Don Was

Yeah, and there's a lot of times where people will say to themselves/myself/whoever, "I'm doing this so I can be happy down the line.

You know, I'm, I sacrifice now so that something else is, um, you know, so the benefits come later on." But then you hear like, um, 'cause I was listening to a, a podcast the other day with, uh, Don Was, who's a record producer in America, and he was talking about how like for, I think he said 38 years of his life, he was basically broke and he was like a, you know, um, a, a musician for hire type guy.

Um, and he'd had little bits of success, um, and then all of a sudden he started b- like producing other people's albums and, um, had a couple of hits with his own band, and suddenly was getting like, um...

He, he was finding his success and he was becoming accomplished, and people knew who he wa- what, who he was, and he didn't have to, you know, he could afford to pay all his bills and everything.

... title of that.

Don't talk bad.

Uh, now, uh, a couple things going on.

Um, we mentioned, uh, that we have, uh, did we mention the Shoe-In of the Week is today, that's right.

Nice.

Tell us what's on your mind.

Don't forget, while you're there, Pigskin Picks.

You gotta get your picks in for week two of the NFL season.

In a way, Jeff might have been more sensitive to what Bob Dylan was than the Wass brothers were.

I just find it a little bit interesting because the other Wilburys had all decided that Jeff Lynn was going to be their producer at that point in time.

And then when Bob came to this album, it's like, nope.

And Don Wass isn't miles away from Jeff Lynn in production style.

Well,

no,

because I mean, very soon after this, you would get Don Ross and Jeff Lynne working on the same Ringo Starr album.

Yeah, exactly.

Under the Milky Way Tonight is still one of my top five songs that I play on my way into work.

Don Was was born in 1952.

He was part of the group Was, not Was, and he is now known as one of the music industry's most acclaimed Grammy Award-winning record producers.

Den Hegarty was born in 1954 in the UK, very popular.

And though I'm trying not to look in your eyes, each time I do, they kinda burn right through me.

Don't wanna lay down in a bed full of lies, and yet my heart is saying, "Come and do me." Now we're just a web of mystery, a possibility of more to come.

Rather live the fantasy of what might be, but here I go falling again.

It's the falling in love that's making me high.

Sorry about that.

Um, some Joyce Marin- Marino, a new version of one of her old songs off her upcoming album coming out on, uh, Far Out Recordings, and that song called "Algiers di Ojom" And the album is gonna be called Never, Never Too Soon.

And then just up before this one, we had Carol Bayer Sager featuring Michael McDonald with their version of It's The Falling In Love, and I was like, "Man, that's a cool, uh, Michael Jackson cover." But no, she did it the year before he did it, coming off her 1978 album, which is called Too, T-O-O, and she co-wrote it, not with Michael.

And he, um, of course, had it on his Off The Wall album a year later, 1979.

This week, we reach five years into our back catalog for one of our best, and I'd say, most important episodes.

From February 2021, its legendary producer, bass player, and Blue Note Records label president, Don was on the title track to Willie's 1993 album, Across the Borderline.

Now, one reason I love this episode so much is because it's about one of Willie's best, most important albums.

It's easy for even hardcore Willie lovers to forget where his career was on the run-up to Across the Borderline.

And way back when, Lyle Lovett talked to us about what an honor it was to have Willie cover two of his songs on the album, even if he was a little befuddled by Willie's pronunciation of one of his lyrics.

Which brings us to Don Wise, who, of course, produced Across the Borderline.

Producers' names aren't always familiar, but if you know the B-52's Love Shack or Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me, then you know Don was.

And aside from being really good at his job, he's an extremely soulful person and a hell of a storyteller.

You can visit Nora Jones' channel, and be sure to subscribe while you're there.

Hey, I'm Nora Jones, and today I'm playing along with Don Was.

[gentle music] I'm just playing along with you.

I'm just playing along with you.

Hey, thanks for joining us.

I like it.

Our guest today is Grammy-winning producer, bassist, songwriter, direct- music director, and a longtime president of Blue Note Records, Don Was.

He's pretty much the coolest.