I’ve always been a huge fan of The Biff, so it’s such a treat to have Simon from the band on this weeks Soundtracking. The band composed a score for Jamie Adams film a few years back, Balance Not Symmetry, but as you will quickly discover, Simon is a MASSSIVE soundtrack and score fan. What a treat to showcase his enthusiasm.
I have been fortunate enough to interview Ewan McGregor many times over the years, every time has been a total JOY. Music has been a prominent feature in many of his roles, seeing him perform or the soundtracks having a huge role. He is back on his bike with fellow biker and long term friend Charlie Boorman in Long Way Up, which is available now on Apple TV.
The variety of composing work undertaken by Harry Grenson-Williams is extraordinary. It’s quite clear that he cherishes what he does, not just in the music he makes but the relationships forged along the way, from his mentor Hans Zimmer to the regular work with the Scott brothers and everything on top. Harry is fantastic company and I hope you enjoy our chat.
This weeks guest is someone I’ve been so excited about speaking to, for a very long time. Ludwig Göransson has composed some of my favourite music over the past few years and his work in film and tv has been extraordinary. The score for TENET is so intrinsically weaved into the the texture of the film, it almost breathes for it. What a lovely man Ludwig is and I hope this is the first of many episodes with him on Soundtracking.
I had so much fun talking to Tim Roth for Soundtracking, an absolute treat to spend time with, I could have listened to his stories for hours. It was utterly captivating to hear him talk about music, how and where it has influenced his creativity.
It would take me a very long time to list the work of Glen Ballard. You might not recognise the name, but you will have definitely heard his work, be that as a Songwriter, Producer or Composer. This year he celebrates 25 years since the release of Jagged Little Pill, the album he co-wrote and produced with Alanis Morissette. We can also luxuriate in his latest project The Eddy, a Jazz based drama which was created and composed by Glen, while being written by Jack Thorne and produced by Damien Chazelle. Hope you enjoy listening to the wonderful Glen Ballard.
This week we have the hugely talented and wonderfully enthusiastic Terence Blanchard, who not only is the go-to guy for Spike Lee but also a virtuoso Trumpeter. It was wonderful to get the chance to talk with Terence about how he started working with Spike and what he sees as the role of music in film.
I would not have survived lockdown without Disney +. Fact! My kids and I have watched so much of the content, both entertaining and educational. One of the new films we were really excited about was Onward, written and directed by this weeks guest on the podcast, Dan Scanlon. Dan has a long history with Pixar, working his way up from story artists to Director. Onward is a very personal story and journey for him and we are thrilled to have him with us to share his vision.
I am so excited to have the opportunity to celebrate the return to cinema with one of the first films to open the doors to theatres. A fantastic debut feature from award-winning Playwright and Theatre Director, Jessica Swale. Summerland is written and directed by Jess and is a beautiful film, in cinemas for 2 weeks, so go and see it and luxuriate in the stunning score by Volker Bertelmann.
Rob Delaney is everything you want him to be, and then some! I can’t thank him enough for taking the time to talk to me not once, but twice for the podcast. A major technical F&%$ up meant that our first chat was nowhere to be found, Rob was more than willing to sit through the second sitting of my ramblings. I hope you enjoy the results.
Sometimes you meet someone and everything about them is almost physically inspiring. Amma Asante is one of those extraordinary humans, her positivity and truthful storytelling are incredible. It is such an honour to have her on the podcast to talk about her brilliant work and the role music has played in her journey.
It was like catching up with a long lost relative, chatting to legendary composer Patrick Doyle. The man has worked with some of the best and you can tell instantly he still gets such a thrill from making music for film. He is back again with long term collaborator Kenneth Branagh for his latest project, the adaptation of Artemis Fowl. I hope you are filled with joy after listening to Patrick and I chat.
We all need a good laugh at the minute, could I please point you in the direction of a film starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as a pair of Iceland pop stars with dreams of winning the Eurovision Song Contest. Good, I promise Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, will have you reaching for the remote to rewatch musical numbers you never thought you’d want to watch in the first place. It’s brilliant. David Dobkin has done a fantastic job with something pretty complicated and tricky to get right. He’s nailed it.
We made 200 Episodes!!!! How did that happen? Very happy to celebrate this momentous occasion in the company of the wonderful composer Pinar Toprak. From Fortnite to Captain Marvel, she’s a huge talent and wonderful company.
We love getting out and about to record the podcast in front of a live audience. The last chance we had to do that was at the Glasgow Film Festival back in February where Simon Bird was showcasing his fantastic feature debut, Days of the Bagnold Summer. As you will hear it was a dream come true for Simon to have music from Belle and Sebastian score his film.
