Speaker 1: Pushkin. Earlier this year, I was asked if I'd go
Speaker 1: to Brooklyn to interview Daniel Lanois in front of an
Speaker 1: intimate audience at on AirFest, And although my nerves don't
Speaker 1: love any form of public speaking, the answer was an
Speaker 1: unequivocal yes. Landa was made some of my favorite albums,
Speaker 1: Bob Dylan's Time out of Mind, the Neville Brothers Yellow Moon,
Speaker 1: and Neil Young's underappreciated twenty ten album Lenoise. Then, of
Speaker 1: course there's albums he made with You Two with Brian Eno,
Speaker 1: with Willie Nelson, the record with DeAngelo. There's just so much.
Speaker 1: We talk about many of these collaborations. During the course
Speaker 1: of our conversation. We also talk about some of Landoi's
Speaker 1: solo works that are just as beautiful, and in front
Speaker 1: of an audience featuring Prince guitarist Donna Grantis, Laraji and
Speaker 1: Laurie Anderson, land Wha plays us some music on his
Speaker 1: very first instrument, it the Petal Steal. This is broken record,
Speaker 1: real musicians, real conversations. Here's my conversation with Daniel Lanois,
Speaker 1: and if you'd like to watch, you can view this
Speaker 1: conversation at YouTube dot com. Slash Broken Record Podcast.
Speaker 2: Ladies and gentlemen and everyone else, Daniel Lannois and Justin Richmond.
Speaker 3: Oh where you go?
Speaker 1: Perfect?
Speaker 4: Would you just check and see if it's on?
Speaker 1: But it's not, maybe you can. Let's just start things
Speaker 1: off with like an invocation from from you. We want
Speaker 1: to do you want to play something? Just to start
Speaker 1: us off?
Speaker 5: Cashhock an up copy copy.
Speaker 4: As usual. I played it better at sound check, but
Speaker 4: it is no risk. Is brats here?
Speaker 3: Nice to see you, buddy, Kah.
Speaker 1: That was that was beautiful, Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 4: I got there a couple of spots, and once I
Speaker 4: slowed down, started breathing a little better, it got.
Speaker 1: What what is what's the history of your relationship with
Speaker 1: with the pedal steel?
Speaker 4: Uh? Well, for me, uh, I started on a penny
Speaker 4: whistle when I was nine, and I really enjoyed that.
Speaker 4: I was just a one dollar penny whistle. And what's
Speaker 4: nice about the penny whistle You can only play one
Speaker 4: note at a time. So I started developing my sense
Speaker 4: of melody quite early on. And then I found a
Speaker 4: way of keeping track of my melodies my inventing a
Speaker 4: little notation system. You know, the high notes up here,
Speaker 4: the notes over down here because I didn't know how
Speaker 4: to read music or anything. And and then, as the
Speaker 4: story goes, this wasn't in a time of door to
Speaker 4: door canvassing. So the man knocked at my mother's door
Speaker 4: and he said, you got any kids that like music?
Speaker 4: She didn't call me one mon, Yeah, she said at
Speaker 4: this guy.
Speaker 3: He likes music.
Speaker 4: He plays a penny whistle. And so that was the
Speaker 4: beginning of my music career. He said, well, we teach
Speaker 4: accordion and slide. Which one would you like? So I said, okay,
Speaker 4: let's go for the slide. So it's been with me
Speaker 4: since I was about ten or eleven, not this exactly,
Speaker 4: not this exact guitar, but the slide guitar.
Speaker 1: As a yes, what when you first started playing? What
Speaker 1: were the sorts of things you were? What sounds were
Speaker 1: you drawn to from it?
Speaker 4: We carried on with melody because I studied with a
Speaker 4: teacher who did the strumming of the chords, and I
Speaker 4: then played the maladies and I played things like a
Speaker 4: Red River Valley, you know, please come back to the
Speaker 4: Red River Valley again. Just stayed with melody, and then
Speaker 4: I fell in love with melody and it never left me.
Speaker 1: And so.
Speaker 4: I used to play guitar in a band in Toronto,
Speaker 4: a club called the Brown Derby, and around the corner
Speaker 4: was the cock Door and they had blues musicians in there,
Speaker 4: and then the Edison had country musicians. So I used
Speaker 4: to between my sets, I go to hear what those
Speaker 4: guys were up to. And I met a fellow by
Speaker 4: the name of Bob Lucier, also a frenchie like me,
Speaker 4: and he became my teacher. And that's it. He got
Speaker 4: me that guitar.
Speaker 1: You're known. I think one of the things that people
Speaker 1: talk about a lot when they talk about Daniel Law
Speaker 1: is the texture and the sounds and the tones you
Speaker 1: achieve in the studio. Often left out is your wonderful
Speaker 1: sense of melody and what you bring to that in
Speaker 1: your own work. And I'm sure you know your work
Speaker 1: when you work with other artists as well. But I
Speaker 1: noticed when we were in sound check and we were
Speaker 1: listening to something, immediately you got to tap in your foot.
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, yeah. I taped the heel because I can't
Speaker 4: talk with a toe on that. I'll show you in
Speaker 4: a minute.
Speaker 1: I think Miles Davis tap of this heel too. It
Speaker 1: was supposed to be cooler, but I taped myself. I'm
Speaker 1: not that cool, but I was really pleased to see
Speaker 1: that because one of the very underappreciated elements I feel
Speaker 1: like of your work is your sense of rhythm. Everyone
Speaker 1: has a unique rhythm, I think, probably whether they play
Speaker 1: music or not. Some of the great artists, if you wonder,
Speaker 1: just because I just said wonder, now, Michael Jackson stopped
Speaker 1: in my head. Those two people, very different people have
Speaker 1: their own very unique sense of rhythm, Okay, that it
Speaker 1: gets expressed to their work, and all of your stuff
Speaker 1: really does. Also. It seems to really have this really
Speaker 1: unique but deeply soulful rhythm under what is your.
Speaker 4: Well, that's a nice compliment, thank you, and all that.
