As die-hard fans of film scores, one of our favorite people to speak with is composer Patrick Doyle. While he’s known the world over for his sensational, rousing, and robust music, that’s really only a portion of the man. Whenever we talk to him about his life, we segue into topics that, some times, are even more fascinating than the topic du jour. For instance, Patrick lives in London and has had a holiday home in France for 30 years; a building that conservatively one could estimate was built in the 1700s. Also, not many people can claim to own a tapestry that adorns a centuries old wall. That’s pretty…
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[Exclusive] Interview…Kip Winger – Rock Legend & Classical Compositional Master
Once in a great while we get the chance to speak with someone we’ve truly admired for years. In this case it is decades, plural, and Winger has been deep in our acoustic DNA since 1991. On today’s show we reached for an out of this world guest and are so excited to share this interview with you. It was a true thrill speaking to Kip Winger about the impressive and dizzying number of projects and albums from the rock world to the classical music landscape. Those of you who are fans of hits like “Down Incognito“, “Easy Come Easy Go” or “Headed For A Heartbreak” (just to name a…
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Interview…Composer John Debney Blazes the Trail for ‘Horizon: An American Saga’
When you think of Westerns, and the truly great scores and soundtracks that propelled them into legendary status, there are a staggering number of all-time greats. Much of that credit is thanks to a wide range of composers who have tried their hand in this sacred genre: Elmer Bernstein, Dimitri Tiomkin, and Alfred Newman for starters. Then there are contemporaries like Bruce Broughton, Alan Silvestri, John Barry, Michael Kamen, James Newton Howard, Harry Gregson-Williams and James Horner as well as those just dipping their toe in for a particular film David Newman and Michael Abels. Part of that great pantheon is John Debney who has been around the corral a…
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Interview…Composer Amelia Warner on the Sonic Swells and Sporty Sentimentality to ‘Young Woman and the Sea’
One of the most exciting, invigorating, and crowd-pleasing films of 2024 will not be a sequel, prequel or reboot. If I was a betting man, I would put all my cinema dollars on Young Woman and the Sea. What’s that you ask? Well, it’s a sports movie of a different type and it’s also the kind of story that’s most likely to surprise. Directed by Joachim Rønning (of Kon-Tiki), this tells the true-life story of Trudy Ederle, the competitive swimmer, who, in 1926, was the first woman to ever swim across the English Channel. This sensational film sits comfortably next to the likes of Apollo 13, Rudy, even The Queen’s…
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Interview…Composer John Paesano on the New Sounds of ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’
When a film score hits the right notes, and propels the narrative in film, TV, video games or even a short, the results can be absolutely breathtaking. Sure, we all expect the sound that composers craft (guided by the picture or from conversations with the director) to do the heavy lifting, but even when it stays out of the way, as they say, timing is everything. And what ace composer John Paesano does to the above-mentioned properties has the ability to get us invested in such a short amount of time with a single key, a full symphony, or just plain silence. From a young age, Paesano knew film music…
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Interview…Composer Chris Benstead on the Worlds of Guy Ritchie
When a composer and a filmmaker find a groove, the results are a seemingly never-ending well of material. Suffice to say, the best partnerships are far more than just one note. Pun intended! Filmmakers whose work spans multiple genres – war, action, fantasy, crime, all of the above – need a sound that suits the story. There are several long-standing director/composer partnerships out there and one of the more recent noteworthy pairings is the one-two punch of Guy Ritchie & Chris Benstead. We’ll be completely honest here: one of our very favorite (if not all time favorite) director is Guy Ritchie. A legend now, he blew people away with his…
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Interview…Composer Julia Newman on Technique and Timing in ‘FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans’
Sometimes you can meet a person and the way they look at life, their experiences, or just a few choice words can change the way you think about things. Having conducted over 200 composer interviews – each with unique stories from the industry – this particular podcast was one for the books for a number of reasons. We spoke with Julia Newman about her work on the second season of FEUD on FX. Most of the session was spent talking about life, her time in school, family ties to the industry and the valuable connections and foundation she’s made for herself. But mere minutes into the session (even before hitting…
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Interview…Randy Edelman on Songs, Scores, Musical Instincts and the Fiftieth Anniversary of ‘Prime Cuts’
Fifty years ago, Randy Edelman released his third record. Leading off this special album is the song Bluebird. “Prime Cuts” has many standout tracks – a mix of joyous, playful, down tempo and lovelorn tunes – but that one in particular exemplifies how he can pen something that seems simple yet comes across as wildly creative, poignant and timeless. He’s got the tools, he’s got the talent, and a very lovely voice; that’s what you call a triple threat. Randy has seen almost every aspect of the music business and while song writing and composing for films are two completely different animals, he can float back and forth between the…
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Interview…Composer Harry Gregson-Williams on Aardman Animation, Tony & Ridley Scott, and Working with Family
One of the best bits about running GoSeeTalk is getting to know people over time. As consumers, we can watch anyone’s career grow. But from a journalistic standpoint, having conversations about what a particular creative makes, how they do it, and all the steps along the way make for a greater understanding and appreciation of the things we see and hear. So let’s go back to 2013 when we first had the great opportunity to speak to rock star composer Harry Gregson-Williams. We had an interview at length and dove head first into multiple high points on his resume. That was then followed up a couple years later to discuss…
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Interview…Composer Joby Talbot on Paul King, Neil Hannon and ‘Wonka’
When you talk about comfort food, or feel-good movies, I’m sure everyone has their go-to picks, and the range of titles is probably as vast as any horizon. We’ve got a few for sure, but one that constantly offers something new upon repeat viewings is Garth Jennings‘ 2005 adaptation of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. One of the many reasons it works so well is the score from Joby Talbot. In a word, it’s tremendous. Talbot, who began playing music at a very young age, has tried all manner of instrument and musical outfits and made a name for himself as keyboardist and arranger with Neil Hannon’s pop group…
