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