The Emmy-winning composer/arranger labored with a 35-piece orchestra for 27 years, creating music for The Simpsons. Clausen died Might 29. Initially broadcast Might 14, 1997.
DAVID BIANCULLI, HOST:
That is FRESH AIR. The acquainted theme tune to the long-running animated TV sequence “The Simpsons” was written by Danny Elfman. However for the subsequent 27 seasons from the present’s launch in 1990 till 2017, all of the music was written, organized and orchestrated by Alf Clausen, who died final week at age 84. He labored with a 35-piece orchestra and sometimes the present’s forged members to create a dizzying vary of musical highlights, successful two Emmys for his efforts. Clausen had demonstrated his items for musical satire and cleverness earlier than becoming a member of the Simpsons. He supplied the music for the well-known episode of the TV sequence “Moonlighting,” that was a parody of Shakespeare’s “The Taming Of The Shrew.” On “The Simpsons,” certainly one of his many impressed contributions was the music for an area musical manufacturing of one other theatrical basic, “A Streetcar Named Need.” Its songs featured solo turns by Julie Kavner’s Marge as Blanche and Harry Shearer’s Ned Flanders as Stanley, and an enormous closing manufacturing quantity, “The Kindness Of Strangers,” that includes fairly just a few of Springfield’s acquainted residents.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “THE SIMPSONS”)
JULIE KAVNER: (As Marge Simpson) My identify is Blanche DuBois.
(As Marge Simpson, singing) I believed my life could be a Mardi Gras, a endless get together. Ha.
HARRY SHEARER: (As Ned Flanders, yelling) Stella. Stella.
(As Ned Flanders, singing) Cannot you hear me yell-a? You are placing me by way of hell-a, Stella.
(As Ned Flanders, yelling) Stella.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS #1: (As characters, singing) You possibly can at all times rely on the kindness of strangers to buck up your spirits and defend you from risks.
KAVNER: (As Marge Simpson, singing) Now here is a tip from Blanche that you simply will not remorse.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS #1: (As characters, singing) A stranger’s only a good friend you have not met. You have not met. Streetcar.
BIANCULLI: That was music from “The Simpsons” by composer and orchestrator Alf Clausen. He spoke with Terry Gross in 1997, and she or he requested him how he labored with the writers of “The Simpsons,” who supplied the pleasant lyrics.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
ALF CLAUSEN: I am normally given a set of script pages that include the lyric and I am normally given sufficient pages in entrance of the lyric and behind the lyrics in order that I do know what the setup of the scene is meant to be. And as soon as I am given the lyric, I will be in convention with the producers, and I will get a scan from them as to the pacing of the lyric, what the intent of the scene is, what the atmosphere of the tune needs to be. There are occasions at which the lyric does not at all times match up pacing-wise line to line to line. And at that time, I will choose up the telephone, discuss to the producer who wrote the lyric, or if it is a mixture of producers, we’ll have a convention name, and I will say, you understand, line quantity 15 has seven phrases, and line quantity three has 4 phrases. So what can we do to make these match in order that, from a tune standpoint, it is simpler for me to create one thing in a tune type? So it is a collaborative effort. They’re very cooperative that method.
TERRY GROSS: Let me transfer to a different monitor on “The Simpsons” “Songs In The Key Of Springfield” CD. And also you wrote a theme for the Springfield information present, Eye on Springfield, with Kent Brockman.
CLAUSEN: Proper.
GROSS: Inform me about scripting this theme, and what you consider TV themes and information themes that you simply hear.
CLAUSEN: I believe that my tackle TV information themes generally now’s that someplace alongside the best way, there was a god of rock ‘n’ roll that has reached down and grabbed each information director by the neck and mentioned, our information theme should include rock ‘n’ roll, and our information theme should be synthesized as a result of that is what the general public pertains to now. It provides us all this pleasure. And that is what I attempted to succeed in for within the “Eye On Springfield” theme, the rock groove, plus the digital synthesized music that everyone has come to know and love.
GROSS: Properly, let’s hear your model of this, the “Eye On Springfield” theme with Kent Brockman.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “THE SIMPSONS”)
SHEARER: (As Kent Brockman) Hi there, I am Kent Brockman, and that is Eye on Springfield.
(SOUNDBITE OF ALF CLAUSEN’S “EYE ON SPRINGFIELD THEME”)
DAN CASTELLANETA: (As Homer Simpson) Wow, infotainment.
GROSS: What are a few of the for-real TV themes that you’ve got written through the years?
CLAUSEN: Properly, TV themes has not been my bailiwick, as they are saying. I co-wrote the theme to the “Alf” sequence. And aside from that, I’ve been mainly often called an underscore music individual, not a theme author.
GROSS: And what’s underscoring?
