A man of many talents
U2 and Taylor Swift producer has released his own new album
As a producer and remixer, Garret “Jacknife” Lee has a CV that’s a who’s who of modern pop and rock. U2, Snow Patrol, Taylor Swift, Robbie Williams, The Killers, REM and more have all benefitted from his knob-twiddling magic.
Now, with his album The Jacknife Lee, he’s foregrounding his love of Afro beats, electronic music and a host of lesser known featured artists. He is partly reactivating a solo career that previously saw him release music under the name Jack Planck.
“I listen to new music all the time and when I like something I generally send a fan letter to say thank you,”
Garret, 51, says. “I emailed some of these people beats and suggested we try something and that’s how it started. I really wanted to work with people that I hadn’t before because I didn’t want to blur the roles with artists I already have a relationship with.”
The latter includes U2, a relationship he’ll happily reactivate anytime.
“I love Bono,” he admits. “Part of the reason why I love working with him so much is because he is smart. Any chance I get to listen to him speak I’ll take. And U2 are a smart group… making good records since 1980. 1980! That’s insane. They have the curiosity and passion of kids.” Mr Lee is complimentary in different ways about others he’s worked with.
Robbie Williams? “His greatest strength is that he is fully aware of his weaknesses.” And Taylor Swift? “Trusts herself. Has got great instinct. My production is a bit haphazard – I don’t use headphones or fancy microphones, there’s no singing room, so the vocals were recorded by her sitting on the sofa with the mic in her hand. She sang it twice and we were done.”
Garret keeps busy and is currently working as both band member and producer on projects with Microdisney great Cathal Coughlan and an outfit featuring Lol Tolhurst formerly of The Cure and ex Siouxsie and The Banshees drummer Budgie. He also wants to reactivate Tired Pony, his “vacation” band with Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody and REM’S Peter Buck. The secret of his success? Don’t ask.
“I have no idea how I produce records. I forget how I do my job almost daily and have to start afresh every time. No joke! I genuinely forget how to start a record. So the first few hours are pretty terrifying for me.”
■The Jacknife Lee album is out now
‘‘ U2 are a smart group – been making good records since 1980!