Quote:
Originally Posted by cardiac
That's how he wants to see himself - as an artist. You have to release stuff to earn that title, I guess.
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Billy has very clearly seen himself as a super-talent at least since the 'reunion'. He's never been able to take criticism well, but it's gotten to the point in the last decade or so where he's effectively surrounded himself with yes-men.
He constantly needs his ego to be fed (clearly mommy and daddy didn't give lil' Billy enough attention when he was growing up), and Rick Ruben is probably the biggest named producer who can do that.
The thing is that Ruben isn't a producer so much as he's a consultant (he probably only ever receives producer credits as those are more financially/critically lucrative than receiving a simple thanks in an album's linear notes for being a 'consultant'). He won't challenge an artist, he'll simply suggest solutions for problems when the artist approaches him whenever issues come up, and listen to the final product while laying on his couch.
As a rule I refuse to listen or purchase anything produced by Rick Ruben. Historically there have been several albums that I bought that were produced by him that I hated (Audioslave's first album and Metallica's
Death Magnetic are the first two albums that come to mind), so I feel I've learned my lesson and will pass on William Patrick's upcoming album, as I'm sure most other people will.