Interview With Steve Albini
Who is Steve Albini you ask? Albini is one of the best producers of the last twenty years. If you're a fan of post punk, alternative, or punk, then you've heard his work. Among my favorite bits from the interview is songs being used in ads.
Growing up on punk rock in the 70s and 80s, could you ever have imagined that what was once considered alternative culture would be so readily adopted by the mainstream?
Certain stylistic elements have been adopted by the mainstream but you’re not going to hear Throbbing Gristle used to sell Volvos. This notion that the underground or the extreme becomes the norm is actually kind of a mistake.
The bands that get adopted by the tools of commerce as soundtrack music, they are not being used for their cultural importance. They are just being used because they are recognizable music.
You hear Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” being used by Carnival Cruise Lines and that’s a song about heroin and butt-fucking in Berlin and it’s been turned into the family-friendly shuffle board music. It’s beyond ironic.
The full interview is available on the Daily Swarm.
Growing up on punk rock in the 70s and 80s, could you ever have imagined that what was once considered alternative culture would be so readily adopted by the mainstream?
Certain stylistic elements have been adopted by the mainstream but you’re not going to hear Throbbing Gristle used to sell Volvos. This notion that the underground or the extreme becomes the norm is actually kind of a mistake.
The bands that get adopted by the tools of commerce as soundtrack music, they are not being used for their cultural importance. They are just being used because they are recognizable music.
You hear Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” being used by Carnival Cruise Lines and that’s a song about heroin and butt-fucking in Berlin and it’s been turned into the family-friendly shuffle board music. It’s beyond ironic.
The full interview is available on the Daily Swarm.