Speaker 4: We all hope to have that as part of our
Speaker 4: paint box as musicians, you know, but it's always been
Speaker 4: that for me, you know, like that the piece I
Speaker 4: just played, you know, it's a six' eight and it
Speaker 4: reminds me of the Will dance Hall field THAT i
Speaker 4: remember as a, kid you, know cheek the, cheek the
Speaker 4: nigga digga sleepwalk and all that. Stuff AND i never
Speaker 4: forgot those the nights those you, know MAYBE i have
Speaker 4: a sweaty sweaty and you're holding her girl's, hand then
Speaker 4: you might ask her to dance and all. That it's
Speaker 4: very very kind of innocent times of attraction and, uh
Speaker 4: and it had a pulse to, it you, KNOW i
Speaker 4: have a romance pulse to. It and a lot of
Speaker 4: the doop of that era had a similar.
Speaker 3: Boom boo boom, boo bah boo, boom.
Speaker 4: You know that kind Of it's got a little love
Speaker 4: making in it all the.
Speaker 1: Time so that's the secret sorhythm.
Speaker 4: Is, yes, Exactly, donna would you? Agree, Yes donna came
Speaker 4: all the way down From toronto with her. Entourage. There
Speaker 4: who's that good looking guy With oh It's, trevor her. Husband.
Speaker 4: Uh But donna AND i are doing some work together right,
Speaker 4: now SO i get to roaster a little.
Speaker 1: Bit it's, Acceptable it's acceptable with the story the as
Speaker 1: as is when you worked with you, too that was With,
Speaker 1: brian you. Know is it true, that As i've Heard
Speaker 1: bono tell, it you And Larry Mullen. Jr were the
Speaker 1: first to sort of form a special kind of relationship
Speaker 1: WHICH i feel like maybe also as illustrative of your
Speaker 1: of your your your your sense of rhythm and maybe
Speaker 1: the fact that you're you're drawn to.
Speaker 4: It but, WELL i did recognize a special talent That
Speaker 4: larry had drummer for you.
Speaker 3: Too, larry.
Speaker 4: He had developed this wild action on the high. Hat
Speaker 4: he was a great high hat, player AND i, thought,
Speaker 4: well maybe he could apply that high hat technique onto another.
Speaker 4: Drum SO i brought a timballium for him and worked
Speaker 4: out some new patterns within the. Skills and he was
Speaker 4: already excellent at and he already appreciated that we were
Speaker 4: able to expand on what he was already good at
Speaker 4: into another dimension of.
Speaker 1: Expression so you had did did? Did Did timbalis that
Speaker 1: actually make it to the record or was that.
Speaker 4: Just, yeah, yeah there's A i think there's a song
Speaker 4: Called Unforgettable fire that has has that bad by Don't,
Speaker 4: Boone Don't, Boom don't don't bona the get the, boone don't.
Speaker 4: Bone SO i just had him to play the high hand,
Speaker 4: part but move from the high hat to the to THEM, timbali,
Speaker 4: YEAH i got on the. Album what.
Speaker 1: Had you did you often use timbalas in your work before?
Speaker 1: That or was it was that really just something you
Speaker 1: had heard in his playing THAT i.
Speaker 4: Just heard in his? PLAYING i mean it's what we
Speaker 4: do in, studios you, know we look for people's uh
Speaker 4: special gifts and moments of. Expression you, know maybe we
Speaker 4: hit on something that belongs to someone rather than and
Speaker 4: discarded OR i think it's not part of the. Recipe
Speaker 4: we welcome a fresh. Ingredient it's always the. Case we're
Speaker 4: only ever mining from, magic and magic will come in surprising,
Speaker 4: ways you, know in the. Studio and we're lucky because
Speaker 4: architects don't get to have this kind of. Flexibility you,
Speaker 4: know a bridge gets designed or a beautiful building like,
Speaker 4: this and you've got to stick with the. Plan but
Speaker 4: we in the, studio we could, say, well there's something
Speaker 4: very special, here so let's abandon the plan that we
Speaker 4: had and put our effort into. THIS i just went
Speaker 4: through this With. Donna you. Know she had a demo
Speaker 4: of something from home THAT i thought had a little
Speaker 4: something to it that we didn't quite capture in the,
Speaker 4: studio AND i, said he we'll bring that in and
Speaker 4: let me have a go at what you started at.
Speaker 4: Home And i'm pretty. Good it's all fixed electro, timing
Speaker 4: And i'm good at, that SO i can just take
Speaker 4: What donna's started and surprise hear with the whole orchestra
Speaker 4: stuff that she can't imagine just. Yet all, right that'll
Speaker 4: be enough, now DON i don't want.
Speaker 6: To.
Speaker 4: But you.
Speaker 1: Do you, said there's magic comes in all sorts of
Speaker 1: surprising ways in the studio and often unplanned on ways
Speaker 1: you're unprepared. For but you do prepare still on at
Speaker 1: the beginning of projects for. Something.
Speaker 4: Oh, absolutely preparation for sound is a very big thing for.
Speaker 4: ME i Referenced Neil. Young WHEN i worked With, NEIL
Speaker 4: i spent a good few weeks preparing, sounds guitar sounds
Speaker 4: Before neil got. There AND i have a nice collection
Speaker 4: of old, amps And neil loves as, well and SO
Speaker 4: i pulled out all my best stuff and built some
Speaker 4: sounds and introduced a what they call a sub harmonic.
Speaker 4: Synthesizer it's just a device made BY, dbx and it
Speaker 4: allows an octave below would come through from the guitar
Speaker 4: from se on. Down and so he really got hooked
Speaker 4: on and he, said, whoa this is. Fantastic and then
Speaker 4: whatever notes the guitar wouldn't quite tracked that, WAY i.
Speaker 4: Reinforce After neil would go, Home i'd get in there
Speaker 4: and put in My taurus pedals and just whatever notes
Speaker 4: were not quite, SPEAKING i would just do an overdub
Speaker 4: of Mog taurus. Pedals and BUT i didn't Tell. Neil
Speaker 4: it was All.
Speaker 1: NEIL i hope he knows about. Now that's not WHAT
Speaker 1: i don't want him to find out.
