C-NET Mick Fleetwood Interview

[bjk3047]

Here's an interview from C-NET that I just happened across:
Note - the interview is also available in mp3 form at this link:
http://electronics.cnet.com/electron...7-8-20155415-1

Mick Fleetwood: Hello, sir.

MP3 Insider: Excellent, how's it going Mick.

MF: I'm doing good, Eliot, thank you.

M: This [Mick Fleetwood's Total Drumming loop library] is a pretty innovative thing. How did this project come about? Who's idea was it, and all that stuff?

MF: All that stuff…

M: Yeah.

MF: Well, my sensibilities have always been--hopefully at least--looking out for things that sometimes I don't understand but I find intriguing, and one of the things that is a constant with me, probably from the nature of having been a drummer for all these years, that the actual process of really sharing the experience is one I can't function without, so that whole premise comes very naturally to me. What I really look for are platforms and things in my world that bring people together and enable--I love to see things that are made possible--or made easier--for people because I have some of those basic frustrations by the nature of what I do. I don't play a chordal instrument, for instance, so I'm endlessly looking for ways to express myself. I really understand what that process is all about and how important it is, especially with young folk and creative folk that love looking for some platform that makes it easier for them to express themselves. Knowing that this is not just about that, but certainly that's one of the main appeals for me: seeing something like this grow into all the different areas that it can grow into. This format was brought to my attention by Jonathan Todd, and we've been loosely talking about doing this type of thing, and upon certain deliberations found that Sonic [Foundry] was in a league of its own with respect to some of the different entities out there that are doing similar types of things, or heading toward doing similar things. So that was the comfort zone…

M: Right…

MF: …in terms of how we got to Sonic. And upon having got there, the question I had was that, No. 1, the premise of doing this and sharing who I am and what I am musically doesn't freak me out at all…

M: [Laughs]

MF: …because it's a natural thing by the nature of what I do; that's what I do, anyhow, I can't function without other people, and interpreting--being part of an interpretation process--that was something that came very easy to me and appeals to me. What was of concern to me was how it was done--the integrity of it. And that was something that immediately became apparent, because as I was about to open my mouth, Jonathan was very privy to some of the constraints and thoughts that I had in terms of, "I think this is a great idea, but it has to be done really well, and it has to be done this, and this, and I want to express myself, and I want my style to exist" …all of the things that live and breath in these loops, in their finality, were things that I wanted to make sure really were there.

M: Right.

MF: But that worked incredibly well, and it made it very easy to really get into the nuts and bolts of the exciting part of "What are we going to do," to represent the real long--the fact that I am 55 years old and have been playing drums for my whole life--it offered up the obvious, and something that I welcomed, and they certainly were enthusiastic to do that and made me more enthusiastic about really digging into the body of work that I've represented through the years and the styles and the various forms of music that I've touched on. So I'm known--and actually so I'm unknown, you know, or relatively unknown, such as the stuff in Africa and the whole experience I had there. We got into a whole bed of hand drums, exotic drums that I had in my…

M: Yeah, I was going to ask that actually…

MF: …which "et cetera," but it became--once the platform, the stage, was set--the rest was hard work, but it was fun, you know, it was artistic, all the things that I'd needed to know were in place were on the table in front of me, so I felt great about it, and I think, speaking for everybody, we had a ball doing it. A lot of care and attention was made, which was something that was very important to me, that it had the sense…the way things were put down to the digital format, et cetera, was done in the very best of ways, meaning the quality of this thing was first-rate.

M: Oh, they [the drum loops] sound great.

MF: Oh doesn't it.

M: Yeah. How long did it take to do all those loops, what was it, about 500 loops or so?

MF: Uh…I think there's actually a few more than that…

Jonathan Todd: A little over 800.

M: A little over 800, sorry about that.

MF: So…we were working away there for two, I mean the setup was the day before, in terms of getting the stuff [much of Mick's previously used drum equipment] there and getting the studio tweaked, all of those things were done before I arrived, but it was two very, very, long, full days.

M: Wow.

MF: [Laughs] Which…uh…you know…

M: That's incredible.

MF: The lads were very gracious in saying, "Well, you know, Mick"--in some instances 'Mr. Fleetwood' but mostly 'Mick'--those that didn't know me in the studio or something, that we'd planned to stop for dinner and this, that, and the other, well, the reality is we didn't stop for anything. We stopped for nut bars and stuff, because I was really on a roll, and when I'm playing, one thing leads to another, and I had all my equipment there, and we were getting great feedback from the studio, from behind the glass, and we just really buckled down and didn't even leave the building that I remember. A couple of guys that smoked cigarettes, Jonathan…

All: [Laugh]

MF: …occasionally Jonathan would leave to have a cigarette, and that's about it.

