INTERVIEW: Mark Ronson

The rumours are true. London born record producer, DJ and guitarist Mark Ronson really does have a ‘mid-Atlantic’ English accent - testament to the sheer number of air miles he must have acquired travelling so regularly between the US and UK.

In London to play some promotional shows with his new band, the Business Intl, in aid of his forthcoming new album Record Collection, Ronson chopped it up with me via cellphone. When we spoke he was in a crowded taxi on his way to dinner with the likes of frequent collaborator Wale and MNDR, the latest vocalist to benefit from Ronson’s star-making ability. She features on his freshest single, ‘Bang Bang Bang’ (raps provided by Q-Tip).

Considering the upcoming release of Record Collection, a regular line of questioning would have been a safe option. However, when you're talking to someone who has appeared in music videos with Aaliyah (rest in peace baby girl), helped introduce artists like Amy Winehouse, Wale and Daniel Merriweather to the world, was once absentmindedly kidnapped by Ol' Dirty Bastard and has been friends with Sean Lennon since childhood - why not capture some remarkable memories of remarkable people, back story style?

Ol’ Dirty Bastard

“The first time I met Ol’ Dirty Bastard was a long time before we worked on music together. I met him in LA. I was DJing at a Tommy Hilfiger store, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard was performing. I was probably 24, 25 at the time, and there were too many people to go in the car. So, someone just said, ‘Mark, you just get in the car with Ol’ Dirty Bastard.’ At that point he was doing really, really well. He was on ‘Ghetto Superstar’ with Pras; and it was the number one song in the country. I thought we were going to go back to the hotel and I was very wrong. I ended up being sort of kidnapped by Ol’ Dirty Bastard and his group for about five hours. But, they didn't really kidnap me. They just didn't care that I didn't want to go sneaker shopping for five hours. I thought it was quite cool, because, shit - I was hanging out with Ol' Dirty Bastard.”

Aaliyah

“I don’t really remember how I met her to be honest. I think I probably met her when I was DJing in a lot of hip hop clubs in New York. She was a friend of a friend, this girl who was a roommate of mine at the time. They were best friends and she was just around. She was just really sweet and it was always a joy to hang out with her. She made you feel better when she was around. She had a pretty awesome vibe. I saw her about three days before she died. I was, you know, really, really lucky in that respect."

Wale

“Actually he is here [with me right now]. He performed with us last night in London. I heard one of his songs and I played it on my radio show. It was one of those mp3s someone sent me, and I didn't know who it was by. I remember saying after I played it, ‘I like this song, if anyone knows who it is, can you email me because I don't know who it is.’ Then this guy emailed me and was like, ‘Hi, I'm Dan, I'm Wale's manager.’ I asked Dan if Wale could come to my studio next time he was in New York. He happened to be there a few days later playing a gig for the Fader [magazine]. I just liked him. We really hit it off and he came on tour with us a few days later.”

Read the whole article where Mark Ronson talks about Amy Winehouse, Daniel Merriweather and Sean Lennon plus loads more in the August/September 2010 issue of Rip It Up Magazine. Interview by Martyn Pepperell