Speaker 4: Here now he, knows he, knows he KNOWS i can
Speaker 4: mess with him a little.
Speaker 1: Bit did you did you? That? Love that is The
Speaker 1: neil is held an adventurous, artist and that is a
Speaker 1: really adventurous. Record did you Know neil before?
Speaker 4: That, Yes i've Known neil since uh? That, uh, Yeah
Speaker 4: i've known him since the late.
Speaker 1: Eighties, Okay and had you discussed working together Before?
Speaker 7: Lenois?
Speaker 1: No.
Speaker 4: NO i saw him In england WHEN i was music
Speaker 4: director for the release Of Nelson mandela and there was
Speaker 4: a big festival and big show was put on AND
Speaker 4: i was a music director for a portion of, it
Speaker 4: And neil turned up for that and we had a
Speaker 4: nice long conversation AND i asked him if he Missed,
Speaker 4: canada and he, said of course he. Does you, know
Speaker 4: but life sometimes just takes its own chorus and you
Speaker 4: follow that that. Path but he he understood that we
Speaker 4: were we were both operating by devoted.
Speaker 3: Hearts it's a big.
Speaker 4: Part devoted. Heart it's a big.
Speaker 1: Thing and That neil record was supposed to be acoustic
Speaker 1: to start, Right but.
Speaker 4: Yes he, said he called me and asked me IF
Speaker 4: i would record ten acoustic songs and film him as.
Speaker 4: WELL i was making films in those days with my
Speaker 4: Friend Adam, vallack and we had made some very nice,
Speaker 4: films AND i think that caught his eye and he, thought,
Speaker 4: well that could be a one stop, shop you, know
Speaker 4: to come out with a film as well as a music.
Speaker 4: Performance AND i tried to talk to filmmakers about this
Speaker 4: agen she's sitting right. There we. Were we recorded in
Speaker 4: the front room of my beautiful villa In Los, angeles
Speaker 4: fabulous old place as IF i built, it it's nineteen twenty.
Speaker 4: Five and if we thought we had a, TAKE i
Speaker 4: would immediately knock out a mix and give it To
Speaker 4: adam and he would run upstairs and. Synchronize this a
Speaker 4: one camera, shoot so it was not you didn't have
Speaker 4: to go from camera to. Cameras just a one camera,
Speaker 4: shoot as the performance has seen through the eyes of
Speaker 4: one individual and not an editing. Room that was the.
Speaker 4: Philosophy SO i would run, upstairs give him a mix
Speaker 4: and he'd find the locking. Point in a matter of twenty,
Speaker 4: minutes we had a playback of a film and a
Speaker 4: nice music, mix and it was we were like a
Speaker 4: great machine and we have fast. Results and we would, say,
Speaker 4: okay well let's try another. Take we'd go, down do another,
Speaker 4: take do a, mix take it upstairs And, adam let's,
Speaker 4: say we had a finished film right on the spot
Speaker 4: and it was really.
Speaker 1: Great that's incredible to.
Speaker 3: WORK i tried to Convince jenner.
Speaker 4: That she, said, well that's a bit too cowboy for.
Speaker 4: Us you want to see cowboy you're looking at.
Speaker 1: IT i mean that's fast by record making, standards let
Speaker 1: alone film Standing.
Speaker 4: Yeah, well the there's been some fast. Ones AND i
Speaker 4: worked fast With Willie. Nelson we made a record With,
Speaker 4: willie a nice record Called. Teatro made it in four. Days, yeah, man.
Speaker 1: Fast it's a big sounding.
Speaker 4: Record it's a great sounding, record but a lot of
Speaker 4: preparation went into it for it to be.
Speaker 1: Fast we'll be back with more after the. Break what
Speaker 1: kind of preparation do you do for a record like?
Speaker 1: That and then we can maybe listen to somes of
Speaker 1: people can hear.
Speaker 4: Okay well for the for The William nelson. RECORD i
Speaker 4: met him In Las vegas and we drove in To
Speaker 4: california With Emmy Loof and as we were crossing To,
Speaker 4: CALIFORNIA i called my crew AND i, said, okay you
Speaker 4: got to make the place look like a. Club BECAUSE
Speaker 4: i Asked willie what was it like when you were
Speaker 4: a kid, man when you were getting. Started he, said,
Speaker 4: well we were just a dance. Band we played these
Speaker 4: really nice clubs Around, austin and we had a, responsibility you,
Speaker 4: know cheek to Cheek dan saying two step you, know
Speaker 4: so we that's what we. Were we were a dance
Speaker 4: band and the clubs were. BEAUTIFUL i, thought, well why
Speaker 4: don't we recreate this this environment For. Willy so my
Speaker 4: crew there was A mexican runt across the street that
Speaker 4: just had refurbished and they had the old benches and,
Speaker 4: boots so they gave them to. Us so we set
Speaker 4: up the benches and booths all over the place and
Speaker 4: dimmed the. LIGHTS i had little risers and you wouldn't
Speaker 4: even think it was because it was in an old
Speaker 4: theater my studio at the. Time And willie walked and he, said, wow,
Speaker 4: man what is? THIS i, said, well this is your new.
Speaker 4: Club and we made that record with no. Headphones the
Speaker 4: drummers wore, headphones but nobody else, did and we just
Speaker 4: knocked them. Out AND i had a good relationship with
Speaker 4: the police department in those, days AND i said to, them,
Speaker 4: listen will he's in the parking, lot please don't bother.
Speaker 4: Him you see any smoke? Signals turned the blind?
Speaker 1: Eye AND i guess in case we forgot to, mention
Speaker 1: do was In? Ventura?
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah which is, right ox start, actually which is.
Speaker 4: Uh it's an agricultural area for THE us in a
Speaker 4: very incredible, place and it was an abandoned theater THAT
Speaker 4: i rented for four years with a friend and we
Speaker 4: made a lot of. Music i'm Recorded Billy bob Thornton
Speaker 4: Sling blade soundtrack in that theater as.
