via Stereogum
Don Was has worked with practically every A-list musician of his generation — to name a few, Bob Dylan, Michael McDonald, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, the Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Bob Seger, Iggy Pop, and Brian Wilson. He co-founded Was (Not Was), which made some of the most colorful and eclectic dance music of the 1980s. Later, he won multiple Grammys (including Album Of The Year for producing Bonnie Raitt’s 1989 career revamp Nick Of Time), a BAFTA (Best Original Score for Backbeat), and an Emmy (Outstanding Music Direction for The Beatles: The Night That Changed America). Since 2012, he’s been the president of the venerable Blue Note Records — and he also hosts a weekly radio show in his hometown of Detroit.
Stereogum caught up with Was as he was prepping this show and getting into the mindset of The Pan-Detroit Ensemble’s first tour. “This band — it’s not good enough to be good,” he says. “It’s got to be great. We’ve got to achieve greatness. And we’ll have three days of rehearsal, and then we hit the road. [Laughs.] I’ve picked a whole bunch of songs and people are learning them now. I’m not worried about it. I’m making sure that my plan is up to snuff. I’m coming home and practicing. I’m playing every night for hours.”