SAMANTHA RONSON: What’s the best dinner you’ve had recently?
MARK RONSON: I would say Torrisi. I also love Revelie Luncheonette, the sort-of-kid sister restaurant to Raoul’s that opened across the street from it. Of course, Bar Pitti holds the supreme spot in the hearts of our family. Some of these are places that I’ve been going to for 20 or 25 years now.
SR: What about the worst?
MR: Once you have a kid, you’re no longer the most important person. Many times, you’re eating for convenience rather than trying to find the best place to eat.
SR: What if you’re in a different city to DJ and not with your daughter?
MR: The nerves that I have within an hour of any kind of live gig are pretty intense, so I’m not really eating before. Maybe something light like salmon?
SR: That’s healthy. What did you eat after you won your Oscar? Was there like a celebratory meal that you had or was it In-N-Out?
MR: That night, we went to Vanity Fair’s party... where they were serving In-N-Out. It’s actually so weird how In-N-Out is factored into so many awards. When “Locked Out of Heaven” [by Bruno Mars] was nominated for a couple of awards—and we lost to the French robots [Daft Punk] in nearly every category—we got like 30 In-N-Out burgers after. Now that I have to be careful about what I eat, eating a burger feels like a reason to celebrate in itself.
SR: What kind of perfomance would you compare cooking a meal to?
MR: It’s hard to say. I’m such a Virgo; if I’m cooking, there’s so much prep... I have to have every single one of the ingredients pre-chopped, and every sauce and spice and seasoning in its own bowl...
SR: But I feel like when you play band shows, it’s not so improvisational, no?
MR: It’s different for everybody. I can’t leave anything to chance. Because I’ve been playing music for 30 to 40 years, I have enough faith in myself to go on the fly. Whereas with cooking, every single thing has to be ready to a tee. Grace [Gummer, Mark’s wife] is a great cook. She just makes it up as she goes. I just don’t have that intuitiveness.
SR: You’re really good at making smash burgers. Would you consider that the meal you cook the most?
MR: I actually don’t really make that anymore. I make this very simple, whatever-is-in-the-fridge vegetarian pasta basically everyday.
SR: Was it hard going vegetarian?
MR: You honor the eating habits of the people that you’re with in the studio. When I was working with Paul McCartney, I was only eating veggies out of respect. You wouldn’t dare. Afterward, I went vegetarian for a while. With Lizzo, I was eating vegan. When I was with Gaga, we ate eggs from our farm. It’s the role of the producer to make the artist feel as comfortable as possible.
SR: I guess I don’t have to ask about your culinary humble brags. So if it’s just you in the studio, what are you eating?
MR: In my late 20s and 30s, I was eating like a teenager. After a late night of work, your one indulgence is eating something that’s shitty but tastes good. Now, I’m at the point where my lunch every day is the same thing: two boiled eggs, two forkfuls of kimchi, and a quarter of an avocado. I’m not eating for taste; I’m eating for convenience, speed, and sustenance. I want to come home after and have dinner with Grace and our daughter. I think I’m probably quite a bit healthier than I used to be.
SR: Yeah, John SnackEnroe. Is there anything food-wise on your tour rider worth knowing?
MR: When I was really touring, it was cigarettes, vodka, Berocca for the hangover, and Curly Wurly chocolate bars. You know, stupid shit. Now, I don’t even really drink at the gigs. I always feel so bad because there is this rider probably from five years ago that’s all “Champagne and a bottle of tequila.” I’m definitely not going to touch either of those now, but those two bottles of Pellegrinos? Those are mine.
SR: That’s like my rider these days... tea and almonds. Last question, where would you take your worst enemy for dinner?
MR: I would let them pick the place. I wouldn’t want to take them anywhere that I like to go if they were to ever come back.
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