Speaker 1: Well it's good you recorded that with him, there and
Speaker 1: he spent a lot of time there with you while
Speaker 1: you were doing.
Speaker 4: It right With? Billy oh, yeah, yeah this is before cell.
Speaker 4: PHONES i believe it's hard to imagine before cell, Phones
Speaker 4: Like i'm one hundred years. Old he used to call
Speaker 4: me from a phone booth and you, say how's it looking?
Speaker 4: DOWN i, said, Well i've got a couple of things to,
Speaker 4: play and he'd come down and we'd listen to things
Speaker 4: together and he, say, oh that's, great let's try and
Speaker 4: put it over, here and we Use, Okay, jen you're
Speaker 4: gonna laugh at, this because our synchronization system was, okay
Speaker 4: you're watching scene and then, right you, know somebody touches the.
Speaker 4: Doorknob that's when you start. Playing and we do a,
Speaker 4: take and they saw that's, great let's hear it. Back
Speaker 4: so we'd queue up And i'd put a chalk mark
Speaker 4: on it was analog, table that WAS i just put
Speaker 4: a chalk mark on the playback, head you, KNOW i,
Speaker 4: said here comes the door, knob and then we would
Speaker 4: make him a vachy THE vhs pardon me of, that
Speaker 4: and then his editor would just copy what we had
Speaker 4: done to synchronize.
Speaker 6: It.
Speaker 1: Uh but we should play some of That willie record
Speaker 1: because just so people get a sense that, this you,
Speaker 1: know in four days to make this kind of a
Speaker 1: sounding record in a in a makeshift club in sleepy you, Know, Oxford.
Speaker 1: California i'll play this is the maker from from that.
Speaker 1: Album THEN i look at the.
Speaker 4: Drummers you guys, ready.
Speaker 6: Ooh ooh De Wa fly Cool, bly the nice stand Little.
Speaker 6: Iron i'm.
Speaker 1: Strange i'm. Sorry that's a trying to trying to improvise
Speaker 1: along with the music And i'm Really i'm trying to
Speaker 1: contribute and actually.
Speaker 3: NOT i quite liked.
Speaker 4: It it was like A dj, set, yeah.
Speaker 1: Because the WORST dj set you've ever, Heard.
Speaker 4: Laragie is that you right.
Speaker 3: STILL i haven't seen it in such a long.
Speaker 4: Time we were on the same label for a, while
Speaker 4: me And. Laragi nice to see your.
Speaker 1: Brother oh, MAN i, really you, know stepped right On
Speaker 1: willie's beautiful all this, okay you know Something willie sings
Speaker 1: like A i, mean and then that's your. Song and
Speaker 1: what was it like to Hear willie sing a song
Speaker 1: that you.
Speaker 4: Wrote that's quite an honor when somebody sings one of my.
Speaker 4: Songs it's happened a few. Times willie sang another. ONE
Speaker 4: i wrote one Called Cruel world for The red for
Speaker 4: a video. Game we were meant to write it, together
Speaker 4: But willie was In hawaii and there was some kind
Speaker 4: of a. Storm he couldn't make it back To Los,
Speaker 4: angeles and he, said, well you write, it, man and you,
Speaker 4: know come and see me when you got it, done
Speaker 4: and SO i finished, it AND i, thought how are
Speaker 4: we going to get willing to do?
Speaker 5: It?
Speaker 4: Jesus SO i call his, Son, micah Because, rothbaum his, manager, said,
Speaker 4: listen IF i mentioned, anything he won't do.
Speaker 1: It so you do.
Speaker 4: It you call?
Speaker 8: Him.
Speaker 4: CAN i talked To, micah his. SON i, said, well,
Speaker 4: listen if we show, up can we set up in
Speaker 4: the garage or it's got a little side room that
Speaker 4: can we set it up and Then i'll have all
Speaker 4: the sounds ready and then we'll get the lyrics on
Speaker 4: the wall and see if you can sing. It he
Speaker 4: rolled out of bed and came down and looked at.
Speaker 4: It he, said who wrote the? SONG i, Said?
Speaker 3: WILLIE i.
Speaker 4: Did we're supposed to write it. Together, anyhow we did
Speaker 4: a little take right on the, spot and that's the
Speaker 4: one that made us way into the video.
Speaker 1: Game, well let me play a little of that as
Speaker 1: SINCE i stepped On willie. Earlier it's also a really great.
Speaker 9: Song cool, cool almost cool cool. World i'm moving.
Speaker 10: All i've been living too fast And i'll be living too.
Speaker 9: Wrong cruel cool.
Speaker 10: World i'm gone.
Speaker 9: Miss big old. World sure got me running, around arvous
Speaker 9: said just st.
Speaker 10: And with them light as my, guide and with his
Speaker 10: feeling deep, INSIDE i know now THAT i am homeward bow.
Speaker 9: Cool, cool mcle.
Speaker 4: Cool.
Speaker 10: Cool i'm moving. On i've been living too fast And
Speaker 10: i've been living too. Wrong cool, Cool i'm gone.
Speaker 4: Let it. So look it's that. Crazy That's.
Speaker 1: WILLIE i mean, again like there's no drums on, that
Speaker 1: but it's also imbued with like just a wonderful sense of.
Speaker 4: Rhythm it's just me And micah And willie sitting in his.
Speaker 4: Garage he sounds like a.
Speaker 1: Kid he sounds sounds could really good for every Young
Speaker 1: how many takes do you get With?
Speaker 4: Willie what you don't get many takes With? Willy? One maybe?
Speaker 3: Two?
Speaker 4: Uh he's just so great with phrasing that you CAN'T
Speaker 4: i can't disagree with.
Speaker 1: Him does he does he rehearse a song like?
Speaker 4: That, WELL i don't know if it's politically correct to say,
Speaker 4: this but let's not kill the.
Speaker 3: Fucker that's what he used to say to. ME i,
Speaker 3: said don't do it too many.
Speaker 4: Times you're gonna knock all the spontaneity and the juice
Speaker 4: on it if you do it too many.
Speaker 1: Times thank you for not Killing?
Speaker 4: Willy all?
