Throwing Fits: The Mark Ronson Interview

Date: September 29, 2025
Host: Throwing Fits
Guest: Mark Ronson

Episode Overview

Throwing Fits sits down with Mark Ronson—celebrated DJ, producer, and author—to celebrate his new book Night People and dive deep into his early days in 1990s New York clubland. The conversation ranges from the DIY realities of pre-social media DJ culture, obsessive record hunting, the shifting landscape of nightlife, the psychology behind the profession, celebrity DJ culture, and both the glories and pitfalls of being a modern music icon.

Key Discussion Points

1. Introductions, Accolades & Internet Truths

• [01:33–03:30]:
  Mark Ronson receives a characteristically irreverent intro: "Might just be the most interesting man in music."
• Clarifying the Grammys Count:
  Mark confirms he has nine Grammys.
  • "The Grammy number is nine." (02:17, Ronson)
  • Mark admits—breaking news!—he once updated his own Wikipedia:
    "I updated it from 8 to 9 for the Grammys because it’s just been a slow year for me." (03:02, Ronson)

2. Personal Style & Gearhead Talk

• [03:52–07:14]:
  Ronson’s podcast fit:
  • George Clinton/Parliament vintage shirt (his wife's—buttons on the “wrong side”)
  • Black jeans from The Row
  • Gucci x Adidas Gazelles from DJing gigs
  • Always Calvin Klein underwear:
    "Always Calvin... At this point in my life—yeah, habit." (07:19, Ronson)
  • AP (Audemars Piguet) Royal Oak watch but never checks the time:
    "I don't know what time—that's not why I wear this." (06:23, Ronson)

3. The DJ’s Psyche: Chasing Validation

• [07:25–10:35]:
  The hosts dig in on the roots of DJ motivation:
  • "Did you ever find that external adulation that felt truly and fully validating?" (07:46, Host 1)
  • Ronson’s frank answer:
    "I don’t think that hole in your soul ever gets fully filled. But as you get older, you do therapy or whatever. Of course, that thing is at the root of what drives a lot of us." (07:46, Ronson)
  • On the high of moving a crowd:
    "...it wasn’t me always connecting to the crowd. It was like, look what I can do to you… It was a high." (08:21, Ronson)

4. Night People—Writing About the 90s

• [10:39–13:47]:
  • Genesis: The book was inspired by the passing of DJ friends and Gen Z's curiosity about '90s NYC.
    "All these fucking Gen Z people were coming to me going, like, you were in New York in the '90s? What the fuck was that like?" (11:07, Ronson)
  • Why not a superstar DJ memoir:
    "I wanted to write a book about a real gigging DJ... five nights a week playing sports bars." (12:14, Ronson)
  • Shout-out to Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential as a literary influence.

5. The Hard-Knock DJ Life

• [13:31–16:02]:
  • Physical grind: lugging crates, monthly chiropractor visits, no health insurance, writing expenses off (if you’re lucky).
  • Earning battle scars in every sense:
    "When you're that young, your cells regenerate at this clip. You can get up. You can do all that to your body and take the beatings..." (13:13, Ronson)

6. Dance Floor Mythologies: Tough Crowds & Savior Records

• [14:00–17:49]:
  • Hardest groups to crack? The “Supreme kids” (cool skater kids), fashion girls, finance bros, etc.
  • "It's like a puzzle…what’s going to be the record that cracks these people?” (14:39, Ronson)
  • The “Savior Ass crate”:
    "Legendary DJ K. Slay... he called it the Savior Ass crate—you know, like when all else fails." (15:44, Ronson)
  • Go-to records: Michael Jackson, Jackson 5, Busta Rhymes, “900 Number,” “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.”

7. From Bedroom to Big Leagues: First Wins & Iconic Moves

• [20:14–23:15]:
  • “I made it” moment: Dropping ACDC’s “Back In Black” at the hip-hop party Cheetah after hearing it work in a rock club—risking career suicide, winning the room.
    "I dropped it on beat and no one could stop dancing. There was no time for judgment.” (22:24, Ronson)
  • This boundary-blurring set him apart and made his name.

