Wednesday, August 31, 2016

F This Movie! - Scored to Death

Patrick is joined by J. Blake Fichera, author of the new book Scored to Death and co-host of the Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers podcast, to talk about horror movie music, bad werewolves and leather bars.



Download this episode here. (63.8 MB)

Subscribe to F This Movie! in iTunes.

Listen to F This Movie! on Stitcher.

Follow Scored to Death on Twitter here and Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers on Twitter here.

Listen to Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers here.

30 comments:

  1. This was a great listen! Carpenter is all the rage these days musically and I think that can overshadow just how inventive he was. As early as '74 he was experimenting with different soundscapes using analog synths at the time and although the "Dark Star" score shows elements of this (and of course old Sci-Fi influences) it really starts shining through for "Assault on Precinct 13", his 2nd film in '76.

    I love Morricone's Giallo/Horror scores. He's going nuts at times! (See the score for "A Lizard in a Woman's Skin".) I also love what Bernard Herrmann was doing with DePalma.

    There was series that came out years ago around the mid to late 90's from a label called "Easy Tempo" that was releasing compilations of Italian composer's soundtracks/scores. I believe they are out of print but if you can find them, they're great! I think they stopped at Volume 9 or 10. They also started releasing full albums from single composers. Of course, Death Waltz is now running things for vinyl Horror stuff. Here you go - https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Tempo-(Italian-Film-Music-Series)/e/B000AP7DXM/works/ref=ntt_mus_teaser?

    Like the movie or not, the score to "Donnie Darko" is fantastic.

    Cliff Martinez is running shit right now.

    The "Sinister" score by Christopher Young is a super underrated piece of some of the creepiest stuff I've heard.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, and my favorite John Williams score is De Palma's "The Fury" but that's probably because Williams was channeling Herrmann.

      Delete
    2. Great stuff Chaybee. I agree Chris Young's score for "Sinister" is great and very underrated. It is also so different than what we are used hearing from him. So it is very cool in that way as well. We actually talk a bit about that score in his interview in the Scored to Death book. Chris is also an extremely talented & fascinating guy...and truly one of the nicest most generous people I know.

      I will definitely look into the "Easy Tempo" stuff...that sounds fantastic.

      And yes, "Donnie Darko" has many great qualities, including the score. I totally get why it has the following that it does.

      And, even though I (obviously) couldn't interview Herrmann for my book...almost all of the composers featured in the book do talk about him and his influence on film music and them. He really was a game-changer.

      Thanks!
      Blake

      https://twitter.com/ScoredtoDeath

      Delete
    3. Thanks, Blake! Gonna check out the book, most definitely. I shot you a follow on Twitter (https://twitter.com/brahmofficial)

      Delete
    4. Awesome Chaybee! Thanks for the support. I will definitely follow you back.

      Blake

      Delete
    5. I had no idea Williams did Fury. Shows how much I pay attention.

      Great show, as I have gotten back into horror the scores has been more important. So I have just bought your book Blake, thanks I am looking forward to it!!!!

      Delete
    6. Thanks for the support Lindsay! I hope you enjoy it!

      Blake

      Delete
  2. This was a mega fun listen!

    Also *lol* at getting your kids to listen to the Suspiria score, holy shit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My kids love the Suspira soundtrack! My oldest says it is his favourite song. He's 10, so hasn't seen the movie (other than the taxi scene at the beginning), but he whistles the melody all the time.

      Of course, I'm probably to blame, by listening to it endlessly driving them to school each morning.

      Delete
  3. Bucket of pizza is a startling mental image

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It may have ruined my love of both pizza and buckets.

      Delete
    2. I think you meant "increase" instead of "ruin." A bucket of pizza is a beautiful thing. ;-)

      By the way, for those interested, the sweaty 90s movie I mentioned as being the next SNMS episode is in fact FALLING DOWN and it is currently available for downloading and listening on our website, iTunes, Stitcher, etc.

