In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, the drummer speaks out on the recording process, the value of privacy and the sound of the new songs, among other topics.

Zach basically only spent three total weeks working on the album, recording between two and five takes for 24 songs and ending up with seventeen on the album (including the bonus tracks).

Asked about the first day of recording with David Bowie, Zach unveils:

"It was all very matter-of-fact. We weren't allowed to hear any of the songs before that, because [David] didn't want anything out there circulating. So we basically walked in, and there wasn't much discussion. It's like, "Here's the first tune." Usually he'd play us a demo. It would be a home demo with a drum machine and a synth. Then he'd play a rehearsal demo, because they had actually rehearsed some of the material up from the initial demo stage in November. I guess that was in 2010. And so we listened to both, and then we'd go in the room and start playing it. [Guitarist] Gerry Leonard would hand out charts while we listened to the song so we'd have something to follow, and we could make any notes we needed. We listened to the songs about two or three times, and then it was time to go play it. That was the drill."

David Bowie handed out nondisclosure forms for everyone to sign, so Zach couldn't tell a soul about the sessions. A choice the drummer understands well:

"I think it's a real testament to the value of privacy. This is zero promotion. Basically, him saying nothing is almost promoting the record itself. (...) In this day and age, people are so distracted that it's hard to show them anything they'll pay attention to. By actually giving them nothing, they want to know more."

Zach also talks about the possibility of playing any of Bowie's new material live, his touring experience when David Bowie was on the road with Nine Inch Nails, and his time with Bruce Springsteen, replacing for Max Weinberg. You can read the complete interview on rollingstone.com.