Butch Vig on Recording Drums, New Garbage Album, and Producing Nirvana

You know Butch Vig as the drummer and producer of Garbage, or the producer of such mammoth 1990s recordings as Nirvana’s Nevermind or the first few Smashing Pumpkins releases. But his production career began long before that.

In Wendy Schneider’s 2016 documentary The Smart Studios Story, we learn that as a teenager, Butch would painstakingly re-sequence his favorite albums, trying to come up with the perfect track list.

Butch Vig began Smart Studios in his 20s with Steve Marker. And one of the bands they recorded was their own, Spooner, with guitarist and lead singer Duke Erickson.

Incidentally, Steve and Duke are also Butch’s current bandmates in Garbage, along with singer Shirley Manson.

Having been playing together for nearly 30 years, they released their seventh studio album, No Gods No Masters, last Friday, June 11.

He says one of the many things that has kept the band together is their mutual appreciation for a very specific type of wine, and Butch is able to tell this in a blind taste test every time.