      Blake

      Delete
    3. Damn autocorrect! Also, great interview, Blake. Just purchased the book.

      Delete
    4. Thanks Michael! I appreciate the support.

      Blake

      Delete
    5. Young Italian boys are actually given a bucket of pizza on our thirteenth birthdays. They symbolize our manhood.

      Delete
    6. LOL...very true Rob. A lot of people don't realize that.

      Blake

      Delete
  4. Shout out to MonsterVision with Joe Bob Briggs! Some of my earliest memories of horror movies come from that show and that guy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loved MonsterVision and Joe Bob Briggs. Many years ago I did a production assistant job on the bonus features for the DVD of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake and basically my job was to sit and entertain/keep Joe Bob company all day, when he wasn't being interviewed...and get him coffee, etc. This was just after MonsterVision ended and he had just written an amazing film-themed book called "Profoundly Disturbing." The other part of my job was to read that book and take notes for the producer, because they were also shooting an interview with JBB for something related to that book. Anyway, I had a great time just hanging out, all day, with Joe Bob. He was super nice and signed my copy of "Profoundly Disturbing."

      Anyway, all these years later, I emailed him and recited that story; my day hanging out with him, getting him stuff, etc. and the fact that he signed my copy of his book. I told him I had now written my own book and asked if he would write a "blurb" for it. He generously said yes! He then read "Scored to Death" and wrote a wonderful blurb for it. Part of it is on the front cover the rest is on the first page of the book.

      I miss MonsterVision, but Joe Bob still rocks!

      Blake

      Delete
    2. Nice! It's always wonderful when people who seem like cool dudes turn out to actually be cool dudes! That's an awesome story!

      Delete
    3. People always talk about MonsterVision when talking about Job Bob, but my introduction to him was seeing him on the show he did before that called Job Bob's Drive-In on The Movie Channel (TMC). My Dad was a cable junkie and paid for all the premium channels when I was a kid in the 80's and early 90's. The great thing about this iteration of his show was that it wasn't censored, unlike on TNT. I vividly remember being 10 or 11 years old and seeing the dick tossing scene in Street Trash. Scarred me for life. Joe Bob definitely gets credit for starting my life-long love of horror. I wish someone like Netflix or Hulu would reboot his show.

      Delete
    4. Me too Jeff. I also remember him as a sometime host of USA's Up All Night. Is that correct?

      Delete
    5. Wherever you first saw him, I think we can all agree that the guy is great!

      Delete
    6. @Jeff - TMC was where I first discovered Joe Bob as well. That's always what I associate him with, not TNT. But I'm glad we got both.

      Delete
    7. @Jeff - Unfortunately, I didn't grow up with cable at my Mom's house, only at my Dad's and he didn't have TMC. But I do know his TMC fans are pretty hardcore about how that is where they know him from. I would've loved to have been able to watch him there, but sadly...it wasn't until college that I discovered him on MonsterVision.

      Did he talk at all during the movie? Or was it just before and after? I'm guessing there were no commercial breaks.

      Blake

      Delete
    8. I too discovered Joe Bob on TMC, as I also discovered Robert Osbourne. But I agree, it doesn't diminish my love for Monstervision, not even a little bit.

      He never talked during the movie. It was still the same setup as Monstervision, but the movies weren't censored, and Joe Bob was freer to discuss the more sordid aspects of the films he hosted.

      And I don't think he had a mailbag segment on TMC. That's the only negative.

      Delete
  5. Good fun guys, it kinda give me a callback to a few week back and talking about the newly remastered version of Dawn of the dead, it may be the Cut Argento version but it does have the Goblin score, its a tough choice to go between uncut or Goblin, I own both and I always seem to go for Romero Directors cut but feel I'm missing out on Goblin, tough choice

    ReplyDelete
  6. Damn, Ghosts of Mars was my pick for the next Carpenter movie to become heralded... I love that movie. Maybe in another decade or so...

    ReplyDelete