Producer Jon Brion on the gutting and intimidating task of finishing Mac Miller’s final album according to Miller’s wishes
Photo: Christaan Felber for Vulture Producer, composer, singer-songwriter, and session player Jon Brion has left an indelible mark on the face of pop, rock, and hip-hop over nearly 40 years of work. His impressive résumé includes collaborations with Fiona Apple, Elliott Smith, Aimee Mann, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Beyoncé, and many more.
When I met Mac Miller, he was somebody who was interested in meeting me. In truth, he had this sort of sheepish thing with me. I think he presumed, quite honestly, that I’d had some sort of musical prejudice against hip-hop or people who made beats or something? These were his exact words: “Oh, yeah. Hi. I really wanted to meet you, but I don’t know if you’d even consider what I do as music.” That seems absurd, but it was a worry in his head.
He was so proficient at programming, at playing with samples, and he had taken the leap to wanting to hybridize his own work. But he didn’t yet have the specific knowledge about how to make it sound the way he wanted. Maybe within a couple of visits, he played something where I went, “Hey, I really like that. I just think the chord should change halfway through.” I’d sit down at an instrument and play until I saw his physiology change in a positive way, and we’d go with that.
In retrospect, I could see why he was covering “Everybody.” Music like that was becoming one of his interests, and like everything he did, he had a mercurial quality. If he got interested in something, he’d really fucking learn about it. It wasn’t surface knowledge. I’ve worked with people who like hearing about a lot of things, but almost so they can name-drop it to themselves: Look at how many different things I know. They’ve learned things, but they don’t actually absorb them.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Mac Miller -- Celebration Of The Life & Legacy Pop-UpMac Miller -- Celebration Of The Life & Legacy Pop-Up --
Read more »
Ariana Grande Shared a Never-Before-Seen Home Video of Mac Miller on His 28th BirthdayAriana Grande Pays Tribute to Mac Miller on His 28th Birthday (via PopCrush)
Read more »
Mac Miller Producer ‘Believes’ That’s Ariana Grande’s Voice on New AlbumSince Mac Miller’s posthumous album, “Circles,” came out Friday, many fans have been convinced they heard Ariana Grande’s voice on the track “I Can See.” The lat…
Read more »
Did Jennifer Garner Celebrate Divorce From Ben Affleck By Having A Baby With John Miller?Last year, a tabloid published a story claiming Jennifer Garner was celebrating her divorce from Ben Affleck with a baby with new boyfriend John Miller.
Read more »
Mac Miller's producer Jon Brion on finishing posthumous album 'Circles'Mac Miller's producer Jon Brion on finishing posthumous album: 'When the family came to me, it was one of the most memorable days of my life ... it was very, very, very fresh for parents who had lost a kid.'
Read more »
RS Charts: Roddy Ricch's 'The Box' Holds at Number OneRSCharts: RoddyRicch’s “The Box” survived a fierce challenge from Drake and Future’s “Life Is Good” and held on to Number One on our 100 Songs chart
Read more »