8. Fashion History & Nepotism Tours

• [25:14–28:40]:
  • Outfitted in Aniche, Triple Five Soul, Supreme, Tommy Hilfiger.
  • Early gig: Tommy Hilfiger mall tour with a “Nepo tour” of celebrity kids.
    "I remember all these people lined up in Texas at this thing to get autographs. And this lady just looked at us and goes, 'Y' all should have brought your parents.'" (27:47, Ronson)

9. The DJ’s Adaptive Mindset

• [29:15–31:43]:
  • Gigged everywhere, from cop weddings (disastrous first-dance story: “The Long Run” by Eagles) to gigantic parties.
  • Forgot to book a DJ for his own wedding—
    "I actually forgot to get a DJ for my first one... Luckily there were 80 DJs there." (30:01–30:07, Ronson)

10. Social Media & Celebrity DJ Era

• [31:49–33:59]:
  • Would Mark have been good at modern clout-chasing DJ life? “Way better than I am now.”
  • The skillset has changed:
    "You really have to be presenting... and yeah, you need to be presenting that life." (32:31, Ronson)

11. Then and Now: Club Culture, Vinyl, and New York’s Changing Scene

• [33:59–36:09]:

  • Choosing vinyl over digital: “My back is fucked up again.”
  • Carrying your own records = respect for the roots:
    "Because of how I started, I just can't be a different dude in the city I came up in." (35:44, Ronson)

• [46:04–48:20]:

  • NYC lost something with the advent of bottle service: "The VIP section did not exist for a long time…then club owners realized they could make so much money selling these quintuply overpriced bottles…” (46:21, Ronson)
  • "New York is always just gonna be the most inspiring place to come and make art and do it." (47:43, Ronson)

12. Adapting to Modern Crowds

• [56:27–58:42]:
  • “Selfie-taking influencers at a corporate brand activation” are tougher than '90s club kids or drug dealers.
  • But the DJ’s payoff is timeless:
    "I still love the high from that thing at the end of the night when you've wrestled with a crowd that didn't want to dance..." (58:42, Ronson)

13. On Night People and Defining Himself

• [59:11–60:55]:
  • The book deliberately skips over much of the Winehouse/Bruno Mars/celebrity production years.
    "DJing was never something I wanted to do… I failed at being a guitar player and accidentally ended up in this DJing thing..." (59:44, Ronson)

14. Music Discovery, Nostalgia, and Dad Life

• [63:36–64:35]:
  • These days, his young daughter's musical taste shapes the house playlist: Jack Black, Joanie Mitchell, Scenario, Bobby Caldwell.

15. Record Collecting Obsessed

• [64:35–70:59]:
  • Gave away “so many records” when moving; lifetime spent between $500,000 and $1M on vinyl.
  • The hunt continues for specific records—sometimes finds himself reaching for albums he no longer owns:
    "Where’s Missy ‘Get Your Freak On’? God dammit." (70:13, Ronson)

16. Embarrassing Themselves With Legends

• [65:46–69:46]:
  • Awkward moments with Q-Tip ("I don’t know..." when Ronson boasted a rare sample find) and Jay-Z ("I play all your songs" as he’s swept by the crowd—recounted with self-deprecation and humility).
  • Takeaway: “I’ll always be a fan, even if I do know these people..."

17. DJ Health Hazards and Aging Outfits

• [74:10–78:05]:
  • Developed “DJ foot” (a form of arthritis), and used to take off shoes behind the booth.
  • Trying to figure out “how to dress” as an aging DJ (“How do you do, fellow kids?”).

