Darius Rucker (Whose Name is Still Not Hootie) & The Most Inescapable Things of the ’90s

The Rachel. The Gap. Alicia Silverstone’s Aerosmith videos and Rob Thomas' hook on "Smooth." Sometimes, there was too much of a good thing in the '90s. On the cover of PEOPLE’s December 25, 1995 issue (our 25 Most Intriguing People of the Year issue): Hootie and The Blowfish. (Along with Jennifer Aniston and... Babe the Pig.) Darius had the biggest-selling album that year — "Hold My Hand" and "Let Her Cry" were everywhere — and on that Cracked Rear View CD case, the band rode the highs and inevitable lows of popular culture. The man has a lot to say. Darius drops by to talk about the influence of R.E.M., why Hootie & the Blowfish didn't get the respect they deserved, that "Hootie" Friends episode (and the shocking reason he wasn't on it!), the time he passed a “F- -k Hootie” bumper sticker on the highway, his groundbreaking success in country music, and his grudge against Tom Hanks. Oh, and remember bootcut jeans?

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