Mark Ronson: "Zack de la Rocha Is a Beautiful Man"

Backstage at Lollapalooza, producer extraordinaire Mark Ronson recalled his first-ever Rage Against the Machine show (300 sweaty people crammed into New York's tiny Wetlands, where Zack de la Rocha handed a front-row Ronson the mike to scream on "Killing in the Name"). Ronson, who's finishing up albums by Daniel Merriweather, Wale and the Kaiser Chiefs, also talked about why he loved Rolling Stone's Barack Obama interview: "Holy crap, the guy who might be the next president of the United States feels the same about Stevie Wonder's five-album run as I do!" Click above for the full interview.

For more from Lollapalooza, check out the Rock 'N' Roll Diary.

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  VIDEOS Exclusive: Garbage Rip Through 'I Think I'm Paranoid'

Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

More Song Stories entries »

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