Find The Joy

I was thankful for the opportunity to write this article for Eddy and Rick at Inside MusiCast, until I realized that I would have to try to make sense of a career that makes very little sense. Trying to order steps to achieve some sort of successful livelihood in an unstable and insecure business is actually impossible.  

In a way, for me, at its very core is the need for the miraculous. I am still doing what I think I love after 37 years.  The reason I say, “what I think I love”, is that much of the time I found myself trying to figure out the ever-changing task of figuring out what someone else wanted to hear.  That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it would take some of the joy out of the creative process.  This is truly a fact that follows anyone through a career in the music business.  I used to say that I could count the number of times I was truly satisfied on one hand.  

But then it hit me. There was joy in all of it.  

It was just a matter of perspective.  Success will not and cannot be 100%.  That is a fact.  But, man, it can be fun failing!

I have been fortunate to have a few hit records, as a musician, arranger and a producer, and I have to say that all of the relationships that were formed throughout the years have been good ones and I have many artists and musicians that I count as close friends to this day.  

One of the many lessons I learned along the way was not to get married to my own ideas.  If you have talent, the ideas will come. And as a producer, I am not there to make my album, but the album the artist needs to make – one that reflects their music.  

This is the now the age of the producer. We are called on to help define the artist.  When I began producing in the 1970’s, most producers were non-musicians. They tended to be an ear for the artist to bounce general ideas off of. They also functioned as overseers of budgets and delivered progress reports to the record label executives. During my early producer days, David Foster and Jay Graydon were two up and coming producers, along with myself, who had a foundation in music.  We all played instruments and were active in the studio session scene.

We knew that we could handle any music thrown our way, but I am sure we could not anticipate the additional responsibilities involved with the role of producer. It was sometimes asked of us to be involved in song writing with the artist – helping them mold the song from a musical standpoint. Playing overdubs, such as additional guitars, keys, background vocals, strings, horns, synthesizers and additional percussion were a given and were always overseen by the artist and producer.  In regards to lead vocals, I never grew tired seeing artists “come out” in his or her singing style. 

OK, next was the good stuff.  Here was the “cold water in the face” part of producing.  

Budgets – keeping control over spending. Having to explain why the deadline for the delivery of the album was getting harder to meet by the day. Having the promotion department inform you of the struggle to get anyone to play your record. Going to dry meetings, often talking about anything but the creative process. Having, in some cases, 5 extra pairs of ears telling you what you were doing right and what you were doing wrong and the need to fix something that you thought was just fine. 

I had an instance when a well-known record company president asked me the following question;  “Michael, did you mean to put a saxophone in the solo?”  “Well, actually, sir, I really don’t know how it got there!”  

I was working on a song for a film, and at the time the director requested to hear what I had done, I showed up at a studio in Santa Monica, where in the control room, 30 chairs were set up. My engineer, Terry Christian, and I set things up for a playback and quite frankly, I was getting nervous.  Sure enough, here comes the army of opinions filing in to the room with not a smile on anyone’s face.

It took 2 hours to dissect a 2-minute song. With so many opposing opinions, I walked out of the studio thinking that I had created the worst music in my entire life.  By the time I returned to my studio, a call had already been placed, and a message thanking me for a valiant try, “but it wasn’t going to work”, greeted me.  I eventually found that I was one of 20 or 30 producers and artists that had taken the same musical path as I had taken. 

I guess I could be bitter about these kinds of things, but I’m not. I have tons of great stories, many of them that just make me laugh.

I remember sitting in David Geffen’s office during the production of Donna Summer’s album, Cats Without Claws. This was the follow up album of her successful album, She Works Hard For The Money, of which I also had the privilege of working with her.  (We co-wrote the title track, which did very well).  Anyway, David asks a question about something on the current album and I chime in with an answer.  He looks at me and asks, “who are you?” I thought he was kidding.  I had to explain that I was the producer that was hired for the job.

Quincy Jones told me that there is never a point where you are not having to prove yourself to someone.  

How true.

I guess that is the basis for what I am trying to say here.

All we can control is how proficient we become at what we do.

The opportunities that present themselves to us are little miracles, and frankly, it doesn’t really matter whether it all works perfectly. What matters, is that joy can be obtained from the doing, not just the result. 