M: Wow…so do you think…I mean, there's a lot of carping from certain artists and certain aspects of the record industry about, "Technology's stealing our livelihood, and technology is the enemy," and what I really like about this project is that it's a new way for artists to express themselves…

MF: Absolutely…

M: It's a new revenue thing, I mean, do you see other artists being as courageous about something like this, do you think this is a viable new model?

MF: I hope so, you know. I mean, for me personally, I'm always looking for new experiences in everything--and more and more and more and more so the older I get, so whatever story you want to tell about that, you can probably tell some deep psychiatric flaw in my makeup, but I like reaching out and doing things that…[are] completely and totally about what the musical process is all about. It's all about allowing something creative to come out of something technical, and it's made possible by really cool things being put together, technical platforms…it's so what I love to see happen. These are the stories that when the advent of digital and things were happening, and various platforms were being set up and people got maybe a little bit too carried away here and there, and it…just depersonalized certain things with regards certainly to music…this is so much not that. It's about taking something, it's about giving, it's about exchanging--it's like being at a swap meet, you know. [very quick] "What have you got? What are you going to show me? What can it do? How can we do it? We can do this." Or, "I can give you a lower price, a higher price, a lower note, stretch the note--whatever." All of these things add up to--not to beat the drum too loudly…

M: [Laughs]

MF: I do like the fact that this is so absolutely cool for young people entering the musical process, that they maybe don't have the experience, the natural abilities sometimes, and yet they have the yen to do something…one thing that is precious to me is the fact that someone can grab this, and it takes them on a journey that they might not have dreamt of taking, you know, and I know how important that is, because I took it when I was a young man and did something that I love to do, which was to play music.

M: Are you looking forward to hearing how people use the stuff?

MF: I can't wait. The great thing is, I'm so ready for that. And I'm also, you know, hey--people are going to take things more or less as they are, then they're going to get in and carve it up and stretch and throw it around, and I feel like I'm going to be in sort of one of the biggest rock-and-roll bands in the world.

M: That's absolutely true. And also, speaking as someone who's tried to do this on an amateur level, the drums are the hardest. I mean, even if people knew how to mike drums, they don't have a drum set…

MF: Yup…

M: So you end up with this electronic drum sound that's not a choice, it's a necessity for some people, so I think this is a great idea for…

MF: I know it is, and it's something that…I'm learning, and doing this with Sonic certainly for me has been a thrill, knowing that I'm in [garbled], in terms of where my stylings are…and I know that it's truly something that I feel really comfortable with. And then knowing that it's going to be taken and people are going to run with it…but that to me is another process that I'm…you know, I don't understand how people would for one moment see this as threatening, or something that's not super, super relaxed to be doing. Because again, all my experience from being in a rock-and-roll band is that it's all about the best sessions, and the best musical moments in my life have been when you're giving something to someone else and they're giving it back. That creates the magic, and that's the wonderment of the musical process and how precious that is. [It's] the only thing that perpetuates that, that survives that actually--not to get too heavy and artsy-fartsy--it is a profound thing, and this format truly allows that. They had something with character. For better or for worse, that's who I am, that's what I've done after nearly 40 years of doing what I do, and [I] had fun with it and do what I like to do in the studio. Lindsey [Buckingham, of Fleetwood Mac] would turn around to me--and there's no right, or wrong, or anything--and I'm sitting there, and I'm playing a Kleenex box, you know…

M: [Laughs]

MF: And if someone said, "Oh, well that's a great snare sound," I said, "Well actually, it's a Kleenex box."

M: Wow.

MF: The point I'm making is, "Go to it." Take something and do something and have fun with it.

M: Yeah, and hopefully computers will allow them to turn a snare [sound] into a Kleenex box [sound] or vice versa.

MF: [Laughs] There are no Kleenex boxes on these loops, just so you know.

M: Well I guess we're just about out of time here. I have one question to close with that I ask every time, which is "What was the first rock concert you ever saw," because mine was Fleetwood Mac.

MF: Wow.

M: Isn’t that a ridiculous coincidence?

MF: I am pretty damn sure it was Bo Diddley--playing down a really seedy old club--that I went to actually see. I was at concerts, but I didn't remember, the one I really remember was Bo Diddley, with all the ladies out in front playing maracas. And hence, that meant a lot to me as well, because I'd heard Buddy Holly, wondered where that was coming from, some of the rhythms and stuff, "Sheila" and all these songs. And Bo Diddley was, and still is…all that tom-tom stuff stayed with me.

