‘Mind-blowing to me and thrilling for the band’: Musician and record producer Butch Vig on Japan’s influence

Grammy award-winning American record producer Butch Vig became etched in the public mind for his work producing a little 90s album, Nevermind, for a little band called Nirvana.

Not done with being a central cog in the global explosion of so-called grunge, the Wisconsin native followed up by starting his own band, Garbage, in 1995. A rock group hellbent on an electronic beat, they became known for synth anthems like Stupid Girl and I’m Only Happy When It Rains.

Garbage’s self-titled debut album led to a debut Asian tour during the 90s – a time that would inspire their 1998 album, Version 2.0, and further the electronic infused sound that has come to signify the group, fronted by Shirley Manson.

Eight studio albums and 17 million in sales later, and the now 70-year-old Vig talks to ROAM about Garbage’s genuine attachment to Japan and how that initial trip, 30 years ago, continues to hold influence and drive motivation.

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“The first time I travelled to Japan in 1996 with my band Garbage was mind-blowing to me and thrilling for the band. We played a show at Club Quattro in Osaka to support our 1995 self-titled debut album which had come out.

It was the first time I felt like, ‘wow, here was this kid from Wisconsin who had come a long way’. To be on tour in a foreign country and experience a new culture was exciting — and that was 30 years ago.

This was the era before the Internet and GPS maps to guide you around cities. It was a Lost In Translation feeling, wandering the streets and exploring pockets of the city as you walked through it. I remember feeling swallowed whole by the culture, the food, the energy and movement of Tokyo. Japanese culture was exciting.

I have been lucky enough to get back to Japan four times with the band since the 90s. I have never had a chance to go back and visit on my own but it still stands as one of our favourite destinations. The Japanese fell in love with our lead singer Shirley and we became quite famous there.

Considering when I started this band, I didn’t think we’d do more than go on a six-week tour at some point after making a first album, we’re still doing it all these years later is exciting. In part, it’s due to the reception we had in Asia and Australia where we were first signed by the late Michael Gudinski to Mushroom Records.

Tokyo’s impact on me has been long-lasting. In fact, one of the songs on our second album, Hammering In My Head, was written by lead singer Shirley while we were travelling on the bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka. The lyrics go: A hammering in my head don’t stop/From the bullet train/From Tokyo to Los Angeles/I’m Leaving You Behind.

I remember looking out the window of the bullet train and thinking I was really a small-town kid, because here I was in Japan for the first time and had no idea about their incredible culture and how they live. Seeing all those small towns whisk past as we sped by really made you think how big this place is, and how different to what I knew life to be back home. It was such a contrast to life in the United States. Travel really opened my mind as it did for all of us in the band; and that’s one of the benefits of being in a band on the road is that you get to experience other cultures all the time, even if just for a few days or a week.

Eating at random sushi restaurants with our entourage stand as some of the great memories we made. It didn’t matter where we ate, the food quality and service were always impeccable.

I remember sitting at the countertop of one restaurant, not being able to speak any Japanese, and the chef didn’t speak any English, and we just sat there and ate everything he delivered. The unspoken beauty of it all stands out to me. The Japanese hospitality is a very strong memory.

I became obsessed with the electronics district in Tokyo and wandered around for hours. I have always loved technology and it all blew my mind finding store after store and level upon level of options. I went there because Garbage has always been a sort of a techie band, and we’ve always had electronic component to our rock sound.

I purchased a portable DAP recorder and a new Walkman while I was there for personal use. I spent $600 on all the state-of-the-art electronics because you couldn’t get it back in the US at the time. The Japanese have always been cutting edge with technology and their futuristic approach was a huge influence on me as a producer and a musician.”