Just because Butch Walker’s name isn’t as instantly recognizable as, say, Steven Tyler or Ice-T doesn’t mean he isn’t teeming with stories about his own experiences in the music industry.
Walker, a native of Cartersville, has a fabled history in the Atlanta area, from his early days as a member in the spelling-challenged Badd Boyz and Byte the Bullet to his late-’90s chart success with Marvelous 3 and “Freak of the Week” to his current role as a notable record producer.
In his recently released memoir, “Drinking With Strangers: Music Lessons From a Teenage Bullet Belt,” written with music journalist Matt Diehl, Walker recounts his professional (and personal) travails with a self-aware wink. But his candor should also serve as a road map to those hoping to break into the music business.
Though there are stories of expected excess, especially when Byte the Bullet heads to the hair band haven of the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, Walker is more interested in discussing the realities of record label ineptitude and his path to producing acts such as Pink and Weezer, co-writing hits for Avril Lavigne and rebounding after a 2007 wildfire destroyed the house he was renting from Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Walker, who turned 42 on Monday, is still a touring musician as well and with his current band, the Black Widows, released the hook-filled “The Spade” this summer.
The animated singer-songwriter-producer-author checked in last week from Seattle, where he’s in pre-production for the new Train record, to talk about “Drinking,” his wish list and his family.
Q: Even though you live in Malibu, do you still keep in touch with your friends from Cartersville?
A: I do. My childhood best friend, Caleb, lives on about 50 acres up near Rome. We'll go up there and four-wheel and it's pretty fun. And obviously my family is still there in the same house.
Q: How difficult was it to get your thoughts together for the book?
A: At the time of writing it, I was reeling in a lot of nostalgia. When you get in your 40s and your parents are older and life is fragile, you know that life isn't forever. It made me reminisce a lot. A lot of childhood memories were conjured up through talking about the book with Matt [Diehl]. It made me have a revived passion for my job and also for my family and friends.
Q: It’s a really honest depiction of the realities of the music business, but is there anything in there that, in retrospect, you wish wasn’t?
A: Yes and no, and maybe that's still to be determined because the book is so new. It wasn't an attempt to throw people under the bus. Some people might take some of the stories that way, but if I didn't tell the truth, it wouldn't be that interesting and why would I want to do it? But it's not a tell-all. If I wanted to write a tell-all, it would be a lot worse. Most of it is self-deprecating. I'm not dragging anybody else down.
Q: Were you able to replace everything you lost in the fire?
A: I replaced anything that needed to be replaced, which wasn't much. After the fire, I realized how little of that [stuff] I needed. I had spent so much money on [stuff] ... and when you lose a million dollars of personal belongings, you realize how little of it you need. It was very enlightening, and I love traveling light. I went from living in a 5,800-square-foot house to a 1,700-square-foot midcentury house.
Q: You’ve worked with an interesting list of artists, but who is on your wish list?
A: Your first instinct is to go with your idols, so that means I'd love to work with Elvis Costello. But I have his face tattooed on my arm, so that would be weird. There are so many new groups I listen to, modern music that I love. I wouldn't even know where to start.
Q: So are the Black Widows “the” band for now?
A: Oh, yeah, that's my band. We wanted to establish with this tour and record that it doesn't sound like a solo record. I'll do a solo record one day, and it won't sound like "The Spade," but that's the beauty of it. We have such camaraderie that I think that band will always exist. It's the happiest I've been since Marvelous 3.
Q: You mention in the book that your dad is ailing. Will you head home for Thanksgiving?
A: Yeah, gotta spend some time with my mom and pop and visit friends and family. My dad is one of my best friends. He's like my brother and my father. I like to spend as much time as I can getting to know him on a daily basis. We talk a lot, but he's a big texter now. It's great to get a text from him every day.
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