#256: Album Imploder: AS GOOD AS DEAD (with Steven Haigler) Part One
May 22, 2026
The Lifers podcast explores Local H's 1996 album "As Good As Dead" with the band's Scott Lucas and producer Steven Haigler, discussing how the record was written and recorded in just months after their debut album flopped and Island Records was considering dropping them. The album, which became a surprise success driven by the single "Bound for the Floor," was made quickly under pressure, with Lucas writing most songs in September 1995 while living in a Zion, Illinois apartment, and the band recording at Carriage House studio over Thanksgiving with a more open approach to production than their restrictive first album. Haigler recalls technical challenges including Joe Daniels' problematic rental drum kit and Lucas's out-of-tune guitar that wasn't discovered until halfway through tracking, though these imperfections contributed to the album's raw, chaotic sound that has aged well over 30 years.
