Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Tony Mantor’s Almost Live… Nashville
Host: Tony Mantor
Guest: Butch Vig (Producer, Drummer, Co-founder of Garbage)
Episode Title: Butch Vig: Producing Legends—the Journey Creating the '90s Rock Sound
Date: January 8, 2026

In this episode, Tony Mantor sits down with Butch Vig, one of the most influential music producers of the 1990s and beyond. Known for producing seminal albums by Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and Foo Fighters, Vig discusses his evolution from DIY band member to producing blockbuster records that defined a generation. The discussion also touches on the psychology of producing, collaborative dynamics in bands, stories from the studio, his involvement with the Joey’s Song charity, and future projects with Garbage and beyond.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Butch Vig’s Early Days and Entry into Producing

• Studio Beginnings: Vig reflects on his college years at UW Madison, playing in bands like Spooner with Duke Erikson (later of Garbage) and becoming captivated with the recording process.
• Mentorship:
  • Vig credits Gary Kleeb (Shoes) for steered him towards production:

    “At the end of the record, Gary turned to me and said, ‘You should get into producing and engineering, because I can tell it’s in your DNA, you really want to do it.’” (03:16)

• First Production Experience: His real leap into producing was with Smart Studios, co-founded with Steve Marker.
  • Anecdote: The Minneapolis band Sometimes Why asked if he’d produce their record, to which he responded, “Sure,” even while still figuring out the producer’s role. (03:36)

Breaking Out: From DIY to Defining a Generation

• Pivot from Indie to Big Leagues:
  • Vig’s “first record that got a lot of buzz” was Gish by the Smashing Pumpkins, his first big-budget experience after “probably 500 punk rock records… I did in a day or two.”
  • On Gish:

    “I pushed Billy Corgan and Billy Corgan pushed me back. We raised the bar in terms of what you could do for an indie rock record.” (04:37)

• Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins Success:
  • After Gish, he quickly moved to producing Nevermind (Nirvana), which, along with Gish, “just kind of took off.” (05:18)
• Smashing Pumpkins’ Start:
  • The initial call from Billy:

    “This very effeminate voice said, ‘Hi, I really like the Killdozer Records you do. I have a band named Smashing Pumpkins. Could we come up and record a single for Sub Pop?’ … When they started playing, I was just completely blown away.” (05:45)

The Studio Life and Creative Process

• Studio Immersion:
  • “I basically lived in the studio, Tony, for 10 years. You’re there 14 hours a day. If you’re lucky to go outside and sleep for a few hours, you come back in and then start up again. But I loved it. It was incredible.” (07:00)
• Dual Roles: Still wears “two hats” as a producer and band member (Garbage). “I prefer the studio only because it’s like a creative palette. Every day I walk in and I think something’s going to happen and then something unusual happens.” (07:29)

Navigating Band Dynamics

• Producer’s Psychology:
  • “Really, 50% of producing is psychological… You have to know when to push someone, when to coddle them, when to sit back and let them figure it out.” (08:51)
• Band Dynamics & Conflict Resolution:
  • “There’s usually someone who is sort of a primary leader… But I want everybody to be involved in the process and be part of the creative team… Sometimes you have to sort of work out the politics within different band members.” (10:07)
  • On Garbage:

    “Basically, we’re four producers… there are many times where I’m like, well, I got vetoed on this, even though I know I’m right.” (11:06)

Overcoming Creative Obstacles

• Arrangement and Song Focus:
  • When a song “just sounds messy,” Vig breaks it down: “I keep telling the artist, okay, we need to listen to this. It needs to be more focused. And that’s when I start to strip things back and play things individually or question what everybody’s doing.” (13:40)
• Band Rehearsal Story:
  • “A lot of times I find that when I’ve gone into a studio with rock bands, they’ve been in a rehearsal room and they don’t really listen to what everyone’s doing… So sometimes I’ll start a track and I’ll just stop and go, okay, I want just the drums and bass to play together… they’re like, ‘Wow, okay. I didn’t know that’s what was going on.’” (12:22)
• Quality Control:
  • Vig’s advice:

    “When I go into work with a band… I’ll listen to and go, okay, go home and write 20 more songs. Out of those 30 songs, we’ll be lucky to get 10 killer songs.” (15:01)

Memorable Anecdotes and Notable Quotes

• Billy Corgan’s Reluctance During Siamese Dream:
  • Vig recalls riding in a car with Corgan, playing but abruptly stopping demos:

