Daniel Lanois Interview
On the morning I spoke to Daniel, he had been out for a cruise on his motorcycle. Daniel says he hardly ever drives a car, and the motorcycle, a BMW GS1150 Adventure, is his main way of getting around.
Based on my conversation with him and from the time we met last October in San Francisco, I have found Daniel to be a very generous and gentle man with a wonderful spirit. His spirit extends beyond just himself to encompass the rest of us and planet earth. I hope you enjoy this conversation with him as much as I did. Many of the questions in this interview were generated by the fans subscribed to the Acadie Newsletter and I thank them for the ideas.
Kenley: You have recently finished a period of significant touring. How did you finish up the tour?
Daniel: The last stop was Dublin, which was great, and then I stayed around for a week to work with U2 in the studio. I’ve stopped touring for now and am back into making a new record. I think I might just give [touring] a break for a while; though I did get hooked on it. I kind of miss it already.
Kenley: How did it feel to be on the road after such a long break?
Daniel: It was nice. I enjoyed every part of it; it was a nice reminder about how people out there are enthusiastic, and that they have always been, and love live performances. It sort of operates outside the parameters of the record business.
Kenley: Were there any surprises from your tour?
Daniel: I was surprised at how much of a fan base I have in Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, and Holland – it really touched me.
Kenley: Some fans are surprised that you had chosen to tour, and potentially record, with younger and more inexperienced musicians than you're typically associated with. Why did you decide to go that route as opposed to working with the core band you toured and recorded with for your first two solo albums?
Daniel: I went to hear Henry Rollins some time back at the Troubadour here in Los Angeles and I thought they sounded amazing. I became friends with the bass player and he said if you ever want to do some shows with us then give us a ring. I thought it was a good invitation and it was really all about being in that place and thinking…like path of least resistance…if these guys really want to play, then we would give it try. It was a lot of fun.
Kenley: What do you have planned for your show in New York (February 3, 2004)?
Daniel: The New York thing is specifically a steel guitar performance. That is why I have been invited to this since I’ve been playing a lot of steel guitar. I think I get 20 minutes. I’m just going to play a version of JJ Leaves LA, another unrecorded song called Panorama, then I will do a version of Danny Boy and maybe a couple of other surprises. It will be all instrumental and a solo performance. It’s all about celebrating the pedal steel guitar. I’m really looking forward to it. I just played with Dave Matthews Band at the Staples Center [January 15, 2004] in Los Angeles with Emmylou Harris and Trey [Anastasio] from Phish. It was great; it was a really inspiring night.
Kenley: That is a pretty big venue.
Daniel: Yes, but once you get past 3,000 people it kind of starts feeling the same. It is comfortable.
Kenley: I noticed that Falling at your Feet is two different versions; the one of Million Dollar has Bono’s voice more prevalent with yours as more of a harmonizing background. The remixed version on Shine features your voice. The music track is identical. How did the different versions come about?
Daniel: It is the identical beat. It comes from this little machine called a Suzuki Omnichord – it’s just a cheap little beat box that’s built onboard and I wanted to use the same vibe so I just plugged the machine back in.
Kenley: Did you re-record the vocals?
Daniel: Yes.
Kenley: Tell me about your writing process. It seems from the liner notes that you have bits of melodies for years. How do you refine them and add words to it?
Daniel: The thing about the melodies I find is they never have a sell by date. A good melody will cut through the boundaries of eras and style. You can always adapt them and do a version of them any kind of way you want. I keep a melody orphanage all the time. I go to that orphanage and fish them out and you never know when a song will be brought to fruit. So I have my melodies and some of the songs may come by more quickly and some of them are born pretty much fleshed out, but I like to keep a melody orphanage as I do lyric orphanage. Lyrics might be sitting around for awhile. I just wrote this song Steel Blue Eyes – I’ve had this steel blue eyes idea around for a few years and I think it finally came into focus this last week.
Kenley: Do you record a melody into a tape recorder or do you write out the music or just hold on to it in your head?
Daniel: I record it on a little recorder and I save those little recordings. I call them my seeds. I just go through them, pick the best ones, label them, and then put them, most recently, on an [Apple] iPod. It is really convenient and I scoot around with my headphones and listen to my back catalog.
Kenley: What emotional experiences do you have in relationship to your writing?
Daniel: Obviously emotions make their way into songs. I’m pretty affected by what goes on around me. At any given time there will be an emotion associated with my mood and I try to direct my emotions into my songs. It’s the only way to do it. It is usually at the most emotional moment that you will have a potent piece of magic. Even if that is not for actual performance use, the feeling will be a reliable one that you can keep coming back to.
Kenley: The song Sometimes seems to be a real sad song. How do you think about that song?
Daniel: That song has a lot of melancholy in it but it also has hope in it. I think it is probably a little bit similar to some of the other sweet and sour songs I have written.
Kenley: It seems real personal.
Daniel: It is absolutely personal. But I think a lot of personal songs are often universal songs. If you ever get personal about a thought you make it very singular and isolated – in a way you are essentially getting closer to somebody else’s heart. More like the way synchronicity works – somebody else is feeling what your feeling somewhere else.
