Post by Tin on Sept 30, 2010 17:33:30 GMT -5
Just putting up the DD bits; but the interview really is interesting.
www.complex.com/blogs/2010/09/30/interview-mark-ronson-talks-record-collection-fashion-influences-getting-girlfriend-tattoos/
Complex: When did you decide that Record Collection would have such a different vibe from your last album, Version?
Then, when I began production on a new album for Duran Duran last summer, I started getting into those old keyboards and synths because that’s what they’re really good at. When I came back to Brooklyn to start working on my album, I thought I should just try f___ing around and combine the sound of the old Roland and moods with what I’d done before.
Complex: So it wasn’t a calculated decision at all.
Mark Ronson: No, I was lucky because I didn’t know what I was doing, to be honest. I was kind of afraid of starting my new record. All I knew is that it would not be cover songs. It was a bit of luck that I started working with Duran when I did.
Complex: You’ve gone on record to say this is their best album in 25 years, why is that?
Mark Ronson: I think so, I think it’s the best thing [they've done] in a very long time. It sounds new but has all the things about them you’ve always liked. I think that the record they made with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland was something that looked very good on paper. I have the utmost respect for Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, and I think they are both great at what they do, but for some reason that project played to nobody’s strengths. It was random and not very good, and I don’t think they would disagree that most of their recent records haven’t been nearly up to the same quality as their classics. So yeah, we’re making new classics, in a way.
Complex: How important is the union of music and fashion?
Mark Ronson: I won’t necessarily consider myself someone with an inherent or defined sense of style. I look at how I’ve dressed through the years and I can always tell what music I was listening to at that time. When I was going to raves at 15, I was wearing giant platform sneakers. And then I wanted to dress like a Beastie Boy, and then, I guess it was three or four years ago, I feel like my style grew up a bit the same way my music did. Now, the records are a bit ’80s, so now I’m doing bright colors. Duran Duran-influenced stuff. I don’t mind being a bit of a chameleon. I also love when people are stylish without trying. It’s like, Meg, the drummer from The White Stripes, is always seen in the jean jacket. I’ve always wanted to have one individual thing like that, but I don’t. I tend to approach fashion, not intentionally, but the same way I approach music. You take pieces of everything and form your influences. A little bit here and a little bit there, and then you use all of that stuff to forge something new and original. Smart people borrow, but geniuses steal.
Complex: Getting back to the music, you’ve said that Duran Duran has sold more than everyone on your album combined. Do you feel like you’ve missed out on that boat? Like, your legacy is compromised because the numbers will never match up because the music industry as a whole has suffered?
Mark Ronson: I guess so, but you know Amy hit the 10 million mark and everybody said that’s going to be last record to do that—and then Lady Gaga came along and did the same. Obviously, it’s not like it used to be. Those examples are fewer and farther between. I did go to Nellee Hooper’s house in London. He’s someone I’ve always looked up to and he’s got this beautiful townhouse with Basquiats everywhere, and a part of me was like, “f___, I was born 10 years too late.” But it’s more depressing if you dwell on it and think, “If Back To Black came out in ’92, it would’ve sold 25 million” or whatever. It didn’t. It came out now, and I’m lucky that I’m making any kind of living from something that I love doing. It would be great to f___ing make mansion-in-New York money, but I’m not, and neither is anyone. I’m just lucky to make something that’s good, that I can put out and still feel good about.
www.complex.com/blogs/2010/09/30/interview-mark-ronson-talks-record-collection-fashion-influences-getting-girlfriend-tattoos/
Complex: When did you decide that Record Collection would have such a different vibe from your last album, Version?
Then, when I began production on a new album for Duran Duran last summer, I started getting into those old keyboards and synths because that’s what they’re really good at. When I came back to Brooklyn to start working on my album, I thought I should just try f___ing around and combine the sound of the old Roland and moods with what I’d done before.
Complex: So it wasn’t a calculated decision at all.
Mark Ronson: No, I was lucky because I didn’t know what I was doing, to be honest. I was kind of afraid of starting my new record. All I knew is that it would not be cover songs. It was a bit of luck that I started working with Duran when I did.
Complex: You’ve gone on record to say this is their best album in 25 years, why is that?
Mark Ronson: I think so, I think it’s the best thing [they've done] in a very long time. It sounds new but has all the things about them you’ve always liked. I think that the record they made with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland was something that looked very good on paper. I have the utmost respect for Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, and I think they are both great at what they do, but for some reason that project played to nobody’s strengths. It was random and not very good, and I don’t think they would disagree that most of their recent records haven’t been nearly up to the same quality as their classics. So yeah, we’re making new classics, in a way.
Complex: How important is the union of music and fashion?
Mark Ronson: I won’t necessarily consider myself someone with an inherent or defined sense of style. I look at how I’ve dressed through the years and I can always tell what music I was listening to at that time. When I was going to raves at 15, I was wearing giant platform sneakers. And then I wanted to dress like a Beastie Boy, and then, I guess it was three or four years ago, I feel like my style grew up a bit the same way my music did. Now, the records are a bit ’80s, so now I’m doing bright colors. Duran Duran-influenced stuff. I don’t mind being a bit of a chameleon. I also love when people are stylish without trying. It’s like, Meg, the drummer from The White Stripes, is always seen in the jean jacket. I’ve always wanted to have one individual thing like that, but I don’t. I tend to approach fashion, not intentionally, but the same way I approach music. You take pieces of everything and form your influences. A little bit here and a little bit there, and then you use all of that stuff to forge something new and original. Smart people borrow, but geniuses steal.
Complex: Getting back to the music, you’ve said that Duran Duran has sold more than everyone on your album combined. Do you feel like you’ve missed out on that boat? Like, your legacy is compromised because the numbers will never match up because the music industry as a whole has suffered?
Mark Ronson: I guess so, but you know Amy hit the 10 million mark and everybody said that’s going to be last record to do that—and then Lady Gaga came along and did the same. Obviously, it’s not like it used to be. Those examples are fewer and farther between. I did go to Nellee Hooper’s house in London. He’s someone I’ve always looked up to and he’s got this beautiful townhouse with Basquiats everywhere, and a part of me was like, “f___, I was born 10 years too late.” But it’s more depressing if you dwell on it and think, “If Back To Black came out in ’92, it would’ve sold 25 million” or whatever. It didn’t. It came out now, and I’m lucky that I’m making any kind of living from something that I love doing. It would be great to f___ing make mansion-in-New York money, but I’m not, and neither is anyone. I’m just lucky to make something that’s good, that I can put out and still feel good about.