Alf Clausen
Appearances
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
I'm usually given a set of script pages that contain the lyric... And I'm usually given enough pages in front of the lyric and behind the lyric so that I know what the setup of the scene is supposed to be.
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
And once I'm given the lyric, I'll be in conference with the producers and I'll get a scan from them as to the pacing of the lyric, what the intent of the scene is, what the ambiance of the song should be. There are times at which the lyric doesn't always match up pacing-wise line to line to line.
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
And at that point, I'll pick up the phone, talk to the producer who wrote the lyric, or if it's a combination of producers, we'll have a conference call and I'll say, you know, line number 15 has seven words and line number three has four words. So what can we do to make those match so that from a song standpoint, it's easier for me to create something in a song form.
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
So it's a collaborative effort. They're very cooperative that way.
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
I think that my take on TV news themes in general now is that uh... somewhere along the way there has been a god of rock and roll that has reached down and grabbed every news director by the neck and said our news theme must contain rock and roll and our news theme must be synthesized because that's what the public relates to now it gives us all this excitement
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
And that's what I tried to reach for in the Ion Springfield theme, the rock groove plus the electronic synthesized music that everybody has come to know and love.
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
Well, TV themes has not been my bailiwick, as they say. I co-wrote the theme to the Elf series. And other than that, I have been basically known as an underscore music person, not a theme writer.
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
Underscoring is all of the music that you hear within the body of the show other than the theme. Underscore music that accompanies dialogue. Underscore music that takes us from one scene to another. Underscore music is often feature music that really is designed to complement the mood of a particular scene.
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
It's quite extensive. On my normal schedule, I have about 30 music cues to write for an episode, and I have about a four-day turnaround for that. And the music is all written for a 35-piece orchestra, so it's pretty intense.
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
Well, again, the lyric originated as part of the script. And when I was given the sample that this was supposed to follow, when I heard the original, my first comment was, well, that's Jack Sheldon singing. And the producer said, do you know him? And I said, oh, yes, he's a friend of mine. He's worked for me.
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
Many times in the past, he worked for me on Moonlighting, playing some of his beautiful, beautiful trumpet solos. He's one of the best jazz trumpet players in the world. And I said, wouldn't it be funny if we could get Jack to sing on our parody as well as the original and... And the comment was made of, do you think we'd be able to get him? And I said, sure, let me make the call.
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
I called Jack, and Jack said, I'd be glad to do this. So it really, I think, makes it come that much closer to home and gives the bite that much more significance.
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm very, very serious about this. And I hearken back to another phrase that an old trumpet player friend of mine told me a long, long time ago. You can't vaudeville vaudeville. meaning that if something is funny already, if you try to put something funny on top of it, it will dull the issue rather than enhance it.
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
Therefore, not only in creating the songs, but in creating the underscore music for The Simpsons and trying to give credence to the emotional content of what the characters are saying. I'm always extremely serious.
Fresh Air
Why We Remember / 'Simpsons' Composer Alf Clausen
And I think what happens is that the listener and observer gets pulled into the situation more effectively once the music is serious so that when the gag finally comes, the gag then becomes twice as funny.