Pete Townshend believes one iconic music producer needs to be slapped

Pete Townshend has almost always been outspoken about whatever he believes in. This is one reason his autobiography, Who I Am, is so fantastic. He tells you things he believes in a matter of fact style while giving you a lot of detail about his life and thoughts.

He obviously, and rightfully, has strong thoughts about what makes for good music and how that music should be made as well. Few artists have been as successful as Townshend, and for a good reason. He knows how to create great music and has for many decades. Many other musical artists have one catchy tune and are never heard from again.

Producer Rick Rubin also has a knack for making some good tunes. He produced the Beastie Boys in their formative years, and he did a genius job on the Cult's Electric. He remixed and re-recorded the album and turned it into a stripped-down metal gem from an otherwise fleeting acoustic experiment.

Pete Townshend thinks Rick Rubin needs to be occasionally slapped

Townshend thinks that Rubin is sometimes too over-opinionated, though. In a recent episode of the podcast Rockonteurs with Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt, Townshend said he believes Rubin should be "occasionally slapped" when the record producer begins to espouse how albums should be made.

Townshend said, "Somebody needs to occasionally slap Rick Rubin because one minute he’s telling us that we need to do whatever we like, and then on the other hand, he’s telling us that we mustn’t do this, and we mustn’t do that." But he added, "As Rick Rubin so rightly says, and many other pundits about creativity, it has to be fun."

For some bands just finding their way, Rubin's input would likely be priceless. He has a great track record of turning raw songs into gold. Maybe he is too bullish in those settings, but that might also be his way of trying to convey confidence. It's with more established bands that he sometimes has issues.

But Townshend and Rubin are both correct in that music fans can tell when a musical artist is just going through the motions and being forced to create music that is not organic. If making the music is not enjoyable for the artists, why should it make for a fun experience for the listener?

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