M: It's been a real pleasure talking to you, and it was a great first concert for me too, so thanks for that.

MF: Well I'm flattered, and you'll be happy to know the band itself is alive and well. We're in the studio finishing off what appears to be a double album, which will be out in the new year--early new year, after Christmas--and we will be seemingly behaving ourselves and rehearsed on time to get out on the road in mid-April.

M: Well it's been great talking with you, Mick.

MF: Great. Pleasure.


Hope you enjoy!
-Brian

[greatdarkwing]

I guess this article slashes the Fall tour rumors off of the plate....oh well....more time to save money

~Alex

[blinker12]

So the notion of a "double album" surfaces again... it seems almost too good to be true! It would be so worth the long wait if they put out a double CD. That would be like getting a new album's worth of songs from Lindsey and Stevie both.

[chiliD]

I think we're over-reacting to Mick's use of the term "double album". You've got to remember that Mick's of the age where an "album" consisted of about 35-40 minutes of music. And, now in the day where the typical CD "album" runs between 50-60 minutes, the mind set is different. So, if Fleetwood Mac has recorded enough material that they could drop what they consider the weaker tunes and still have their CD run between 55-65 minutes, those of us who are over 40 and grew up with LP technology, WOULD consider the new Mac album a "double album". Basically, what I'm saying is, don't expect a "double CD".

And, as far as the "fall tour"...depending on when this interview was conducted, maybe at that time there was no plans for this upcoming "new" (?) Greatest Hits album. Once that was announced, Mick & crew probably figured that they would rally the troops to give the GH CD a bit of a marketing push by playing a few "test the waters" shows, which would also be a good way to try out the new material and work out the bugs before they hit the road with a full on high-profile tour.

[bjk3047]

Oh come on, you don't think he knows what a double album is? The Tusk album was 20 songs!! If he gives us 20 songs and they even fit on an 80 minute CD, I'm quite fine with that. But I find it hard to believe that he doesn't know the capacity of a compact disc and is somehow "stuck in the 60's" with LP lingo. Even with proper math, 40 X 2 = 80, not 55-60 min

And also, my personal take on the decision is that it was conducted my management and the record comapny. FM had nothing to do with date decisions.

-Brian

[chiliD]

Oh, I don't assume he DOESN'T know . BUT, I think he "conveniently" and purposely uses LP technology terminology in interviews to create a "buzz"; knowing that when he says "double album" a lot of people will automatically think "double CD"... but, in reality, when a single CD is released, once again fans' disappointment quotient rises a bit... "Hey, he said they were going to release a double album and all there is a single CD; the new tunes are great, but I was expecting MORE" kind of thing. In retrospect, he's done that quite a bit...gets the fans to set the "expectation bar" higher than the band had any intention of reaching, or COULD reach if they wanted to. I, for one, seem to be "let down" in that way by Fleetwood Mac quite often...and increasingly so since 1980.

Maybe I'm naive when it comes to the ins & outs of the megastar level of the music biz (if there IS any difference in any level), but, I would think that for as long as Fleetwood Mac has been "in business", they would know how to circumvent the "record company" tactics...and that they would've, by now, started their OWN label and had full-control over theire own material.

[celestenadia]

I'm sure we ARE in for a treat of a double album's worth of material.
I predict that it will be kinda a "Tusk II", probably Gift of Screws
with Stevie singing harmonies....Plus several new Stevie songs.
I think that they're at the point in their careers where they really
don't care what anyone else thinks and the challenge and fact
that a Fleetwood Mac proper album is going to be released for the
first time in a million years sans Christine is going to result in some
refreshing sounding new music.
celestenadia

[Barbara]

Whew! Mick rambles so much it's hard to stay focused on what he's trying to say . . .and since I'm not interested in drum loops it's kinda hard to read. I did like the parts about Lindsey and the Kleenex box.

But the last statement was interesting, double album . . .soon after Christmas . . .mid-April tour . . .hmmmmm. Thanks Brian!
Barbara

[BLY]

I think the idea of a "double album" (i'm with you chiliD)is what I have been assuming. It's the GOS tracks with some new one's Stevie's "vault" tracks with some new ones. I have been following this band since the 70's and I will say this will probably be it. I mean mid 50's (age) by the time this album comes out and a huge tour and this will be it for the "band". As much as I would like to see a follow up in 2008 but come on???