Speaker 1: Right and still getting a wonderful. Day uh you also
Speaker 1: got for, that you Got DiAngelo to do a. Song,
Speaker 1: yes that's.
Speaker 4: Right, YEAH i worked with di'angelo and that was a real.
Speaker 4: SPECIAL i went in with a song in mind that
Speaker 4: didn't work out very, well and he said to, Me
Speaker 4: i'm not feeling. This you know, what what do you
Speaker 4: want to? DO i, said, well give me a day
Speaker 4: in the studio AND i prepared a track with A
Speaker 4: Brian blade drum beat THAT i, had AND i just
Speaker 4: came up with a whole other song THAT i, had
Speaker 4: uh presented to him as a co write With rocca De,
Speaker 4: luca myself and D'Angelo AND i worked out really. Well
Speaker 4: he's got an amazing left. Hand we we cut it.
Speaker 4: WELL i already had the, drums AS i, said With
Speaker 4: Brian blade and some With Cyriah neville playing. Percussion. Wow
Speaker 4: and THEN i built we, performed, uh him on roads
Speaker 4: and meon, guitar on guitar and acoustic guitar. Amplified and
Speaker 4: he has the most amazing left hand because D' angela
Speaker 4: was an organist prodigy in his father's, church so he's
Speaker 4: got that amazing dexterity with a left. Hand SO i
Speaker 4: never had to add a bass because he had had
Speaker 4: the most beautiful left hand.
Speaker 1: Part you, know a lot of the roads were. You
Speaker 1: were you a fan of D'Angelo before? That were you
Speaker 1: much aware of his work OR i was aware of his?
Speaker 4: Work, YES I i always admired his sense of. Time you,
Speaker 4: know he talked about everybody has their own way of
Speaker 4: looking at time and the behind the behind the b
Speaker 4: thing that he mastered beautifully and never to be. FORGOTTEN
Speaker 4: i don't know IF i don't know if it's necessary
Speaker 4: to ever get of that, again because h is It Black? Messiah?
Speaker 4: YEAH i think On Black. Messiah he listened to the
Speaker 4: grooves on. This oh my, goodness it's it's really a
Speaker 4: whole other way of looking at. Time.
Speaker 1: YEAH i would love to hear you guys work. Again
Speaker 1: that was such an, unexpected unexpected that he puts something
Speaker 1: out because he doesn't always do, that, unexpected that you
Speaker 1: guys co wrote something together and performed. IT i mean
Speaker 1: it was just.
Speaker 4: Beautiful, yeah he was apparently we were pretty fast by
Speaker 4: comparison to his usual, pace and we knocked it out
Speaker 4: pretty quick in a couple of.
Speaker 1: Weeks and, yeah you didn't kill him, Either, Dangel you
Speaker 1: Didn't kill The.
Speaker 3: Angel, yeah right here In New, york you know it.
Speaker 4: Was it was a lot of. Fun, yeah, MAN i
Speaker 4: love that.
Speaker 1: Guy you Mentioned Cyril neville of the Great Neville, Brothers, yeah,
Speaker 1: yeah And Yellow, moon which you did with with The
Speaker 1: neville Is.
Speaker 4: Yeah Yellow moon is a special record out Of New.
Speaker 4: ORLEANS i had gone To New york to get away
Speaker 4: from the. WORLD i rented a little apartment AND i
Speaker 4: was happy to be working on my own. Music and
Speaker 4: then but they found me and they, said, Hey, landwill
Speaker 4: why don't you produce A Neville brothers? Record AND i
Speaker 4: had them come over my apartment and we did some
Speaker 4: demos that worked out pretty, well and on the strength
Speaker 4: of those, demos we decided to carry on and finish an.
Speaker 4: Album in, FACT i think one or two of the
Speaker 4: tracks from that record came out of my. Apartment AND
Speaker 4: i had a cheap little, mixer a little hill, mixer
Speaker 4: and a twelve track A kai some bizarre recording, system
Speaker 4: and my mixing machine was a Little sony cassette, machine
Speaker 4: a very nice, machine cassette dole be on it and.
Speaker 4: EVERYTHING i never bettered those, mixes AND i never told
Speaker 4: ANYBODY i used the cassette.
Speaker 3: For the album would have said, Anything, wow.
Speaker 1: No reason to.
Speaker 3: Her you, know there was something about the compression and
Speaker 3: the usual that.
Speaker 4: Happened you, KNOW.
Speaker 1: I want TO i don't.
Speaker 4: Care what medium would you?
Speaker 1: Use?
Speaker 4: Well who cares about?
Speaker 3: Mediums who?
Speaker 1: Cares exactly? Right she listened a little OF i want
Speaker 1: to listen to the Song voodoo from that, record just
Speaker 1: a little, bit listening to a touch of.
Speaker 4: That keep quiet, There, bred don't you just love The?
Speaker 4: South oh you must.
Speaker 6: Have put a budle.
Speaker 11: Home you must have. Casten we're not laughing you. There
Speaker 11: they don't talk.
Speaker 12: Cants oh you must have been born in candle wh
Speaker 12: make at so? Strong you must have springles all around that.
Speaker 12: Bay you must have had a black cat, boone.
Speaker 11: Just set out a.
Speaker 6: Glass what do you cut?
Speaker 2: It this?
Speaker 1: STUFF i don't even know when to take this. Out
Speaker 1: listen to a loop with, That, yeah, FOREVER i.
Speaker 4: Know it's hard to look back and hard to look.
Speaker 4: Ahead it, Is, yes it. Is couldn't agree. More, well,
Speaker 4: Okay i'll give the trick. Away they were all very good,
Speaker 4: percussionists and SO i said to, them, well let's let's
Speaker 4: not play the song just. Yet let's build the percussion.
Speaker 4: LOOPS i had everybody playing percussion and you can hear
Speaker 4: it at the. Beginning so that's all The neville brothers playing,
Speaker 4: percussion various cow bells and whatnot.
Speaker 1: On that fade.
