Alien Ant Farm’s Dryden Mitchell on 25 Years of ANThology and the Journey to “Reasons”
About this episode
Dryden Mitchell of Alien Ant Farm discusses the band's history, the impact of their music, and their upcoming projects.
This week, I’m joined by Dryden Mitchell of Alien Ant Farm to trace the band’s journey: from the early $100 EP and Love Songs recordings—when tracks like “S.S. Recognize” and “Wishing” were still finding their final form—to the tongue-in-cheek Greatest Hits release that arrived before the band had even broken nationally. From there, we dig into the era that launched the band worldwide: ANThology , which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2026. Dryden reflects on the explosion of the band’s cover of “ Smooth Criminal” (originally by Michael Jackson ), the momentum behind songs like “Movies” & “Attitude,” and how hidden tracks like “Orange Appeal” managed to survive the jump from Cassette & CD era hidden-track Easter eggs to modern streaming . Along the way we talk about what it was like working with Dean DeLeo and Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots on TruANT , and dig into some deeper catalog moments: from the cult-favorite 3rd Draft tour CD release that became Up In the Attic , to the band’s evolving approach to album titles, long gaps between releases, and how those breaks shaped later records like Always & Forever and Mantras . And of course, we talk about what’s…
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