Linda Perry on feeling disrespected by Green Day during 21CB recording

[Give_Me_Novacaine90]

As a female producer, have you ever felt resistance or disrespect from male artists, or from male studio colleagues?
There’s been a couple times. I’ve gotten attitude from a couple guys before. I just don’t let it affect me.

What, specifically?
Well, I actually didn’t even think about it as a guy/girl thing, but this was screwed up: I had gotten a job. I wasn’t “auditioning.” I actually got the job to produce a Green Day record [21st Century Breakdown]. … Billie [Joe Armstrong] was very confused about what they wanted to do. He had saw this documentary on me and Courtney [Love] and loved the way I was with her. We sat for three hours. He’s like, “I want you to do our next album. I feel you’ll be great at directing this,” blah, blah, blah. We talked, we talked. I sent him things to focus on, whatever. And then, three weeks in, I went to Oakland to their studio, and set it up over there. They hadn’t even been playing together live … I mean, in the studio together. They didn’t record in the same room together, since Dookie. And I’m like, “Oh, no, no, no, no. You guys got to get in the room together. I would make a ’60s type of album. You obviously love the Who. Why don’t you go make that album? Let’s focus on that.”

And then, three weeks later, I didn’t hear a peep from them. They didn’t return any of my phone calls. And then, I started seeing all this internet stuff come up about, “What the f***? You guys are working with Linda Perry, the pop producer?” And then it hit me: “Oh, they totally chickened out on having me come in and do this.” And hey, I’ll take it as maybe they felt I wasn’t the right person, but what did it in was that they never called me. I got fired without a phone call, without anybody telling me. They just disappeared. And that was pretty f***ed up. If I were Rick Rubin or anybody else, they wouldn’t have done that. [Editor’s note: At the time, Green Day’s management denied rumors that the band was working with Perry. Butch Vig ended up producing the album.]

Rick Rubin’s amazing, by the way. I just need to say that. … But anyway, that was probably my first and only chick/dude thing where that got in the way. But it didn’t really affect me. I just was like, “OK, all right, just keep getting better at your craft.”

 

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/linda-perry-talks-lack-respect-representation-female-producers-rick-rubin-not-done-222804015.html

[Fuzz]

Sounds less like a girl/guy thing and more like just an asshole thing.

2 hours ago, Give_Me_Novacaine90 said:

They hadn’t even been playing together live … I mean, in the studio together. They didn’t record in the same room together, since Dookie

Weren't they in the same room during American Idiot? I mean, they obviously recorded their instruments separately (don't most bands do that?) but it's not like they weren't together.

[alienlifeform]

3 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

Weren't they in the same room during American Idiot? I mean, they obviously recorded their instruments separately (don't most bands do that?) but it's not like they weren't together.

I think she meant in the same room recording togheter, like people did in the old times

[The Grohl]

Don't know who's right in this situation, but either way, it's really shitty to be fired without a phone call and just ignore this person trying to get in touch with you. 

[Sarcasm]

Billie was mean to a girl? Guess I'm not a fan anymore

[jumpsalty]

I remember hearing about the Linda Perry thing at the time actually. I definitely remember Billie saying he was a fan of her work and she encouraged him to grow a beard or something. But from what he said at the time it didn’t sound like she “had the job” or anything, just that they tested out a few people. Who knows 

[Hermione]

Didn't she also work on Stop Drop and Roll/FBHT with them that same summer? I'm sure I remember reading that she was an influence on that.  Seems like an incomplete story. In any case they definitely did mention at the time that she'd been in the studio with them and that they'd considered working with her but it didn't work out. Bit of a shame if they handled it in a shitty way though!

[pacejunkie punk]

Sounds like a miscommunication. She may have thought the job was hers and they could have been meeting with a bunch of people at the same time. Her vision might not have been what they wanted for this record. Not sure if they did or should have called everyone they met with to say no thanks but she may have had different expectations based on their meetings.

[WhiteTim]

If she was going to Oakland to set things up in the studio that’s a tad bit more than just to meet... oh well she has a different perspective than what GD probably has 

[Clockwise]

Her vision sounds better than what we got with 21CB. Ya'll fucked up, boys.

[pacejunkie punk]

17 minutes ago, Clockwise said:

Her vision sounds better than what we got with 21CB. Ya'll fucked up, boys.

They basically did that with FBHT and the Trilogy. Not sure if she encouraged the FBHT thing or got the idea from that and said they should do it as Green Day, but they did go in that direction eventually, it just wasn’t what they wanted for the follow up to AI.

[solongfromthestars]

If it went the way she says it did, it was shitty of them not to let her know the outcome. I doubt it had anything to do with her gender though. Her vision sounds very different to what they wanted out of 21CB. It probably would have been the same if she'd been a male producer.

[_Mace_]

I'm guessing it was just a thoughtless miscommunication. It's shitty, but it's not the end of the world-- they probably were meh on her take, and then got over-excited on Butch Vig's interpretation. Think they must've almost forgotten. I doubt it was sexist in any way. They didn't 'diss' her, really. At that point, they weren't looking for pop.