CLAUSEN: Underscoring is all the music that you simply hear throughout the physique of the present, aside from the theme. Underscore music that accompanies dialogue, underscore music that takes us from one scene to a different. Underscore music is usually characteristic music that basically is designed to enrich the temper of a specific scene.
GROSS: And the way a lot underscoring do it’s a must to do for “The Simpsons”?
CLAUSEN: It is fairly intensive. In my regular schedule, I’ve about 30 music cues to put in writing for an episode, and I’ve a few four-day turnaround for that. And the music is all written for a 35-piece orchestra, so it is fairly intense.
GROSS: I wish to get to a different tune on “The Simpsons” CD. And that is really a parody of a tune from “Schoolhouse Rock!,” the tune “I am Only a Invoice On Capitol Hill.” And this was a tune written by Dave Frishberg that is supposed to explain – I imply, that does describe how a invoice turns into a legislation. And it is a actually intelligent parody of that by a demagogue.
(LAUGHTER)
GROSS: You already know, sung within the persona of a demagogue. And Jack Sheldon, the trumpeter who sang the unique model, sings this one, as properly. Inform us how this one happened.
CLAUSEN: Properly, once more, the lyric originated as a part of the script, and once I was given the pattern that this was alleged to comply with, once I heard the unique, my first remark was, properly, that is Jack Sheldon singing. And the producer mentioned, are you aware him? And I mentioned, oh, sure, he is a good friend of mine. He is labored for me many instances prior to now. He labored for me on “Moonlighting,” enjoying a few of his stunning, stunning trumpet solos. He is top-of-the-line jazz trumpet gamers on the planet. And I mentioned, would not it’s humorous if we may get Jack to sing on our parody, in addition to the unique? And the remark was product of, do you assume we would be able to get him? And I mentioned, certain, let me make the decision. I known as Jack, and Jack mentioned, I might be glad to do that. So it actually, I believe, makes it come that a lot nearer to house and offers the chunk that rather more significance.
GROSS: Properly, let’s hear the parody of “I am Simply A Invoice.” The parody is known as “The Modification Track,” and that is from an episode of The Simpsons known as “The Day The Violence Died.”
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “THE SIMPSONS”)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) Hey, who left all this rubbish on the steps of Congress?
JACK SHELDON: (As Modification) I am not rubbish.
(As Modification, singing) I am an amendment-to-be, sure, an amendment-to-be, and I am hoping that they’re going to ratify me. There’s quite a lot of flag burners who have gotten an excessive amount of freedom. I wish to make it authorized for policemen to beat ’em ‘trigger there’s limits to our liberties. No less than I hope and pray that there are, ‘trigger these liberal freaks go too far.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) Why cannot we simply make a legislation in opposition to flag burning?
SHELDON: (As Modification) As a result of that legislation could be unconstitutional. But when we alter the Structure….
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) Then we are able to make all types of loopy legal guidelines.
SHELDON: (As Modification) Now you are catching on.
NANCY CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson) What the hell is that this?
YEARDLEY SMITH: (As Lisa Simpson) It is a type of campy ’70s throwbacks that appeals to Technology Xers.
CARTWRIGHT: (As Bart Simpson) We’d like one other Vietnam to skinny out their ranks somewhat.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) What if individuals say you are not adequate to be within the Structure?
SHELDON: (As Modification, singing) Then I will crush all opposition to me, and I will make Ted Kennedy pay. If he fights again, I will say that he is homosexual.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character) Excellent news, Modification. They ratified ya. You are within the U.S. Structure.
SHELDON: (As Modification) Oh, yeah. Doorways open, boys.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS #2: (As characters, vocalizing).
GROSS: Once you’re writing a tune, parody, are you attempting to put in writing it as if it had been critical, as if it had been actually a Broadway present or actually a film theme?
CLAUSEN: Completely. Completely. I am very, very critical about this. And I hearken again to a different phrase that an previous trumpet participant good friend of mine informed me an extended, very long time in the past, you may’t vaudeville vaudeville. Which means that if one thing is humorous already, when you attempt to put one thing humorous on prime of it, it should boring the difficulty somewhat than improve it. Subsequently, not solely in creating the songs, however in creating the underscore music for the Simpsons and attempting to present credence to the emotional content material of what the characters are saying. I am at all times extraordinarily critical. And I believe what occurs is that the listener and observer will get pulled into the state of affairs extra successfully as soon as the music is critical, in order that when the gag lastly comes, the gag then turns into twice as humorous.
BIANCULLI: Alf Clausen, longtime composer, arranger and orchestrator for “The Simpsons,” talking with Terry Gross in 1997. He died final week at age 84. Developing, I talk about George Clooney’s Broadway hit “Good Night time, And Good Luck,” which CNN is televising stay Saturday night time. That is FRESH AIR.
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