This is another story that I love to tell.  It’s good for a lot of laughs.

As I walked into the studio to continue working on a Rod Stewart record, he was laying on the floor, with his hairdresser “dying” his eyelashes!  I sat in the control room, waiting for him to finish, having a private chuckle in the meantime, knowing that in just a few minutes I would be putting the voice of one of the greatest rock singers to tape.  

How cool is that?

Comments

[Yinka Oyelese]

Michael,

Thanks for sharing your words of wisdom and your perspective on the music industry. You have shared incredible pearls that we can all learn from.
For the first time ever, I am getting to produce a record all on my own, without having to answer to anyone. Your advice will come in extremely handy. You are so right about not trying to make each client's record YOUR record. I remember you saying that in your Keyboard magazine interview way back in 1987. The producer must be a chameleon.
Thanks for all the wonderful music over the years. As you know, you have been a great source of inspiration to me (and there are very few people I say that about), not just for your incredible musical abilities, but for your humility and your faith.
God bless you, and looking forward to more great music from you in the years to come.

Yinka

[Max]

Funny how great minds come to the same conclusion. The great bassist Marshall Hawkins told me: "I hear joy and discovery in your playing. Never lose that." I had to chuckle about Michael's meeting with David Geffen, but in retrospect you gotta remember Geffen started as an agent----rumor has it he was one the models for Jeremy Piven's character in Entourage. Then again Geffen is a billionaire who is concerned with numbers and not with people. I am inspired by Michael's continued quest to find joy.

[Henning Germany]

Michael,

thanks for your article, which I found very true and thoughful. I think it is important these days, with kids (i have a 12 year old boy and I am working in the music biz) and younger people having unlimited and easy access to create and consume music on all kinds of formats anytime, to remind them (and also some adults as well) that people like you, Quincy, Trevor Horn, Daniel Lanois or Foster are creating music with real musicians and that they should honour and respect that creative process in some shape or form. I sometimes have the fear that music becomes and digestible content provider and a lost art form.
Thanks to people like you for keeping up that legacy of hand-crafting and producing
music.

[jP]

Who are you? Ha! Consummately the greatest producer "what ever been gave."

This is great read, Michael - the history between you and one Terry Christian, likely my favorite part of the story. The subtext behind 30 years of work is an astounding thought. These ordered steps, the increase that comes in that very journey towards joy, and the inspiration it radiates and stirs inside the hearts of men, or even one kid in a little black honda, summer, top down, alone, hearing "its not far back to sanity" and who runs into a tape store to purchase what would become and still is, his favorite pop song of all time. THAT subtext rings loudly, and the heartaches and pains of sharing 30 years with a fellow pursuant of joy, comes thru in the marrying of life and song, passion and creativity, pleasure and often pain, and you sooth the demons 11,000 miles away from its source and the courage to get out of bed, walk the dog, work out, bury a loved one, make up the house, go to work, encourage a friend or even a stranger.. it eeks thru the pores of its listener and in essence begins to listen to itself, in spirit and in truth, and loves abounds, takes root, and in Harvest yields joy.

Thank you again, Michael for the light you are to the world. The spirit you leave on the notes paint colors
your brilliance illuminates. Nothing in my history has done for me what sailing did that summer.

"And if the wind is right you can find the joy of innocence again"

[Don Black]

Michael,

Over the 30 years I’ve followed your career, in every instance hearing from you , via print, radio, tv, etc. (as well as through your music), you’ve never failed to inspire me on some level. Excellent article..... Thanks for reminding me of the simple principle of how all things can work out for the overall good. Throughout my own life, there have been many instances where I’ve managed to experience moments of good cheer amidst my failures and trials. Large and small. Not to mention the lessons learned and fortitude gained........ I’ll be looking forward to hearing more from you and the great stories which have come out of the experiences of such a distinguished career.... "Who are you?" Absolutely hilarious.

[Richard Bunky Bell]

I've followed Michael's career since his name started appearing on the credit lists.
When White Horse came out I was so excited. It's still one of my top ten albums. The solos have wonderful melodic intensity.
The album Seasons of the Soul and it's message helped see me through some rough times in my life.
To see Michael's success both as a musician and a producer has been a joy to watch and hear, and no one deserves that success more than he does.
I know that he will continue to spread more joy as he embarks on his new projects.