Simple Plan documentary: Band calls record labels 'irresponsible' for lacking support systems as artists find success

Yahoo

6 days ago

Canadian band Simple Plan has been making music for 25 years. From their childhood basements in Montreal to performing on some of the biggest stages around the world, now the band has gone back to the archives, revealing some of the earliest memories of Simple Plan, while reflecting on their legacy in the Prime Video documentary Simple Plan: The Kids In The Crowd.
For lead guitar player Jeff Stinco, he actually wasn't even particularly on board to make a documentary in the first place. But as the band worked through the process of creating the film, elements of their dynamic and the impact of their music became particularly revealing.
"I did not want to do it at all," Stinco told Yahoo Canada.
"We were approached about this documentary. We spoke about it quite a bit. And at first I think we were sort of interested in showing the world how big the band was in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and how it had grown way above anything that people kind of knew. But then it became so much more. It became more about the human relationships. It became more about the hardships that we had to go through to become the band that we are now. ... I think the movie is more human than it is a glorification of a career."
As the documentary presents, drummer Chuck Comeau made a particular push for Simple Plan to find success. Comeau's father is a significant voice in the film, expressing how he had a hard time understanding why his son would throw away his law school opportunity to play in a band.
Comeau described the process of seeing the journey his father went on to understand his drive for Simple Plan to succeed as "really emotional."
"I have a very, very close relationship with my parents, with my dad, we speak every day, still to this day. And he came on tour with us," Comeau said. "But at the time when we were starting out, and trying to explain to them this is what I want to do, it's not just a hobby, I think for him it was, I'll support you all the way, but obviously you're going to go to college and you're going to have a regular job."
"I think it was hard for him to understand, to wrap his head around that, because there was really no model for him in his mind. It just didn't exist. It was not possible. ... I think there was a lot of just feeling misunderstood by my dad, even though [my parents] were extremely supportive. ... That's where the song 'Perfect' came from. So that's why it felt important, because so much of ... the story comes from that dynamic, that relationship, and from our families."
'Irresponsible' for record labels to not have a support system for artists
Among the topics the band's members, Comeau, Stinco, leader singer Pierre Bouvier and guitarist Sébastien Lefebvre, talk about in the documentary is what happens when you find fame, including making the statement that it's "irresponsible" for record labels to not have a "support system" for artists dealing with the rising demands of success.
Additionally, Bouvier opens up about having panic attacks and having to prioritize his time away from the spotlight. That personal time is where he differs from Comeau.
"I think some of the biggest challenges that we have between us is that [Chuck] doesn't have an off switch," Bouvier said. "I think it's commendable, but for me, I'm just not like that. ... I'm also a singer, so the nature of what I do on tour, I cannot be talking all day long. I cannot be playing a three hour concert followed by a meet and greet with 100 fans, and we did one beforehand, with a sound check, with five exclusive songs, I just can't do it."
"I have to sometimes put my foot down and be like, 'I'm not doing that.' And I also enjoy having some time to myself. ... I think Chuck, even though he may sometimes like playing hockey or some other sport, the guy wakes up and the first thing he thinks about is the band. ... I want to do other things. ... When we started doing this documentary, you want to pull up the curtain. ... Let's open up these doors and show people what the struggles are, not just the things to celebrate."
"And it's still uncomfortable sometimes to even have these conversations, to hear that. It's tough, but at the same time, I embrace it," Comeau added.
But when it comes to tensions within the band, Stinco believes the band still has work to do.
"I feel that we need to work on our relationship as a band, because we still have some of the same dynamics that we had when we were 13 and 14," Stinco said. "I think we have some work to do. We have post-documentary therapy ahead of us."
"But that being said, I've also witnessed some beautiful moments of friendship and a very wonderful support system. ... The guys have always been there for me and I see that in the documentary, and it really touched me a lot."
'I feel a sense of responsibility'
A core element of The Kids in the Crowd documentary is Simple Plan reflecting on the feedback they've gotten from fans for songs that have really helped them through difficult times, including tracks like "Perfect" and "Welcome To My Life."
"I feel a sense of responsibility," Stinco said. "I feel that I have to live up to that role that people give me."
"It's funny how those very personal stories became so universal. ... I feel that I need to be the best version of myself, to sort of live up to the success that we had and to not disappoint our fans. But the reality is, it's just music. And I'm glad that the songs, the lyrics, really have an effect on people. And I'm going to just basically celebrate those songs with every show we play by giving the best performance and making sure that when I meet fans, I'm the kindest and most attentive ... person I can be. Because I've met a lot of very big celebrities that were shitheads, and I never wanted to be that person."
"I think it started to change when we released 'Perfect' as a music video," Comeau said in a separate interview. "That opened up a whole new dimension for the band, because that was a true, meaningful, personal connection. People felt seen."
"Honestly, when we wrote the song, we knew it was a good song, but we put it last on the record because we thought it was so personal that it wouldn't really connect with that many people. ... But then what we realized is that the more personal you get in songwriting, the more personal you get in your stories, the more it hits home, because it feels genuine. It feels authentic. It feels honest and people started to connect with that song. We would play it, and even before it was a single, ... people would be crying in the front row. They would give us these letters saying like, 'I played the song for my dad because he doesn't understand me.' And it just it opened up a whole new way of looking at what bands and artists can do in society. It can be like lifeline."
"Songwriting is an interesting thing, because you set out with a goal and you set out to obviously write songs that will impact people, but you're kind of trying to catch lightning in a bottle," Bouvier added. "And I feel like we always swing our hardest and try our best, but I, just in hindsight, I feel so grateful that we were able to catch these songs that have been there for people, that have been along the journey of life with some people, and that have impacted them in a way that, even 20 years later, they'll hear it and remember where they were and remember what they were going through."
While the current Simple Plan band members participated in the documentary, there's only a brief mention of former member David Desrosiers, who left after facing multiple sexual misconduct allegations.
As the band indicates in the documentary, following what happened with Desrosiers, there was a focus on ensuring that everything that surrounded the band was a "safe space."
While that's something that maybe could have been addressed in more depth, what the current members of Simple Plan were striving to do was to be, as they described, "honest" and "authentic" about their experiences.