Clausen, Alf - Simpsons composer
By: Dominick A. Miserandino
'The Simpsons' have survived the test of time in TV land for many reasons. A significant contributor to that success is the fun and imaginative music behind Homer and the gang. We took the show's music composer Alf Clausen out of the studio for a while to get some fresh air, tell us about a new Simpson's CD, and give us a glimpse at future projects
DM) I know you write the music, but do you also write the lyrics?
AC) The songs' lyrics are written by the writers of the scripts and are
always incorporated into the scripts as story points. I receive script pages
containing the song lyrics, and I then compose the music to the lyrics.
DM) Since you must work under tight deadlines, are there any songs that you
wish you had recorded a different way but couldn't because of the time
element?
AC) The time pressures have both positive and negative effects on the
creative process. There certainly are moments when we all look back and wish
we had had a few more days to do things differently, but for the most part,
the pressures have a positive effect on the "creative juices." Having to
create a substantial amount of material within a relatively short period of
time often makes the creative impulses flow more freely. I often compose in
styles that probably would not have occurred to me if I'd had a lot of
leisure time to ponder the challenge. In light of that fact, I think the
answer to your question is that I'm very satisfied with the way the songs
have turned out.
DM) In keeping with "The Simpsons" tradition of having guest stars, who else
would you like to come on the show and sing with the Simpsons?
AC) There's a long list, including Harry Connick Jr., Diana Krall, Buddy
Greco, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, and a host of others. I'd love to see
more exposure for the great true jazz singers of our day.
DM) How involved are you with guiding the actors through the singing? It must
be an honor to work with all of these big names.
AC) For the most part, I'm not too involved in recording the actors, because
I'm busy every week composing a new score and/or songs for upcoming episodes.
The actors are guided through the singing of my songs by my music editors
Chris Ledesma and Bob Beecher. They are both excellent musicians, and they
get terrific performances out of the actors and guest performers. I did,
however, record both Tito Puente and His Latin jazz Ensemble, and also U2.
Both of those experiences were really enjoyable.
DM) What music did you grow up listening to?
AC) I grew up listening to a wide variety of music. I played the French horn
in an excellent high school concert band and sang in an equally good school
choir, so I was exposed to classic instrumental and vocal concert literature
at an early age. In addition, I loved TV shows like "American Bandstand" and
was a big fan of the early R&B artists like Fats Domino, Chubby Checker,
Little Richard and Elvis (when he was still alive -really!). And, to top it
off, I was fascinated by the film music of Henry Mancini. So, as you can see,
my early musical background was quite diverse.
DM) What's your favorite episode?
AC) I have many. One of my favorites is "Cape Fear," with Kelsey Grammer as
Sideshow Bob.
DM) Any great episodes I can look out for?
AC) From a music perspective, I've composed quite a few new songs, including
one for Shawn Colvin, that will certainly get the attention of the fans in
the upcoming episodes.
DM) You've released a few Simpsons CDs. What's the next project you're
working on for release?
AC) I'm taking a breather from other projects for a moment. If "Go Simpsonic
With The Simpsons" does well, I'm hoping to start work on a third volume of
my Simpsons music before too long. I have many new songs coming up in future
episodes, so there'll be quite a few new musical surprises for the fans.
DM) I remember that in the beginning of the series, it seemed that every year
people quoted it as potentially "the last." When do you think the phenomenon
might end?
AC) The ratings are good, we have fans the world over, and the series shows
no sign of letting up. It's still uproariously funny after all these years.
Who could ask for anything more? As of the moment, there's no end in sight.
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