Sean Slade\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9 includes some of the most recognizable records of the \u201990s. He cofounded the legendary Fort Apache<\/a> studio, where he and production partner Paul Kolderie helped shape definitive albums for Massachusetts monsters like Dinosaur Jr. and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. This track record led to the opportunity to produce Radiohead\u2019s debut, which featured their 1993 breakthrough, \u201cCreep,\u201d a song that, as Slade marvels, now has billions of streams. After that, they went on to work with artists including David Bowie, Warren Zevon, Hole, Lou Reed, and many more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this Q&A, Slade talks about what led him to Berklee Online, where he teaches the Culminating Experience in Music Production 1<\/em><\/a> & 2<\/a><\/em> courses for Berklee Online\u2019s graduate program in Music Production<\/a>, and he reflects on the moments that shaped his approach, from the famously abrasive guitar stabs in \u201cCreep\u201d to the philosophy that guides his work in both the studio and the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sean Slade:<\/strong> If someone wants to introduce me at a party, normally\u2014and sometimes I call this \u201cthe magic wand,\u201d\u2014they\u2019d say Radiohead. Because it turns out that a lot of people know about Radiohead, even if they\u2019re not rabid music fans. Somehow Radiohead has permeated the culture to a certain extent, where people who aren\u2019t devoted to music still know about Radiohead. They might not be able to pinpoint a song, but I also find that a lot of people know the song \u201cCreep,\u201d which I produced with Paul Kolderie, and a year ago that entered the pantheon. It has 1.5 billion streams on Spotify now. [Update: Radiohead\u2019s \u201cCreep\u201d currently has 2.8 billion streams].\n Sean Slade:<\/strong> No, no, no. There\u2019s all kinds of \u201cJonny was trying to ruin the song,\u201d and all kinds of wonderful myths that have arisen. No, it was a very deliberate part. He thought the song was boring and he wanted to spice it up. And plus it’s just really exciting. Jonny’s a musical genius, so he always comes up with something that’s really cool.\n \n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re at a party and your friend introduces you to somebody who\u2019s decidedly not a music fanatic, how do they introduce you? <\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nI get asked quite a bit about the noise that introduces the chorus or signals the course of the song \u201cCreep.\u201d Most of the time, the question is from some musician who says, \u201coh, you must have used an AC30 Vox amplifier and a Goldtop Les Paul.\u201d And no, it was nothing fancy at all. The reason people love that sound is because it\u2019s so damn loud, and we mixed it. The mixes that we did were not automated, so we had to do it live in the studio. We would do a mix, and the band would say, \u201cmake it louder.\u201d And so we did another mix where it was louder, and then we kept going to the point where it was comically loud, and that was the one that everybody liked.\nWhen it comes to unconventional sounds, I\u2019ve done all manner of psychedelic madness in recordings. But I\u2019d have to say that the much-vaunted noise in front of the chorus of \u201cCreep\u201d is probably the coolest one. I bring that up because when that song became a hit, I went out to Los Angeles and was meeting with people in the music industry there. I was asked many times by professional engineers, \u201cWhy did you leave that ugly sound in?\u201d\n\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nWas that Jonny Greenwood just testing his guitar?<\/strong><\/h2>\n