I could give a shit about Maroon 5, but I LOVE Mutt Lange!

Solters asked if I’d meet James Diener.  Sure.  That was until I saw articles everywhere about the A&M/Octone guy, clueless people from financial magazines were calling me for background, ignoring everything I said and printing the press releases.  So I said no.  Never.

But Larry begged.  Told me to do it for him.

Today was the day.

I was surprised.  Because Diener’s a fan.  I started talking about stuff that occurred before he was born, and he knew it. We were talking the A.R.M.S. concert, when Jeff Beck blew Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton off the stage…and Diener had seen the video.  He was both a fan and a student.

And when I said the A.R.M.S. show was very good, unique, but not my all time favorite, he asked what my Top 3 were. That’s how I’ve got it broken down.  My buddy Marty Albertson asks what ONE album you’d want on a desert island.  That’s a fascinating question, because if it’s only one, it might not be your favorite, you might know it too well, could you listen to "Back In Black" every day, wouldn’t you want something more balanced, both quiet and loud?  I’ve got three shows, but not one album.  But speaking of "Back In Black"…

Actually, we didn’t talk about that album.  But that’s when the world finally realized who Mutt Lange was.  Best hard rock album of all time.  But it’s not Mutt’s only accomplishment.

I knew him from City Boy and Graham Parker.  Diener waxed rhapsodic about "Heat Treatment"…shit, he was only six years old when that came out.

But then I referenced Michael Bolton.

SAID I LOVED YOU…BUT I LIED!

How much do we hate Michael Bolton?  On principle!  Those wimpy tracks that made the women wet…  He could actually have a sense of humor about himself, and he was smart enough to work with Mutt, still…

Then I knew we were kindred spirits.  A true music fan doesn’t worry about lines of demarcation, he’s just in search of great music.  And Diener was not too proud, not too self-conscious to say "Said I Loved You…But I Lied" is FANTASTIC!

What kind of guy can work in metal, in country, in WIMP and not only be successful in each genre, but set standards, that no one else can equal, in both sales and quality?

Sit down with Ralph.  Mr. Simon will tell you some stories.  About how they were a triumvirate, Ralph, Clive Calder and Mutt.  How Mutt cut soundalike records in South Africa, that’s where he put in his 10,000 hours, replicating the hits of the day.  Mutt can sing, play and write.  He’s one of a kind.

And one we know very little about.

But now, I’m sitting down with James Diener…and he’s giving me a glimpse inside Mutt’s world.  All off the record. Because Mutt’s so damn private.  But I’m suddenly energized, for the first time in a long time I’m interested in a music story as opposed to the latest antics of Steve Jobs and the tech elite.

That’s what we’re missing.  Passionate people.  Who remember…and want to relive those days again.  Who are less interested in branding, whoring out to the Fortune 500, than music.  Going into the studio and concocting something so delicious that it’s played over the airwaves throughout the known universe FOREVER!

Mutt’s productions are timeless.  And now he’s working with Maroon 5.

James was interested what I’d think of the record…  What I think?  I’m FOAMING AT THE MOUTH TO HEAR IT!

The guy who made backwards drums a staple, who put Beach Boys harmonies in metal, who upended country music, I WANT TO SEE WHAT HE’S UP TO NEXT!

And this is where me and Diener are on the same page once again.  He starts talking how producers today are basically Pro Tools engineers.  Mutt can do all that, but first and foremost he’s a PRODUCER!  He didn’t even want Maroon 5 to come with finished songs.  Mutt’s not a transcriber, but a CREATOR!  He wanted the band to come with fragments, riffs, choruses, and then together, in Switzerland, he and the band would build not only songs, but an entire ALBUM!

Yes, there’s no filler on a Mutt Lange production.  There might not be a theme, but there’s certainly a STATEMENT!

And like Orson Welles in those wine commercials long ago, Mutt releases no music before its time.  Sure, there are live dates booked, release dates on the schedule, but when you’re making timeless music…it matters not a whit when it’s set free.

Eventually, Maroon 5’s album will be released.  And I expect it to burn up the charts, because that’s what happened with Foreigner, the Cars, Shania…they were somewhere before Mutt worked with them, then they were blasted into the STRATOSPHERE!

This is how it used to be.  Non-players, fans, discussing the music, the process…of how the magic is birthed.

Sure, I heard Diener’s story.  From Johns Hopkins to Jimmy Iovine.  He’s a very smart guy, yes, he used Wall Street money, yes he’s had more than one success, but what I respected most was the genius of putting Maroon 5 in the hands of Mutt Lange.

The first album was a phenomenon.

The second album was a worldwide success.

Where do you go from here?

You throw off the construct, you set aside the rules, you put yourself in the hands of the most creative, the most successful record producer extant.  And you lose a little control…but only when you’re willing to take your hands off, when you’re willing to let creative people do their thing, do you have a chance at creating something legendary.

That’s what’s wrong in our business, in music in general.  Everything’s geared towards the bottom line.  The focus is on that which is controllable, Twitter, Facebook…but music is inherently UNCONTROLLABLE!  You pick the best ingredients and pray for something special.

But it’s even better with Mutt.  Because he’s not done until there IS something special.  You see he’s got to satisfy himself. That’s what happens when money is no longer number one, when the most important thing is what comes out of the speakers.