Speaker 4: In on that fade, in and we played it maybe
Speaker 4: maybe a fifteen minute jam of. Percussion they go. Home
Speaker 4: i'd find the best sixteen bars of that and. Loop
Speaker 4: this was like we're talking, loops, right you, know like
Speaker 4: tape loops in those, days kind of around the room
Speaker 4: or on stands and pulleys and. Whatnot AND i dropped
Speaker 4: the best part of THE percussi back to the multi,
Speaker 4: track and when they came in the next, day they
Speaker 4: cut the track to their own. Percussion. Wow so it
Speaker 4: was a way of having a fixed time metronomic, time
Speaker 4: but not a click haoud be something that's got a
Speaker 4: lot of feel to, it as you can hear in the.
Speaker 4: Track and then we're lucky enough to have me And
Speaker 4: Willie green on the drums And Tony hall on the.
Speaker 4: Base these are the top Level New orleans. PLAYERS i
Speaker 4: can't say enough About New, orleans you. KNOW i, Mean
Speaker 4: i'm A French canadian. KID i go down there AND
Speaker 4: i get a groove like.
Speaker 1: That, incredible and you were. SO i, mean and this
Speaker 1: is a, TIME i guess to set the scene as.
Speaker 1: Well like you had, mentioned you went down there to
Speaker 1: just do some, recording and you were. So at this,
Speaker 1: time you're Recording Yellow moon with The, nevilles you're Recording
Speaker 1: Bob Dylan's Oh, Mercy Why, mother that's a little bit,
Speaker 1: later but same.
Speaker 4: Era and you're also just a few months, apart a few.
Speaker 1: Months the, part and you're recording your own debut.
Speaker 4: Album the three albums done over the course of about nine. Months,
Speaker 4: Yeah dylan was on, tour he stopped. In, uh my
Speaker 4: Agent bono lined up The. Rendezvous bob stopped in and
Speaker 4: played in a couple of, tracks including and we had
Speaker 4: already recorded With god On Her, side which is one
Speaker 4: Of bob's songs For Yellow. Moon For Yellow, moon At aaron's,
Speaker 4: request he wanted to cut that, song and we did
Speaker 4: a very powerful version of. IT i played it For
Speaker 4: bob and he, says that sounds like a. Record that's
Speaker 4: a big compliment From, bob and he, said, boy you
Speaker 4: already got a thing going on. Here THEN i, said,
Speaker 4: well why don't we make your record, here not in this,
Speaker 4: location but In New, orleans AND i, said if you
Speaker 4: come back in the, Springtime i'll have a whole setup
Speaker 4: ready for. You don't need to bring any instant, curements no, musicians,
Speaker 4: nothing just show up with your. Songs and he agreed
Speaker 4: to that and that's how we did.
Speaker 1: Him wow, Wow and that is again that's another that's
Speaker 1: an album too WHERE i, mean did you get to
Speaker 1: that's AN i guess to put that in, context that's
Speaker 1: A dylan album WHERE i mean the songs Are was
Speaker 1: this incredibly? Inspired did you did he come with songs
Speaker 1: or was he?
Speaker 4: Yeah oh, yeah he came with songs although he wrote
Speaker 4: some In New. Orleans he wrote one Called man in
Speaker 4: A Long Black coat that was written In New.
Speaker 1: Orleans that's an amazing.
Speaker 4: One, yeah he was very inspired by the whole. Scene
Speaker 4: we had, motorcycles nice vintage motorcycles at, all and he,
Speaker 4: said can you give me one of? These and then
Speaker 4: we got him a nice sixty Six, harley a real
Speaker 4: beauty and so he was having a good. Time you,
Speaker 4: know just nobody knew he was there and need me
Speaker 4: riding in the Night Byron. Body shakoya is the moisture
Speaker 4: and just everything that Your orleans has you, know it's
Speaker 4: a very magic.
Speaker 1: PLACE i was always curious it turned Up LATER i
Speaker 1: saw the very next Record bob, Did there was A
Speaker 1: there was was under The Red. Sky IF i have
Speaker 1: that kind of kind of you know that in the right,
Speaker 1: Order and then like a handful of maybe a decade,
Speaker 1: ago you, know as he's doing his bootleg, RELEASES i
Speaker 1: noticed some outtakes from the sessions you guys did for
Speaker 1: songs that ended up on, that Like God knows And
Speaker 1: born In? Time, yeah that's, right, Yeah AND i didn't, know,
Speaker 1: like so how many songs did you guys record and
Speaker 1: how how did you go? About was that something a
Speaker 1: decision Only bob could make whether a song makes the
Speaker 1: record or, well we we.
Speaker 4: Cut more material than we needed to make an. Album
Speaker 4: AND i was said to see this one knocking on
Speaker 4: the record Called series Of. DREAMS i might have made
Speaker 4: a mistake by not lobbying for it more THAN i.
Speaker 4: Did but if ever you hear that, one that's a real.
Speaker 4: MASTERPIECE A series Of?
Speaker 1: Dreams has that come?
Speaker 4: Out do you know it did come out? Yet thank?
Speaker 6: You?
Speaker 4: YEAH i. Did it has a series Of dreams almost
Speaker 4: a a look at his own life and the journey
Speaker 4: that he Took yes forthn't listening to? That it's quite.
Speaker 4: Touching it's a very emotional.
Speaker 1: Delivery AND i want to play a little from from
Speaker 1: your own record recorded around that time as well A
Speaker 1: katie the song that we. Heard we'll listen to the.
Speaker 1: Two we'll play The maker which we heard will you
Speaker 1: do on his? Record?
Speaker 4: Yes which one were you're? Thinking but we'll play The.
Speaker 1: Maker we've already heard. It we heard this, players hear
Speaker 1: it again because it is just to hear the, Difference
Speaker 1: just to hear the, difference or do you want to
Speaker 1: play what would you like to hear from?
Speaker 4: It still water sounds pretty.
Speaker 1: Good that's a good. One, opener can't go. Wrong m.
Speaker 4: That's Larry mullin on the drum from you to You.
Speaker 9: Save, save.
Speaker 3: Where you're going with the?
Speaker 9: Confidence serve, said.
