FRENCH ENGLISH GERMAN
ourINTERVIEWS

Mb: Hello MB
Mike: Hi! So, how can I help you and the TheWireWeb cause?
Mb: By attracting your fans to our site with your insights and opinions?
Mike: Oh my! I'm nervous. Not only FT complains about my English ("the language barrier" :lol)
Mb: No worries. We edit for spelling. So, first shoot me your main url, the one that you drive all your traffic to.
Mike: http://www.mp3.com/mikeburn. In fact I'll have some kinda promo coming up the 7th. of August. I will place a BIG link to TheWireWeb therefore on my artist pages. That's the solo-project and then my band/collaborations page...http://www.mp3.com/burnfriends.
Mb: Impressive number of plays. How long have been at mp3.com?
Mike: I discovered MP3.com in October 1999. That's rather long, isn't it?
Mb: Has it been a good experience for you?
Mike: My life simply changed. You know, over here in Germany you really have a problem when you are looking for bandmates and contacts. Since I am on MP3.com, I entered a completely new horizon. Contacts everywhere! I found musicians and collaboration possibilities which I never would have dreamed of!
Mb: Did it effect the way you saw music?
Mike: Definitely! I experienced the 'magic' of foreign influences which influenced my musical behavior as well.
Mb: And obviously it changed the way you did the business?
Mike: You know, I can't describe the feeling I had when I did my first collaboration with an American girl.
Mb: lol….sounds risqué.
Mike: I was used to good singers before, but it is a difference if you have a real American mother tongue person on the mixing desk. Indeed with MP3.com my music changed to a 'business-model' :LOL First I was only happy that so many people were able to listen to my music. Then the dollars came in too!!
Mb: Nice incentive to keep going?
Mike: I exploded! :LOL Because of MP3.com I changed to a production monster.
Mb: Knowing that people were only getting the recorded track?
Mike: Well..... as a matter of fact I'm earning my money in the real world with music-mixes and TV and Radio spots for major companies. But I never had any idea that my own material would find such a big audience! Ooops.. I don't know if I understood your last question right.....
Mb: Did you become production aware because the sound was all they got, no live face?
Mike: You can say that. I was hiding my real face for over two years on MP3.com. I think Mark Hewer was the first one who caused me to post a picture of mine. In fact many people know my STARSHIP BOBOTA music video http://mp4.com/media/6/6845.html and assumed that I am the guy who is playing the commander there. I enjoyed my double :LOL
Mb: Do you perform live as well?
Mike: I perform live frequently.
Mb: Clubs?
Mike: Since decades I'm playing with my 'band', the mikeburn and friends band. Mainly in clubs in the Frankfurt Area and southern Germany. We also did bigger open-airs. I hope I'm not writing too less....:LOL Man..... I'M NERVOUS! :LOL
Mb: OK, so I'm going to the mp3 BB for a question. Geosphere wants to know "Can excellent production turn a soso song excellent?" And at the same time he asks "Can lack of production values destroy a well written song?
Mike: Indeed a simple song with only a voice and an acoustic guitar can do well. There is not much need for production. It's just a fact that many music styles require more than only this minimal instrumentation. That's the point where the producer takes over 70% of the outcome. So, a good producer can turn a soso song into a very good one A producer does not only change the mix, he also will replace instruments played by other musicians, if the desired outcome should be matched.
Mb: I see this issue being hotly debated on the BB.
Mike: LOL I expected that ; )
Mb: It begs the bigger question I suppose which is what is a good song?
Mike: A good song is a song you want to play over and over. It either has a good hookline, a nice melody or it touches your soul backed by lyrics out of the daily life or creates pictures in your mind tickles your fantasy. Frequencies are also important. To choose the right sounds which are attracting your timpani organ. A song can live only from sounds as well. Remember "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins? I think it lives from the simple hookline and from that giant drum-sound!
Mb: Now, many would say Phil Collins writes crap... what would you say to them?
Mike: Phil Collins is one of the best producers living on earth. Besides that, MANY people don't know that he is a FANTASTIC drummer. Few people know the "BRAND X" project where he recorded several underground Jazz-Fusion-Albums. After you heard these productions you change your mind about the musician Phil Collins.
Mb: Well isn't it all personal taste?
Mike: Of course
Mb: So a song played with an out of tune guitar and off key vocals… could it be a great song too?
Mike: *ACK*
Mb: lol
Mike: OK, ok...... it can be.... but this is a very rare case. One of these RARE cases is the song "VIRTUAL STAR" by Father Time.