Kenley: What about religion. I know this is a sensitive topic, but can you tell us what part, if at all, religion plays in your writing process? Not just spirituality, but religion itself?
Daniel: I can’t say that I subscribe to a specific religion. I’ve just tried to build up my own personal moral code. I have my ideas of how about I am connected with my comrades out there – the rest of humanity and godliness. I think it is a sign of independence and intelligence when you finally decide for yourself what it’s all going to mean to you. I’ve never really subscribed to the idea that one is to operate by somebody else’s thoughts and regulations. I think it is good to be inspired by what has happened in the past and given that we are current members of our time now, we have a responsibility to those great writers from the past and take their wisdom and bring it into the future. That’s where the idea of sharpening your own moral code or developing your own values comes in.
Kenley: I suspect that comes in when some fans sense a native feel to your songs. Where would you say that comes from?
Daniel: On occasion there may be reverberations of native thought in my music – I have a few native friends. My family is connected genetically to natives – in a small way. I believe we all have that feeling or sensation that we are connected to the earth. Inside of us, somewhere, we feel a responsibility – a stake in it -- even if it is somehow being closer to our food sources. It’s that fundamental -- to know where your fruit and vegetables come from. How we are connected with the land. One might question how every 7-11 on the planet will have a tuna fish sandwich. If you’ve got dollar in your pocket and if you started with that, you might think how long will the tuna last?
Kenley: You have not presented yourself as overtly political and yet on this current tour you have introduced songs of a political nature. Ironically, the two songs you introduce are both instrumentals (JJ Leaves L.A. and Space Kay). What role do you see politics having in your writing and music?
Daniel: The term politics is such a broadly used term. It should really be about responsibility and getting back to values. How do you see the world? Are you representing yourself? So, I think we all have a responsibility in the end as individuals to speak our minds. I think probably the greatest way to speak your mind is to live your life according to your views. To give you a very small example. I have a very large property with lots of vegetation but I don’t use motorized equipment for my gardening. I just made a decision that I like peace and quiet and I would be a model to my neighborhood. I would sort of be a living example of my philosophy. I don’t want to make a racket with my vegetation, therefore I don’t, and if somebody else next door notices that and they start doing the same thing, then that’s good politics.
Kenley: Are you a reader? What kind of books did you read when younger and what do you read now? What influence does it have on your own writing?
Daniel: I used to read a lot and then I kind of stopped reading and now I am back into it. If I am going to do stories, I do short stories. I don’t have a lot of patience for the really thick novels where I have memorize forty characters. We are only awake for x amount of hours in a day. I am trying to be careful about how I use my time. I don’t want to be in front of the TV for too long or in front of a computer for too long. Or, for that matter, I don’t want to have my face in a book for too long. Of course, we have a responsibility to ourselves regarding education, so the writings are pretty important. I have a Yeats book here that I’ll stick my nose in now and again and I’ll read a Bukowski short story, but I’m really into quick fixes – I want to get to the bottom of what anybody has to say. Reading a really really thick book by someone like La Carre is of no interest to me. Too much time. Too much fiction. So, in regards to reading right now, I am just looking for the vital information.
Kenley: Can you talk a little about atmosphere or “place” when creating/producing music? For example, I believe that Bob Dylan's Oh Mercy was mainly recorded at night, which you can hear from the intimate performance / atmosphere on the album.
Daniel: Yes, that was Dylan’s call. I think he was right. Apparently, our brains are satisfied with slower tempos at night and so you tend to get a certain type of rhythmic result. And the Oh Mercy record has a lovely sort of nighttime feel.
Kenley: How do you decide who to produce?
Daniel: I operate by invitation. If somebody wants me to produce I will consider the invitation.
Kenley: You did recently sneak in a Harold Budd release (La Bella Vista, 2003).
Daniel: The Harold Budd record was really a homecoming of sorts because that is how I started working with Brian Eno. And when I met Harold in Los Angeles, just bumped into him in a café, I thought why not? Let’s help Harold out a bit; I have a beautiful piano. I secretly recorded him and it’s a great record. So, I don’t really regard that as a production because it’s the opposite of production. That was really about being smart enough to record Harold when his guard was down.
Kenley: You have stated you would be interested in producing Neil Young. Is that true?
Daniel: Yes, I have always been fascinated with Neil Young. He’s a great storyteller, there is such imagination in his music.
Kenley: How do you imagine a Lanois produced Neil Young recording?
Daniel: I don’t know what it would be. I wouldn’t know until we had it done. It’s almost better not to imagine. Preconception can get you into trouble.
Kenley: One last question on producing…Peter Gabriel says that you locked him in a room in an effort to get him to write - is this true?
Daniel: It’s a bit of folklore, but it is true. Just to make my point I locked Peter in the studio so he wouldn’t be on the telephone anymore. It was really just one of those moments to signify concentration. Distraction, we all love a bit of distraction [and] at a certain point, it’s best to be rid of it.
Kenley: I've heard multiple references that you have spent the last 10 years trying to forget the Wynona album. Is that your feeling? Why?
