CA&E: What role does car audio play during the recording process for you?
MF: I have a DAT in my car. You have to have a car that's properly tuned, which I do with Kove Audio. They take care of all of that. So I know what I'm hearing is pretty true and consistent. I know my car stereo very well, I listen to a lot of music in the car.CA&E: Tells us about the system.
MF: It was problematic because it has the computer navigation and such. It took them about four, five weeks to get the stereo in there while maintaining the factory nav. I have some really good, powerful amps and subwoofers in the car.
CA&E: How do you like the 750?
MF: The car in its natural state is actually very sophisticated. The other day a Bentley dealer lent me a brand new $300,000 Bentley to drive. It's a great motor car, but the sound system was crap; and the electronics and creature comforts were zero. I got back in my BMW and everything was so accessible, the way it's laid out. There's no doubt with any of these big sound systems you have to sacrifice something. So I don't have a trunk. [laughs] But I make that sacrifice because I want the car fully loaded for sound.
CA&E: How did you hook up with Kove?
MF: I've known Gary [Kovner] for many years. I followed him from his old company to his new company; and he does all my cars. He was actually recommended to me and ever since then we've been friends.
CA&E: What do you think about satellite radio?
MF: It's a very healthy thing for the music business. It'll open up a lot of areas. I've spoken with the CEOs of both companies. Right now, their dream sounds like a good one. Their DJs aren't going to be afraid to play stuff. They're not beholden to anyone. If they keep it true, we'll get a lot of great music that otherwise wouldn't get on the radio. The play lists for radio are so restricted now and the DJs can't express themselves. Satellite radio will be far more expressive, where individual programmers will have freedom to do what they want, whether it's blues music, talking to musicians, or doing some live shows. I think it could bring radio back to where it should be and where it was. Radio was so fantastic in the '60s. DJs would play what they liked and very often make bands famous; now they're told what to play. Jim Ladd (a DJ in Los Angeles) is one of the few people out there who still has the freedom to play what he wants. It's all fairly scary. There has to be a business there, but you can transcend it. The artistic side has to be given more freedom. And their position, the corporations, will be enhanced in a major way, five, 10 years from now.
CA&E: What new bands give you hope for the future?
MF: There's a young band called The Flying Tigers that I really like; they're on Atlantic. I think a chap who came out of rap called Everlast - I think he's incredibly talented. And he made a musical change, became very musical and worked on Carlos Santana's album. It's an interesting time. About the only reason there's some decent music out there is because of the small labels. They have a small roster of artists that they care about. And that's why the corporations buy these small labels. So corporations need to get back to how they used to run these companies.