The rest of Steve Albini’s letter touched on the remaining facets of his philosophy — “Where we record the record is not as important as how it is recorded,” “I do not want and will not take a royalty on any record I record,” and perhaps the most important, “If a record takes more than a week to make, somebody’s f****** up.” It wouldn’t be the last time he was vocal about his musical ideology either.
Just over a year later, in December 1993, Albini penned a piece for The Baffler and echoed similar sentiments in his signature caustic style. Notably, he took aim at producers who use “meaningless words” like “groove,” “punchy” and “warm.” The producers used these words disingenuously, he argued, to make bands believe they understand the craft. “Every time I hear those words, I want to throttle somebody,” he wrote. Through the rest of his life until his death in 2024, he continued voicing his opinions on the music industry and sound production — and did no favors for his reputation as an “a******.”
Check out the rule Foo Fighters has when recording music (it might sound familiar).