[WhiteTim]

18 minutes ago, solongfromthestars said:

If it went the way she says it did, it was shitty of them not to let her know the outcome. I doubt it had anything to do with her gender though. Her vision sounds very different to what they wanted out of 21CB. It probably would have been the same if she'd been a male producer.

I dunno she does have a point if it was someone like Rubin they wouldn’t have pulled that shit on Rubin in a heartbeat 

2 minutes ago, E X H A U S T E D said:

I'm guessing it was just a thoughtless miscommunication. It's shitty, but it's not the end of the world-- they probably were meh on her take, and then got over-excited on Butch Vig's interpretation. Think they must've almost forgotten. I doubt it was sexist in any way. They didn't 'diss' her, really. At that point, they weren't looking for pop.

Perry doesn’t just produce pop she’s produced Hole as well 

[_Mace_]

And I doubt peer/fan pressure was an issue. I mean... they certainly change their sound frequently, and they never can please everyone. If fans were complaining that she was too pop and they wanted to work with her, they would've said eff you, we're punk, and therefore she's producing a punk record.

4 minutes ago, WhiteTim said:

Perry doesn’t just produce pop she’s produced Hole as well 

Well, I have no idea. But I do think that her vision wasn't theirs.

[Spike]

Linda Perry producing Green Day would have been AMAZING. I'm sad now.

[Christian's Inferno!]

The assumption that it was because she's a woman is so stupid. To even suggest it as sexism is ridiculous. It does seem pretty shitty but I mean, the band are busy, they probably met with a lot of different people. Maybe someone else was supposed to call her. It was probably a miscommunication as people have already said.

[WhiteTim]

29 minutes ago, Christian's Inferno! said:

The assumption that it was because she's a woman is so stupid. To even suggest it as sexism is ridiculous. It does seem pretty shitty but I mean, the band are busy, they probably met with a lot of different people. Maybe someone else was supposed to call her. It was probably a miscommunication as people have already said.

Sexism is very strong in the music business 

[pacejunkie punk]

31 minutes ago, Christian's Inferno! said:

The assumption that it was because she's a woman is so stupid. To even suggest it as sexism is ridiculous. It does seem pretty shitty but I mean, the band are busy, they probably met with a lot of different people. Maybe someone else was supposed to call her. It was probably a miscommunication as people have already said.

It doesn’t have to be conscious to be sexist. It could be an unconscious way you treat one person versus the way you would another without even realizing that’s the reason. You might just think it’s bad chemistry or whatever.

[Christian's Inferno!]

1 minute ago, pacejunkie punk said:

It doesn’t have to be conscious to be sexist. It could be an unconscious way you treat one person versus the way you would another without even realizing that’s the reason. You might just think it’s bad chemistry or whatever.

Sorry but unless there's actual evidence to show sexism, then it's just assumptions. This is exactly one of the reasons why modern day feminists are hated and made fun of so much. These "feminists" assume that if something bad happens to them, it's because they're a woman.

[WhiteTim]

2 minutes ago, Christian's Inferno! said:

Sorry but unless there's actual evidence to show sexism, then it's just assumptions. This is exactly one of the reasons why modern day feminists are hated and made fun of so much. These "feminists" assume that if something bad happens to them, it's because they're a woman.

She has a very good point if it had been Rubin they would NEVER have done that to him... 

[Christian's Inferno!]

Just now, WhiteTim said:

She has a very good point if it had been Rubin they would NEVER have done that to him... 

I don't think it's because he's a man. It's probably more that he's one of the most well known producers. I haven't heard of this Linda Perry person before, but I don't know how well known she is or if she's produced many successful albums

[WhiteTim]

4 minutes ago, Christian's Inferno! said:

I don't think it's because he's a man. It's probably more that he's one of the most well known producers. I haven't heard of this Linda Perry person before, but I don't know how well known she is or if she's produced many successful albums

Linda Perry is the Rick Rubin in the pop world she is HUGE in music I’d bet that mainstream listeners would know of Perry than they would of Rubin... a very short list of Perry’s productions include Christina Agurilla Brittney Spears Pink Beyoncé Solange James Blunt Faith Hill Joan Jett Gwen Stefani Alicia Keys Celine Dion Courtney Love 

[Christian's Inferno!]

1 minute ago, WhiteTim said:

Linda Perry is the Rick Rubin in the pop world she is HUGE in music I’d bet that mainstream listeners would know of Perry than they would of Rubin... a very short list of Perry’s productions include Christina Agurilla Brittney Spears Pink Beyoncé Solange James Blunt Faith Hill Joan Jett Gwen Stefani Alicia Keys Celine Dion Courtney Love 

OK well as someone who generally doesn't listen to mainstream pop music, I haven't heard of her and I'm sure people into rock music would be more familiar with Rubin. Like Green Day who are much more well known for making rock music and who have listened to and been influenced largely by punk and rock music

[WhiteTim]

5 minutes ago, Christian's Inferno! said:

OK well as someone who generally doesn't listen to mainstream pop music, I haven't heard of her and I'm sure people into rock music would be more familiar with Rubin. Like Green Day who are much more well known for making rock music and who have listened to and been influenced largely by punk and rock music

You mean Green Day who approached her and not Rubin? Seems GD seems more influenced by her than they are of Rubin since she influenced a side project of GD...