Speaker 1: Where you're go with, Cold.
Speaker 7: I'm going to.
Speaker 6: About scomb.
Speaker 9: Called on your river flows.
Speaker 4: Swag i'm going to.
Speaker 6: About, scuba.
Speaker 9: Caldon your, river.
Speaker 6: Flat still, water.
Speaker 1: Lay still, water lay over still, water.
Speaker 6: Lay over.
Speaker 3: Caledon river or so.
Speaker 6: While lies in.
Speaker 13: The wilderness where you're born with the devil in, Hand.
Speaker 4: Adam clayton on the, base while lies in the wilderness
Speaker 4: where you're gone with the devil and you know did
Speaker 4: some background.
Speaker 13: Vocals don't build the bridge is high for working, money
Speaker 13: for working, Money i'm gone To.
Speaker 11: Clark and the bridgees.
Speaker 3: Have hella dorm your brother.
Speaker 1: Farm still that's you, know there is One how do
Speaker 1: you get this? Talented do you do? Everything it's that well, unbelievable, well, uh.
Speaker 4: Unbelievable oh THE i mean this is something That larage
Speaker 4: you know as, well that soul is the governor and
Speaker 4: we don't carry on with anything if it doesn't have
Speaker 4: that in tire, intact you, know he isn't even as a.
Speaker 4: Seed the beginning of something has to have some kind
Speaker 4: of soul to to keep motivating as we move. Along,
Speaker 4: laurie how you doing some familiar faces there and so
Speaker 4: what you're hearing, there you, know started with with quite
Speaker 4: a strong feeling that we, were you, know acting as
Speaker 4: a keel for for the rest of the. Work and
Speaker 4: the worst thing THAT i can do in the studio
Speaker 4: is build on something that doesn't have that and that
Speaker 4: never really works. Out it's on the soul is the.
Speaker 1: Governor you can you can hear. That that's you can
Speaker 1: definitely hear that after this, break we're back with the
Speaker 1: rest of my conversation With Daniel. Landois after making some
Speaker 1: records like, that how do you decide to Leave New?
Speaker 1: ORLEANS i don't know IF i ever would have left
Speaker 1: if you're going to do with me been working to mind.
Speaker 4: You BUT i Left New orleans to go To mexico
Speaker 4: BECAUSE i wanted to keep going. South, yeah that's, IT
Speaker 4: i THOUGHT i. WAS i always like something About mexican,
Speaker 4: baselines AND i still don't fully comprehend them to this.
Speaker 4: Day and so those those amazing uh three, fours you,
Speaker 4: know with odd baselines and in between, rhythms they've got
Speaker 4: a little Di angelo in them. Themselves such an old
Speaker 4: culture of those grooves that they've found all the iss
Speaker 4: and in, betweens and it's quite touching for me to.
Speaker 7: Hear.
Speaker 4: Them AND i just wanted to keep going further. South
Speaker 4: AND i still want to keep going further. South what
Speaker 4: are we doing?
Speaker 7: Here where are you going?
Speaker 1: Next let's? Go did you make any records In?
Speaker 4: Mexico, YES I i Had Brian blade down there And Darryl,
Speaker 4: johnson great bass player From New. Ormans brian's From, Shreveport
Speaker 4: SO i was in the presence of two of the
Speaker 4: finest and we went down there and for about a
Speaker 4: YEAR i was stationed down there In, mexico AND i
Speaker 4: came up with a lot of very great psychedelic music
Speaker 4: THAT i still, have you, know have in my. Library
Speaker 4: some of it's. Unreleased, Man, well maybe we'll get to
Speaker 4: it one of these.
Speaker 1: Days you gotta you gotta gotta put that, out. Man
Speaker 1: AND i just got to, SAY i mean you always,
Speaker 1: Again Brian, Blade Tony, Hall DARRYL i, mean you're always
Speaker 1: just got the most incredible rhythm sections with.
Speaker 4: You you, know well why? Not you know it's, yeah
Speaker 4: why there's great players out there and they just need
Speaker 4: to build a little nest and lay some.
Speaker 1: EGGS i asked you about a song speaking of songs
Speaker 1: that are from deep within your your catalog and weren't
Speaker 1: released and then maybe or this one came, out but
Speaker 1: you're saying maybe you shouldn't have put it. Out BUT
Speaker 1: i asked you about a song called Warm up to The,
Speaker 1: heart which came out on a series of releases Called
Speaker 1: omni or is a three disc. Release would you mind
Speaker 1: playing through that a?
Speaker 4: Bit, well justin you, Know i'll do it for, you.
Speaker 4: MAN i haven't played it, since so let's see IF
Speaker 4: i can get through.
Speaker 1: It thank.
Speaker 4: You i'll do a.
Speaker 14: Preamble spot.
Speaker 8: Are a.
Speaker 5: Stock, o.
Speaker 1: Thank.
Speaker 10: You Thank.
Speaker 4: Maybe while we're, here we've talked a little bit about
Speaker 4: this technique of turning up loud but playing quiet, please
Speaker 4: which is, Uh dawna knows this well because she is
Speaker 4: a fand Of Jim hendrix AS i. Am and so
Speaker 4: you can pluck a, note, garth you crank me up
Speaker 4: about fifteen twenty. Percent i'll give you an example of.
Speaker 4: This so SO i pluck a note and THEN i
Speaker 4: bring the shimmer, up So i'm not doing anything here.
Speaker 7: Change so it's A it's a technique THAT.
Speaker 4: I found pretty early on in my playing BECAUSE i
Speaker 4: wasn't about to be a Great texas steel guitar, player
Speaker 4: SO i, thought, well maybe there's something in there that
Speaker 4: belongs to me, Then so that's that's one of the
Speaker 4: things that came to me is IF i played the,
Speaker 4: melody let me just clean things up me we'll Play Danny.
