Mark Ronson says one of his earliest memories is Robin Williams tucking him into bed
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Producer Mark Ronson had a heck of a childhood, judging by a story he recently told that sounds like it's from that R-rated cut of Mrs. Doubtfire.
In an interview with The Guardian posted on Monday, Ronson recalled that one of his earliest childhood memories is of Robin Williams, at the peak of his Mork & Mindy fame, tucking him into bed and peering out the curtains "in some kind of cocaine paranoia." The sitcom ended in 1982, so Ronson couldn't have been more than 6 or 7.
His parents were well connected in Hollywood. His dad, Laurence Ronson, was a real-estate speculator and music manager from a wealthy family, and his mom, Ann Dexter-Jones, was a writer and socialite.
Ronson said he asked Williams about the memory when he saw him at a restaurant 20 years later. "And he goes: 'Wait, your parents lived in the house on Circus Road? Man, they threw some incredible parties.'"
Dave Hogan/Getty Images; Robin Marchant/Getty Images (L-R) Mark Ronson and Robin Williams
Such eccentric happenings weren't uncommon in his household. A few years after being tucked in by Williams, Ronson came downstairs one morning before school to find his dad with Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates, "each with a snifter of something, playing a really intense game of chess."
He was clueless to his parents' adult hobbies at the time, and only "put it all together" in his early 20s, realizing "that's what the f--- they were doing, that's why we weren't allowed to wake up my mum till 3 p.m. on Saturdays."
Another influential music figure even ended up becoming part of his own family when his mom married Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones, following her divorce from Ronson's dad.
Later on, Ronson himself would be known for collaborating with the likes of Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, and Adele. The DJ and producer's new Apple TV+ music documentary series, Watch the Sound, premieres July 30.
Related content:
