARTED, IT WAS THE EARLY - THAT ALL THE MEMBERS PARTICIPATED CREATIVELY. IT WASN'T "MOTORCADE OF GENEROSITY." WITH 1996'S SOPHO- 1990S AND I WAS TIRED OF THE IDEA OF "ROCK" AND HOW IT AWKWARD FOR ME BECAUSE EVERYONE CAME FORWARD WITH MORE EFFORT, "FASHION NUGGET," CAKE HIT PAYDIRT WAS PUT TOGETHER. WE WERE OVERWHELMED BY THE DEMANDS REALLY GOOD IDEAS. WITH "THE DISTANCE" AND AN UNDERSTATED COVER TALK ABOUT THE VIDEO FOR "SHORT SKIRT." OF "I WILL SURVIVE," LEADING TO SALES OF MOREOF ROCKING OUT. THAT WAS SORT OF THE DEFINING GESTURE INI- THAN ONE MILLION.1998'S "PROLONGING THETIALLY -TRYING TO AVOID ROCK, MOSTLY AS A RHYTHMIC I WAS TIRED OF SEEING VIDEOS WITH FOUR OR FIVE WHITE GUYS APPROACH. WE WANTED TO MAKE SOMETHING A LITTLE SMALLER LIP-SYNCHING AND PRETENDING TO PLAY THEIR INSTRUMENTS IN MAGIC" REPEATED THE PLATINUM PERFORMANCE, AND A LITTLE LESS BOMBASTIC. WITH THIS ALBUM, THERE WERE A CAREFULLY STAGED URBAN DECAY SETTING. IT'S MORE INTER- FUELED BY THE HIT SINGLE "SHEEP GO TO HEAVEN." SONGS THAT WE COULDN'T DO WHILE COMPLETELY NEGATING ESTING TO TURN THE CAMERA AROUND. SO, WE FILMED PEOPLE ALL THE TOOLS OF ROCK. SO, IF A SONG NEEDED IT, WE WERE AS THEY LISTENED TO THE SONG AND GOT THEIR REACTION. IT'S THIS YEAR FINDS CAKE BACK WITH A NEW ALBUM WILLING TO USE GUITARS PLAYING EIGHTH NOTES. I THINK WE PRETTY ENTERTAINING TO WATCH PEOPLE'S FACES SCRUNCH UP. ("COMFORT EAGLE"(, A NEW LABEL (COLUMBIA), AN REALIZED THAT OUR BAN ON GUITAR -BASED EIGHTH NOTES WAS THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF REACTIONS. ALTERED LINEUP AND A STEPPED -UP APPRECIATION FOR SOMETIMES AN UNREASONABLE STANCE. ARE YOU DOING DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE VIDEO? MEATY GUITARS. MCCREA ONCE AGAIN EXPRESSES HIS SURREAL VISION OF MODERN LIFE. ON "SHORTTHERE SEEMS TO BE MORE MELODIC SINGING ON THIS I'M TRYING TO KEEP IT DOWN TO FOUR, BUT THEY WANT TO DO SIX. RECORD AND LESS OF YOUR TRADEMARK TALK/SINGING. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE VIDEOS? SKIRT/LONG JACKET," THE ALBUM'S FIRST SINGLE, THE I CAN'T CLAIM CREDIT FOR DECIDING TO DO THAT. IT WAS MORE DIFFERENT PEOPLE. THERE ARE SO MANY INTERESTING PEOPLE GROUP COMBINES LAID-BACK AND FUNKY MUSIC OF A "HAPPY ACCIDENT." THAT WE HAD TO CHOOSE SOME OVER OTHERS. THE FIRST ONE WITH A LYRIC THAT IS BOTH AMUSING AND SERIOUS. WHICH STYLE GETS A BETTER REACTION WITH THE LADIES? WAS SHOT IN SAN FRANCISCO, SACRAMENTO AND LOS THE SINGLE DEMONSTRATES HOW CAKE CAN TAKE A OH, GOD. [LONG PAUSE] I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND, SO I DON'T EVEN ANGELES. WE'RE GETTING MORE FOOTAGE FROM NEW YORK SERIOUS TOPIC, ADD A SLINKY GROOVE AND SOME LOOK AT THE LADIES ANYMORE. WE SHOULD ASK THE LADIES AND MEXICO CITY. THERE WILL BE A MEXICAN VERSION FILMED WRY LYRICS, AND MAKE SOMETHING BOTH CATCHY WHICH ONE THEY PREFER. I BET WITH THE WAY MY SINGING IN SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES. I WOULD LIKE TO CALL IT AND FUN. WHAT BEGINS AS MCCRAE'S SEARCH FOR VOICE SOUNDS, THEY WOULD PREFER THE TALKING. QUITS AT THAT POINT, BUT THE RECORD COMPANY WANTS US HIS PERFECT WOMEN MORPHS INTO A SONG ABOUT THE POWER OF THE STOCK MARKET. TOO BADHAVE ANY GIRLS RUING THE SONG'S DESCRIPTION CALLED YOU? TO TRAVEL THE WORLD AND DO IT;I THINK I MAY HAVE TO PUT MCCRAE HAD TO INVEST TIME TALKING TO HITS'NO...NOBODY KNOWS MY NUMBER. PLUS, THE SONG'S NOT MY FOOT DOWN.* REALLY ABOUT A GIRL. IT'S KIND OF ABOUT HOW HUMAN MAT- SHORT -ATTENTION -SPAN, LONG-WINDED STEVE HURLEY "BURLEY," WHO DOESN'T BLOW OUT CANDLES; HEING RITUALS ARE ALL TIED TO PROSPERITY AND THE STOCK MARKET. HOW AN ECONOMIC BOOM IS ALSO A BABY BOOM. JUST BLOWS. I HOPE YOU'RE PREPARED FOR SOME PEOPLE TO MIS- UNDERSTAND. A),y STEVE HURLEY illEOUT THECANDLES RIEAN AI