Music > Interviews

Tony Visconti

by Lizzoutline

29/05/15

David Bowie. T.Rex. Morrissey. Manic Street Preachers. Iggy Pop. Tony Visconti’s worked with them all and more. He’s produced hundreds of albums in his career spanning around 60 years, and will be at the Arts Centre this month with his old buddy drummer Woody Woodmansey (who worked with Bowie and the Spiders from Mars) playing The Man Who Sold The World and other tracks live. For a Bowie fan it’s the next best thing to catching the Thin White Duke himself. I was honoured to chat with Tony about his incredible life in music and what his favourite song of all time is.

How did you come to the decision to move to London from the States in the 60’s, and do you think that that decision was intrinsic to your subsequent success?

I was offered a real job in London after working with Denny Cordell in New York. I helped him produce a Georgie Fame record; it came about by a chance meeting by a water cooler and a casual conversation. A month later I was in London, which was a dream come true; it was the land of The Beatles and I was working for one of the top record producers of the day! We went on to produce records for The Move and Joe Cocker. It was a fantastic time to be in London and I worked my bottom off making the best of it.

Do you remember the very first time you were bitten hard by the music bug, and do you have a favourite song of all time?

My dad was an amateur musician and my mother had a beautiful voice. There was always music all day. I was given a ukulele for my fifth Christmas and I learned to play it in one day. But Heartbreak Hotel stole my heart and I had to learn the guitar after that. Truthfully, I love much earlier music by the likes of Cole Porter and Hoagy Charmichael. My favourite song is Stardust. I have too many favourite songs, like half the Beatles catalogue!

You produced seven albums with Marc Bolan; what was your favourite experience that you shared with Marc during that time?

We were poor, we were skinny, we pooled our coins together to buy lunch and when we returned to the studio we learned that Ride A White Swan was number 2 in the Radio One charts. We were stunned, then we wept tears of joy. Life wasn’t the same after that.

When you first met David Bowie and heard his music, what were your initial impressions of him?

I thought David was extremely talented but all over the place. He had so many styles he could do but didn’t follow one of them. I thought he could be in musical theatre like Anthony Newley, but he could also be a pop crooner. We became good friends and had a big influence on each other.

How do you go about choosing which bands and acts to produce for? Do you pick those whose music you like on a personal level or do you take on projects which are more difficult or challenging?

I get sent lots of demos. I have bands recommended to me and when they play New York, which has a hundred music venues at least, I go see them in person. My criteria is great singing and great material. I need to work with great musicians otherwise it’s no fun and I always like a challenge. Although I work on a computer everyday (since tape is unaffordable these days) I still love to record a band live. That was my big secret that everyone asks about; there were no click tracks in the ‘70s, just good drummers! By the way, my mate Woody Woodmansey, who’s playing in Norwich with me is one of the best drummers ever!

You’ve worked with so many bands through the years, Luscious Jackson, Morrissey, Bowie, T.Rex, the Manics, The Moody Blues, Paul McCartney, Wings and Fall Out Boy amongst many others. Is there anyone left you’d love to work with but haven’t yet?

I’m a big Elbow fan. I think they’re absolutely great and we’d make a good team, I know it. I also like Ben Howard very much. Most of the stuff I hear on the radio is a little too watered down these days, but there are great artists of substance out there and I’m chuffed when I find one that blows me away.

How satisfying was it to make to make a live version of the The Man Who Sold The World album?

Oh, I’m living my dream. It’s the opposite of working in a studio with three people. I’m on stage with my good mates playing to loads of people who are cheering us on and loving what we do. It’s an amazing feeling I’ve deprived myself of. But the most important thing is that this album was never played live in its entirety. I had to learn it from scratch because we never went on tour with it back in the day.

Who do you like listening to in your leisure time, old or new?

I give Rock, Jazz and Classical equal time. We have some good radio in New York; maybe not so good for Rock, but I’ve got Satellite Radio in the car and at home too. There is always music playing in the house. One of my favourite artists is Sun Kil Moon, right now. His album Benji just kills me!

What can we expect from your forthcoming show at Norwich Arts Centre in June?

We rock really hard, we practice a lot and we really like each other. Glenn Gregory is one of the very best front men there is! The love from our band is big love and we will deliver the goods in Norwich.

Tony Visconti, Woody Woodmansey and Glenn Gregory will perform Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World album and other classic Bowie songs at Norwich Arts Centre on 17th June. Tickets available from ueaticketbookings.co.uk.