Mb: What would make it great?
Mike: Honesty, true soul, unfiltered feelings.
Mb: That's at the root of all traditional roots music.. No? "Pappy can't sing.. but he sure tells a good story in music".
Mike: Yes, but you won't find too many bad performing traditional musicians in Africa for example. Lol *still laughing*
Mb: So what about these collaborations. The most recent is?
Mike: Oh yes..... The most recent collaboration recordings happened with Jane Eliz from Australia, who visited me in June. Believe it or not she came over here for two days with Chris Bowers from the "Sisters Of Sharon" just to record. We recorded "LOVING YOU" and "SEE ME". After I uploaded "LOVING YOU" it jumped into the overall MP3.com Top40 after 5 days. I also did a club-gig with BB-Chris here. The recording can be found also on my 'burnfriends' page "MOVING ON". It was a incredible experience to have these artists (and nice girls ) over here and to see them from eye to eye. It was better than expected. It simply worked and we all had incredible fun!
Mb: Is this something you'd like to do more of?
Mike: I think I'm addicted meanwhile to that! :lol
Mb: Girls visiting you? lol
Mike: There is nothing more satisfying. I remember very well the day when I received an e-mail from MP3.com artist Nad Sylvan http://www.mp3.com/nadsylvan who asked me to do a remix of one of his songs. I always adored Nad for his incredible voice and his songwriting. Then I got the mail. That was a feeling, just out of the blue. As a matter of fact he didn't like my interpretation and it was thrown in the trash :LOL That was my first experience, but still I don't want to miss this experience. The next was that I got an e-mail from SALLY ANTHONY http://www.mp3.com/sallyanthony. She toured for example with Christina Aguilera and REO Speedwagon, Styx, The Barenaked Ladies. I thought "I'm in the wrong movie." Then her manager sent me the masters of her last album and asked me to do some 'magic' :LOL I did and they took my remix of her song "Come Around", which has been used http://www.besonic.com/sallyanthony
Mb: Have you got anything new in the works? Should I mail you my bedtracks too? lol
Mike: LOL I have still two recorded tracks unfinished/untouched from BB-Chris. And I got an invitation from Lauren Gibbs http://www.mp3.com/laurengibbs You must say STOP btw. if it's too much! :LOL I visited Lauren last year after she simply said "you are always invited". I booked a ticket the next day :LOL Now she has the opportunity to perform her 9/11 tribute "AMERICAN PRIDE" live at a special 9/11 coverage at NBC-TV. And I am invited to show up in New York to play the guitar :LOL
Mb: It sounds like you are most proud of the collaborations.
Mike: This is the most satisfying thing for me. It is of course nice to see some kind of acceptance for my solo work. But nothing is better than to grow over yourself with other musicians/influences!!!! Another good example is NINAGODDESS and Master-Zap. Both are involved in tight eLeCtRoNiC stuff. They were visiting me, after we became good cyber-buddies, last October. So we recorded a little bit and I changed their original track "All These Tears" into a pop-rock number. They were so happy and this made me glad.
Mb: I did a collab with them too... great people to work with.
Mike: And they have GREAT humor! We didn't stop laughing! :lol
Mb: Back to the BB… jawknee wants to know "What is his favorite studio toy?
Mike: My favorite studio toy? I have a synthesizer module "SUPERNOVA". This thingy never gets boring to me. Recently I received the Waves Plug-In bundle for ProTools. I could freak out about the equalizers there. I'm experimenting a lot with them.
Mb: Ted Lehman wants to know "What do you get out of the MP3.com BB's? "
Mike: I have learned especially through the fact that I was able to meet many BB-Boarders from face to face, that the most troublemakers turn out to be the nicest people in real life. 100% ))
Mb: So... finally, why does Mike Burn make music?
Mike: Because I make music since my earliest youth and I simply need music around me. I can't live without music. Earning money with music or 'having success' is secondary to me.
Mb: And what would you do if you couldn't make music?
Mike: Once I had a motorbike accident and broke the forefinger of my left hand. A catastrophe for any guitar player. I got a taste for a short time how it would be. I couldn't stand it. Ask my band mates. I was playing with my taped hand :lol And gave a damn about the warnings of my doctor.
Mb: And the answer?
Mike: I can't live without music. If I would have the destiny to stop it for medical reasons, I think I would rather die. If I would be in such a debt that I can't pay my rent anymore, the last I would sell would be my guitar!