18. Best DJs, Fashion, and Modern Habits

• [75:10–78:59]:
  • Personal DJ “Mount Rushmore”: Stretch Armstrong, AM (RIP), Kid Capri, Funkmaster Flex, and Clark Kent.
  • Splurges these days: vintage synths for scoring films, pricey modular gear.
  • Fashion: loves Stofa, The Row; still appreciates vintage streetwear but is wary of “trend trap” (big-sole sneakers as the "I get off the bus" moment).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I don’t think that hole in your soul ever gets fully filled.” – Mark Ronson [07:46]
• “I could hear Busta Rhymes ‘Put Your Hands...’ and just smell the inside of Rebar on a Tuesday night.” – Mark Ronson [16:29]
• “When you're that young, your cells regenerate at this clip...you can get up. You can do all that to your body and take the beatings.” – Mark Ronson [13:13]
• “My idea of dressing up, like, on a big night was a cool new T-shirt from Supreme.” – Mark Ronson [25:24]
• “I became really a DJ so I wouldn’t ever have to dance.” – Mark Ronson [30:40]
• “It's a puzzle…what’s going to be the record that cracks these people?” – Mark Ronson [14:39]
• On old vs. new club scenes:
  “Now I’m playing fashion gigs and opening with Barbie into Uptown Funk so people can take videos…that’s not real DJing.” – Mark Ronson [49:09]
• “You'll never fill that hole. You just figure out how to manage it.” – Mark Ronson [07:46, paraphrased]
• On DJ celebrities:
  “I'm losing gigs to Real Housewives left and right.” – Mark Ronson [51:42]
• On milestone awkwardness:
  “I play all your songs… [Jay-Z’s bodyguard] goes, ‘Nothing, man, just a fan.’ And I heard those words echoing in my head as I got swept by.” – Mark Ronson [66:06]

Time-stamped Highlights

• [03:02] – Mark admits to self-editing his Wikipedia page.
• [07:25] – Dissects the “hole in your soul” driving performers.
• [11:07] – Why a '90s NYC memoir? “What the fuck was that like?”
• [14:39] – The DJ as social hacker: learning to “crack” any crowd.
• [22:24] – The ACDC “Back In Black” set that made his reputation.
• [30:01] – Forgot to book a DJ for his own wedding; recovered with a crowd full of DJs.
• [35:44] – “I just can’t be a different dude in the city I came up in.”
• [46:21] – “VIP didn’t exist,” then bottle service changed everything.
• [56:44] – “Instagram influencers at a paid gig terrify me way more than '90s clubland.”
• [64:35] – Vinyl addiction: "$500,000 to $1 million" lifetime spend.
• [69:46] – “I’ll always be a fan, even if I know these people…”
• [74:32] – Learns he’s developed “DJ foot”—arthritis from years on stage.

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00–01:33 – Ads/Introductions (skip)
• 01:33–07:14 – Ronson’s intro, fashion, watches
• 07:25–10:35 – Psychology of DJing, validation, and power
• 10:39–13:47 – Writing Night People: why the '90s?
• 14:00–26:55 – DJing clubland, scene politics, fashion history
• 26:55–31:43 – Outlandish gigs, weddings, and personal rituals
• 31:49–36:09 – Social media, modern DJ culture, vinyl comeback
• 46:04–48:20 – Clubland’s evolution, bottle service, and New York changing
• 56:27–58:42 – Modern crowd psychology (“brand activation” gigs)
• 59:11–63:34 – Night People, personal evolution, family, and music taste
• 64:35–70:13 – Records, collecting, awkward moments with Q-Tip, Jay-Z
• 74:10–78:05 – Health aftermath, aging, and fashion anxieties

Closing Thoughts

The episode is a love letter to 1990s NYC nightlife, a meditation on the egos and compulsions of performers, and a lived blueprint for surviving and thriving within—and well beyond—the golden era of club culture. Ronson offers nostalgia threaded with honesty, humor, and humility, embracing both the glory and the awkwardness of his formative years.

Plug:
Night People: How to Be a DJ in 90s New York City is out now. There’s an accompanying playlist via QR code in the book.
Instagram: @iammarkronson

“You have to take chances as a DJ… if you’re not, they could’ve just played a playlist with auto-mix and called it a night.” (57:54, Ronson)