Rock
Exclusive: Starsailor’s James Walsh spills shocking Phil Spector studio secrets — including his 'wig‑a‑day' habit
Starsailor's James Walsh has recalled what it was like when the band recorded with legendary and eccentric producer Phil Spector in 2002, which was his final production before his conviction for murder in 2009.
Starsailor frontman James Walsh has reflected on the band’s brief but memorable experience working with Phil Spector, revealing that the producer would arrive at the studio “wearing a different wig every day”.
Spector, once regarded as one of the most influential figures in pop production, worked with Starsailor in 2002 on what would become his final studio project. The sessions produced two tracks — Silence Is Easy and White Dove — both of which appeared on the band’s second album, Silence Is Easy, released in 2003.
Just months after the collaboration, on February 3, 2003, Spector shot and killed actress Lana Clarkson at his Alhambra mansion, the Pyrenees Castle. He was convicted of second‑degree murder in 2009 and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison. Spector died in 2021 at the age of 81 from complications related to COVID‑19.
Speaking to ContactMusic.com, Walsh described the sessions as a mixture of creative promise and growing unease.
He said: “It was mixed, really, to be honest.
“Initially, we did a trial week with him because the label was a bit cautious because he hadn’t worked with anybody for so long. They obviously saw it as a big opportunity but they were like, ‘We need to see if he’s still got it.’ That initial week was really productive… Then we agreed to reconvene to finish the album but something wasn’t right when we got back together. Phil was quite hard to communicate with and he was on a lot of medication. It got to a point where it was unworkable.”
Walsh stressed that the band did not witness any violent behaviour, but they did notice unusual habits.
He explained: “It was more so that he was distant and uncommunicative.
“The only eccentric thing we saw him do was wear a different wig every day, which could be quite distracting and strange. But we didn’t see any kind of anger or anything like that from him. We recorded in London so there weren’t any firearms around.”
The singer said the band were shocked when news broke that Clarkson had been killed.
He said: “There’s no point pussy‑footing around it. It was horrific."
Walsh also reflected on the ongoing presence of Spector’s work on radio playlists, noting that the producer’s legacy has not been treated in the same way as other artists convicted of serious crimes.
He said: “It’s mad to me how many of his songs are still played,” he said. “I guess people are still able to separate the art from the person producing it.”
He added that removing Spector’s music entirely would unfairly impact the vocalists and musicians who helped create those recordings.
“It’s interesting because Spector was a super‑producer — he’s more famous than some of the artists he produced. Like that album A Christmas Gift for You is called Phil Spector’s Christmas Album.”
Walsh spoke to ContactMusic.com as he promotes his new solo album, It’s All Happening, available now on streaming platfor,s and on CD and vinyl here.
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