    “He’d play a song… and then he’d stop and go, can’t play anymore. I go, dude, it’s just you and me. … After riding around for about 90 minutes, he said, I’m not ready to make the record… There was a six month break and when we came back, he wrote ‘Today,’ one of the singles. He wrote ‘Disarm.’” (16:09–17:15)

Retrospectives and Lessons Learned

• No Regrets—Except Documentation:
  • “I always felt like the studio was a hallow ground, a sacred space… so I kind of banned cameras from the studio. But now I wish going back that I just had a camera, even a couple of Instamatic Kodaks… I really have no documentation of all those sessions I did in the 90s.” (18:03)

Giving Back: Joey’s Song and the Power of Community

• Joey’s Song:
  • “It’s a multi day event called Freezing Man in Madison, Wisconsin… musicians come and we collaborate, jam together, we put on these really crazy cool collaborative shows and all the money goes to battle epilepsy.” (19:31)
  • Deep personal connection:

    “I have several friends who battle with epilepsy... I just decided I’m going to jump in full force...” (20:19)

  • The event’s scale:

    “Everybody who comes there leaves their ego at the door… There’s 70 musicians this year. I’m one of the musical directors… it is so effing fun, I’m telling you.” (21:31)

Future Projects and On the Horizon

• Recent Releases & Scoring:
  • Just finished Silver Sun Pickups’ album ‘Tenterhooks.’
  • Working on film scoring:

    “Just finished up a horror film called The Third Parent… the producer and director kept saying we don’t want music, we just want noise, we want sound design… It’s fun.” (22:15)

• Garbage’s Next Chapter:
  • “We’re gonna start a ninth album, and I’m very excited about that… possibly record the album in Europe, in France and Germany.” (23:09)
• Busy 2026:
  • Garbage set for European festivals, Royal Albert Hall benefit with Robert Smith (The Cure):

    “He asked us to play on one of the nights. We’re all massive Cure fans.” (24:09)

  • Tour logistics and future plans discussed.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On learning production by diving in:

  “If you have an opinion, you can be a record producer.”
  — Butch Vig (03:47)

• On the psychological nature of producing:

  “50% of producing is psychological. You need to know when to push someone, when to coddle them, when to sit back and let them figure it out.”
  — Butch Vig (08:51)

• On finding the magic in the studio:

  “Every day I walk in and I think something’s going to happen and then something unusual happens. And there’s always detours in the process... and I’m somewhat addicted to it.”
  — Butch Vig (07:29)

• On creative disagreements within Garbage:

  “There are many times where I’m like, well, I got vetoed on this, even though I know I’m right… It’s part of the creative process. You have to learn to go with the flow.”
  — Butch Vig (11:06)

• On song selection:

  “Out of those 30 songs, we’ll be lucky to get 10 killer songs.”
  — Butch Vig (15:04)

• On giving advice to his younger self:

  “In some ways I wish I had been a little more cognizant of the fact that there’s a lot going on in the long term... I have no documentation of all those sessions I did in the ‘90s.”
  — Butch Vig (18:33)

• On the impact of Joey’s Song:

  “Everybody who comes there leaves their ego at the door. It’s very collaborative… It is so effing fun, I’m telling you.”
  — Butch Vig (21:42)

Important Timestamps

• Early career memories & advice: 02:42–04:03
• Breakout with Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana: 04:24–05:26
• Billy Corgan’s first call and the Madison scene: 05:34–06:19
• Studio immersion & creative process: 07:00–08:09
• Band dynamics & creative psychology: 08:32–11:06
• Focusing arrangements and band rehearsal insight: 11:59–14:36
• Song selection & Billy Corgan anecdote: 15:01–17:24
• Lessons looking back (wish he’d filmed more): 17:43–19:20
• Joey’s Song charity event details: 19:31–21:59
• Current projects and 2026 plans: 22:15–24:28
• Final remarks about Joey’s Song musicians roster: 25:23–26:19

Conclusion

This episode offers a masterclass in music production, creativity, and the human element that underpins iconic records. Butch Vig’s stories from the birth of ’90s alt-rock offer lessons in studio psychology, collaboration, and the unpredictable magic that happens when the right people meet at the right time. His openness about challenges, his humility, and his dedication to giving back with Joey’s Song round out a rich, inspiring conversation for anyone passionate about music creation or interested in the world behind the hits.

For more on Joey’s Song or to support their initiatives:
Visit [Joey's Song website] or attend the Freezing Man benefit in Madison, WI.

(“If you’re lucky enough or inclined, you can hop on a plane and come up to Freezing Man for the second weekend of January in Madison, Wisconsin… It’s the frozen tundra, man. But it’s really fun.” — Butch Vig, 25:23)