Daniel: No, I like the Wynona record. I don’t know where you heard that [because] parts of that record I think are really great. But, it was sort of my exit out of New Orleans and I am trying to forget New Orleans; trying to put that chapter behind me.
Kenley: You mentioned that you are in the studio and hoping to release another record in the coming year?
Daniel: Yes, I am going to try and deliver this one for a fall release. I have so much really great music I could probably put the record out tomorrow. So, I am going give myself the delivery date of May 1.
Kenley: Will we ever hear a track called Gonna Need Someone from the Rocky World video? What other tracks might we hear?
Daniel: I’ve never recorded Gonna Need Someone. I’ve got a whole batch of new [songs], one of them is called Drifting, another one called Sweet Soul Honey. And, I recorded the whole of the last tour. Given that I am in the studio now, we are going back and checking out those live recordings. I have this idea that if we could capture those particular songs in a live setting, even if it was not at the actual show, but perhaps the afternoon before the show – the idea of being on a stage and in a live venue setting – I think that might add up to some good bit of rock-n-roll regarding some certain tracks.
Kenley: A fan recently put together a 3-CD compilation of all your radio and television broadcasts that happened during the promotion of Shine. It is interesting to listen to the repetition and hear the differences with the different groups of musicians and the solo performances. For example, on a song like Fire.
Daniel: I’m sure [the compilation] would embarrass me. Fire had its lovely moments in places like that. It’s nice when a song pulls off in the absence of production.
Kenley: Where do you see yourself musically in ten years?
Daniel: I might be in Paris working with French filmmakers. I’ve always had a fascination with the French. There’ve been some pretty good films out of that neck of the woods and it might be nice for me to be there at that time.
Kenley: What capacity would you see yourself in?
Daniel: I would certainly enjoy working closely with some great filmmakers providing music for film. But, I might be making my own film.
Kenley: What is your absolute "desert island" favorite studio microphone and your absolute favorite pre-amp?
Daniel: Sennheiser 409 and Neve 1066.
Kenley: What is your pedal steel tuning (including pedals and knee levers)?
Daniel: I use a standard Nashville E9 and I change a couple of the notes. I only use the two standard foot pedals and don’t use any knee levers. I change the tuning of the strings relative to what song I am playing. Sometimes, I will take the second from the top string (Major 7) and may drop that. The other thing I do is put two low E’s. The third string from the bottom is an E and I make the next one an E too. That’s it.
Kenley: What sort of stereo bus compressor are you using (if any) while mixing?
Daniel: Neve’s stereo bus compressors; I have two different ones. One that is stock (Neve 8068) and another little one that would turn up as a Neve Melbourne.
Kenley: I noticed that you have been selling off some of your equipment.
Daniel: My new philosophy is, what I own, I should use. I am happy that some the gear is in very good hands, for example, an API console went to John Fruschanti (guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers).
Kenley: Do you have a studio in your home where you work?
Daniel: I have a studio in Toronto and one in Los Angeles. The one in Toronto is a very, very compact one. The one in Los Angeles is a little more cluttered.
Kenley: I know that Bono records his vocals using a fairly basic microphone, in the control room, with the speakers blaring. I was wondering why he does this and they keep the speaker noise out of the vocal microphone?
Daniel: We use a Shure Beta 58. And those microphones are stage microphones. So they are designed by Shure to exclude a lot of sound. If you are right on it as a singer it, by design, excludes an awful lot. The reason we do vocals in the control room is to add a little bit of excitement to the situation. There is no substitute for sound pressure so when you have big speaker cabinets pumping out volume, it pushes the adrenaline button and it brings you closer to that live stage sort of energy. That’s what it is about. It is not really technological decision.
Kenley: Do you record all your performances?
Daniel: I’ve recorded a lot of shows but probably not enough. A lot of really great performances have gone unrecorded, but I think we got something on this last tour. We recorded on 8-track.
Kenley: A lot of musicians these days are releasing their live performances. Have you given any consideration to releasing live recordings through your website?
Daniel:
I’ve thought about website records. I’ve made a lot of really great instrumental
music. A bunch of it I used to give to Billy Bob Thorton so
that he could write to it, at his request. I was thinking about putting
out a record called My Music for Billy Bob. Then, of course, there
is live, like the radio recordings (mentioned above). Some of those are
beautiful. I have some steel guitar recordings from
Kenley: Where do you call home?
Daniel: Well, I usually say to people, I like wherever I am. I still maintain that. I can sort of set up shop, make friends, and be a contributor to a community pretty quick. I enjoy that part of my character. Obviously, I am a Canadian, and that is probably where I feel my roots are most connected. But, I like moving around and being inspired by other cultures. As long as I can keep making a contribution to those places where I visit, I hope to keep doing that for the rest of my life. There are responsibilities that come with [moving around]. I see myself as an ambassador of sorts trying to spread as much good will as possible and leave anyplace in a better state than I found it in.
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The above interview was conducted via telephone on January 17, 2004. I wish to express my sincere thanks to Daniel for his generosity and honesty.