SXSWorld
Issue link: https://sxsw.uberflip.com/i/654465
S X S W. C O M | F I L M / I A M A R C H 2 0 1 6 | S X S W o r l d 4 1 It was when Visconti started writing songs in a '60s duo that included his then-wife, Sigrid, that his career track switched. "We were like a Brooklyn – I hate to give these references," he says with a laugh, "version of Sonny and Cher. After a year, my publisher called me into his office and said, 'Tony, I really don't like your songs. I don't think you can write a hit song.' I was completely deflated, but within a second he said, 'But I love your tapes, I love the way you record music. Will you be our in-house record producer?' I was fired and hired within seconds." Working with the powerful Richmond Organization put him in the same building as Atlantic Records' studio. He found mentors in Atlantic's legendary producer Tom Dowd, and then British hitmaker Denny Cordell, who brought him to London. "Within a year, I'd met Marc Bolan and David Bowie, and that's when my career as a record producer began," Visconti recalls. Eventually, Visconti landed a word that always looks good on a resume: Beatles. "It was knee-trembling to work with Paul McCartney," he says, referring to Wings' Band on the Run album, which Visconti arranged. "He was my idol and still is in many ways. That was the reason I wanted to go to London – because of The Beatles. I first met him when I worked with Badfinger," he says of the early '70s rock group signed to The Beatles' Apple Records. "Paul McCartney burst into our studio session unannounced," he says with a chuckle. Though Visconti has great stories from the past, he is still fully invested in the present. He is currently working on Kristeen Young's new album, and he recently joined a band, Holy Holy, with Bowie's one-time drummer Woody Woodmansey. "I'm back on the boards. I'm rocking out," says Visconti. "Woody and I were in the original band that recorded The Man Who Sold The World, but the album was never played live, because David's manager broke the band up after the album came out. "I never stopped playing," he continues, "but I always play in the studio. Playing live has really reinvigorated me. You have to be in good shape. When you play live you have to give a flawless perfor- mance. In the studio, if you make a mistake, you just wind back the tape. It has given me renewed respect for musicians." If there's one artist with whom Visconti has not worked and would like to, it's Bob Dylan. "His early records were kind of a shambles in production terms, but they had a great spirit. What sold the albums was Bob Dylan: the songs were just amazing. However, over the years, he hooked up with people like Daniel Lanois, who did exactly what I would have done. So I feel he's been served well — but I still wouldn't say no to Dylan. He's still really great and people who do music arrest growing old like normal people. Bob Dylan is still young enough to make a really kickass record, and I would certainly love to work with him." For Visconti, stopping making records is unthinkable. "It's my pas- sion and I would see my life as not being worth living if I couldn't record and make new records, and work with great artists. It's some- thing that's in my blood, and something that began when I was 10 years old and commandeered my father's tape recorder in the living room. It fascinates me. It's a subject that involves my personal growth, because I keep learning: every day in the studio is a new adventure for me. For all those good reasons, I don't see any point in retiring. I feel that people with a profession they love should continue to work and continue to grow until they can no longer do so." T Tony Visconti will be SXSW Music's Keynote speaker on Thursday, March 17 at 11am. See schedule.sxsw.com for the latest event details. Open to 2016 SXSW Film, Interactive, Gold & Platinum Badges Friday, March 11 th to Sunday, March 13 th Four Seasons Hotel, Lower Level 98 San Jacinto Blvd.