R&R Hall of Fame sucks...lather, rinse, repeat!

David Johansen interview from the Quietus.


You say that it's important in the studio to not have the same experience repeatedly, but you did bring in Todd Rundgren on the last album and you'd worked with him before.


DJ: Ah well no, that was completely different. We did that record at Todd's house in Hawaii. And to be in Hawaii in January when you're a New Yorker is just heaven. So it was miles away from the last one we did with him in New York. It was like recording in paradise.



I was doing some reading recently and came across an interview you did in 1978 where you made some less-than-amicable remarks about Todd Rungren. But you had changed your tune when you brought him in for Cause I Sez So in 2006… what happened?


DJ: What exactly did I say in 1978?



I think your exact words were: 'He's a cunt. But it only took six days to make that album so I didn't have to get on with him.'


DJ: [Laughs] I was probably drunk. Jesus, I don't remember. I mean, the thing is, when we were working with Todd, we only had one month to make a record and you figure, well, Todd's definitely gonna come through with his end of things and everyone's gotta come through with their end, and in that prescribed time, we're gonna have a record. You know, a lot of people make records for forever. They go into the studio and, like, live there, but it's not the way we do it. We say, 'We're gonna make a record' and make one essentially very quickly. We don't sit around thinking about it so much. It's much more instinctual.