They were only teens when they wrote "If I Had A Million Dollars," but today Ed Robertson and Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies have their plates full -- they've got several hit songs, a small army of kids, and a new "family album," SNACKTIME! We talked with them about writing children's music for kids, what it's like to be famous dads, and how having a million dollars really changes after you have kids.

This is your first kids CD. What's the best thing about it?

Ed Robertson: My favorite thing was making it. All of our kids came in to sing on it, which was really fun. We have 11 kids between the five band members. I have 3, Steve has 3, Tyler and Jim have 2 and Kevin has 1.

Steven Page: It was lots of fun to make. We were able to be really creative in an unselfish way. The music is really all about kids, and fun music that would make them feel good, make them want to dance, and entertain them.

Was it more fun to make than your other CDs?

ER: It was liberating in that the sole goal of the record was to be entertaining to kids. We weren't worried who thought it was cool, or impressing management or a record label. We just got to be dads and think 'what would our kids find really fun and what would they really enjoy?'

How else was it different?

ER: There were really no rules, except for no swearing. But it felt like making a Barenaked Ladies record all the same.

Yeah, Barenaked Ladies music is pretty fun and energetic, I can see how it could transition to kids' music.

ER: Yeah, it still feels like a record by us.

So what did you listen to when you were kids?

SP: When I was a kid I listened to Abbey Road. There were songs like "Octopus's Garden," which I liked, but then there was "She's So Heavy" which was more adult in sentiment. I would just discard the parts that weren't relevant to me. The most important thing was if the music was something I enjoyed, how it made me feel. That's what we tried to do with this album.

Can kids really enjoy adult music, even if they don't understand it? How can kids appreciate music with adult content?

ER: Too often people dumb stuff down for kids. Kids are smart and they like interesting things -- they like learning through music too. You don't need to spoon feed kids things they already know in music. It's okay to challenge and engage them and open them up to certain things they might not otherwise be into.

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