Speaker 4: Boy so little scraping THAT i do triggers the notes
Speaker 4: THAT i didn't play in the, melody but they're in the,
Speaker 4: chord and so you get them monamable and then that's
Speaker 4: as if somebody had written a little arrangement of harmonics
Speaker 4: surrounding the. Melody and so that's a technique That i'd
Speaker 4: like to. Use and it takes me to those WHAT
Speaker 4: i Call Bernard hermann chore is one of my Favorite
Speaker 4: american composers. Psychamical excuse, me, sorry that was fault of my.
Speaker 4: Shoe THEN i got the scraping sound And, wayne Whereas
Speaker 4: Wayne Wayne lorenz built me this little sustained machine here that.
Speaker 4: Goes SO i can think of them as little hidden
Speaker 4: chords available in between melodies that make the almost as
Speaker 4: if harmonics are our a little, orchestra orchestra behind the.
Speaker 4: Melody and it's.
Speaker 1: Because you're playing softly and because you've turned to the
Speaker 1: volume up so loud that you're.
Speaker 4: Able to AND i can do the shimmer thing THAT i.
Speaker 4: Described it's a technique That jamaican bass players abused, historically
Speaker 4: where you turn up super, loud lot all the bass
Speaker 4: base all the way, up trouble all the way, down
Speaker 4: but you play. Soft you don't hammer it because then
Speaker 4: you kill the. Sounds so it's it's a similar. Philosophy
Speaker 4: but did.
Speaker 1: You know that when you did you did you discover
Speaker 1: that after you discovered this technique or did you know that?
Speaker 4: Well and then it was pretty easy to figure out
Speaker 4: all of the bass players we're doing In, jamaica you.
Speaker 4: Know JUST i, Mean i'm not SAYING i played like,
Speaker 4: them BUT i could figure it.
Speaker 1: Out you, know not everyone. HAS i can say.
Speaker 4: THAT i think a lot of soul would be part
Speaker 4: of the recipe back to SO i don't know IF
Speaker 4: i can say, up let me play a little melody
Speaker 4: for you THAT i wrote as a hymn and it
Speaker 4: made its way into the Film Friday Night. Lights if
Speaker 4: anyone ever saw that, Film just when they don't make
Speaker 4: that last, yard the screen goes silent and it goes slow,
Speaker 4: mode and then this tune come. Up M. M i'll
Speaker 4: kill my echoes here and Let garth do his. Thing,
Speaker 4: garth you're. On he's got some beautiful shut on sound
Speaker 4: here is designed By John, meyer one of the greats.
Speaker 6: And.
Speaker 15: Change WHEN i play it, LIVE i usually go, crazy
Speaker 15: but that's with a much bigger.
Speaker 4: Sound let's see IF i can get away with. It,
Speaker 4: Hire i'll go to a rain drop sound to try
Speaker 4: and take. It how us speak Of Laurie anderson?
Speaker 5: Sound oh, well, yeah.
Speaker 1: Oh that's.
Speaker 4: Beautiful now these, uh these folks that put a lot
Speaker 4: of time into this. Room behind these panels are multiple
Speaker 4: speakers and designed By John, meyer one of the one
Speaker 4: of the, greats And garth up there is that in The.
Speaker 4: Helm thank You. Garth you could hear the WHEN i
Speaker 4: Asked gartha give us the beautiful surround sounded. It it
Speaker 4: developed more of an. Expanse so we look for things.
Speaker 1: Like that in The.
Speaker 4: Student you, KNOW i Mean john is obviously done here
Speaker 4: in a physical, space but we try and create The
Speaker 4: we are illusionists really as record, makers so we create
Speaker 4: a sense of depth because if everything's on the same,
Speaker 4: plane if you if you have everything on the same
Speaker 4: plane where you don't have things sounding far, away then
Speaker 4: that's not as interesting a. Painting so if you think
Speaker 4: of music as, painting it's nice to see something in the.
Speaker 4: Shadows maybe on a second, listen you hear a little
Speaker 4: component that you hadn't noticed before and keeps you curious
Speaker 4: about her. Work AND i think great photographs have that in,
Speaker 4: them great, Films donna's plan has.
Speaker 3: That you know SHE.
Speaker 4: I won't go on too much more In. Donna she's
Speaker 4: my favorite, guitarist right now we're working, together AND i
Speaker 4: got a couple of tricks up in my sleep for.
Speaker 4: You so depth we're experiencing it in this, room as
Speaker 4: small as it, is there's a sense of depth and
Speaker 4: depth in sound and depth in.
Speaker 1: SENTIMENT i think it's a great note to go out.
Speaker 1: On is we're not going to get any better than that.
Speaker 4: Plane I'm i'm GLAD i let you hear that little
Speaker 4: hymn because there's something about These it's obviously designed in
Speaker 4: an ancient. Manner it's as if it could have been,
Speaker 4: written you, know one hundred years. Ago that has a
Speaker 4: little bit Of ireland in. It AND i spent a
Speaker 4: lot of time, there AND i THINK i wrote that,
Speaker 4: song that little melody In.
Speaker 1: Ireland you did.
Speaker 4: Just walk home from work every night looking down at
Speaker 4: The Liffy liffey's the river runs through a doublin on
Speaker 4: a quiet, night it's almost spilling over the brim and
Speaker 4: it's like like, black like you're looking at a black.
Speaker 4: Mirror that river was so inspiring to. ME i spent
Speaker 4: looking at that. River that's.
Speaker 1: Amazing, well thank you so, Much Daniel. Lanoi, everybody you
Speaker 1: can find a link to a playlist of some of
Speaker 1: our Favorite Daniel lanois works and the episode description and.
Speaker 1: Again to see the video version of this, episode visit
Speaker 1: YouTube dot com slash Broken Record podcast and be sure
Speaker 1: to follow us On instagram at The Broken Record. Pod
Speaker 1: you can follow us On twitter at Broken. Record Broken
Speaker 1: record is produced By Lea rose with marketing help From
Speaker 1: Eric sandler And jordan. McMillan our engineer Is Ben. Tollinay
Speaker 1: Broken record is a production Of Pushkin. Industries if you
Speaker 1: love this show and others From, pushkin consider subscribing To Pushkin.
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Speaker 1: Beats i'm Justin, richmond
Speaker 7: M