The music for the film "Nadja" by American director, Michael Almereyda.
He's a crazy fine man. A writer of screenplays. A Director of flair. We
met at Edinburgh festival when Jarman's film "Blue" was playing. I'd just
seen the last few minutes of a very odd film. In the final scene, set in
a New York apartment, a baby elephant walks into the room. I was stunned.
At the same time I couldn't work out why this film looked so strange. I
found out at the bar, "Another Girl, Another Planet" was shot with a toy
camera made by Fischer Price, The Pixelvision Camera. Price about $200.
Instead of using film, it records on normal audio cassettes. The look was
incredible, so was the film, so was Michael's "Simpson" styled hairdo.
We had a chat and I had a new friend. "Yup" I liked him very much.
Six months later. A boat, on the river Thames. The London Film Festival.
Michael and I, whisky in hand, stand by the bar. "I'd really like you to
do the music for my next film, are you interested? It's about female vampires
in New York - with a lesbian twist". "Yup. I'm interested". He gives me
the producer's address and asks me to send some music. "Yup, I will". The
producer is David Lynch. Oh lord. We have another whisky and make a toast
to the film and life.
June 1994.
I fly to New York. As I bite into a peanut (in-flight snack), the salt
hits a loose nerve, top left side of my mouth. PAIN unbelievable amounts
of PAIN, then it's gone. Every 40 seconds for the next 4 hours, "I pray
to die". I sweat uncontrollably and try to sleep. Eventually I do and the
pain goes. I'm there for two weeks, to meet everyone and do some demos
for the rough edit. It looks beautiful, the city is hot and I get to play
Bechtstein pianos. For the next few weeks I'm on a sort of working holiday.
Michael and I talk a lot and I continually follow the editing at the "Brille
Building". We see Mary Margaret O'Hara sing in a tiny club and I hunt for
musicians. I'm terrified as I've never recorded in New York before. We
spot the film, again and again. I DAT sounds from the city. Galaxy Craze
cuts my hair. The night before returning to London I end up in hospital
after a taxi driver tried to roll me. I became Steve McQueen, jumping out
of moving cabs. I'm now the proud owner of two dislocated fingers. I tell
Michael the next day that I can still play but with only three fingers.
This doesn't seem to bother him as he wants to keep things simple.
"No sir," I'm told as I try to get myself upgraded for the flight back
to London. Flying over the city, "My Hell on Earth Pain" returns. It's
time to die. I sweat and rip my clothes off, catching the attention of
the Stewards. I scream and rave. I've now gone into shock. "I'm not Steve
McQueen!". Is there a doctor on board? Should we stop and take him off
at Boston? I'm put into a full row of seats and given pills. Delirious
and unable to stop shaking, I'm sedated....... At Heathrow, I'm wheelchaired
off the flight and taken to hospital. When I wake, I'm discharged, but
have to go back to get my luggage. I have no money. Eventually, I get to
Soho and burst into tears as I hold up my bandaged fingers to my girlfriend.
She just shrieks with laughter. At home, I work on pre-production music
ideas. The film still hasn't been locked off, but I hope it won't change
too much!. I sample new sounds from NYC and prepare new discs. Hiring a
Theramin in NYC is cinch. Hiring a keyboard like mine - a W30 workstation-
is impossible. In the end, Mr Lynch, has to buy a second hand one.
July.
Fly to New York. Fingers crossed, everything crossed, as I don't want to
die. There's work to be done. I arrive in the city. No Pain. After two
false starts in recording studios, which we thought we were going to work
in, we eventually settle into "Baby Monster" Studio. A good sign, a fine
studio on the eleventh floor, Downtown, looking up at the Empire State
Building. Nice studio. Great piano. Good light and the Wonderful Royston
Engineer! Michael sits in on all the sessions, which I'm very keen on.
We don't have a lot of time or money. Everything's different here. We're
recording straight to hard disc which is limiting but it gives us super
computer speed. We want to be able to record and shift music really fast
. After 10 hours of staring at the screen, Royston can't see a thing. There's
no point in losing his eyes - yet!
On the second day the keyboard dies. Mr Lynch finds another but not today.
Steve Jordan has lent us his apartment on 5th Avenue around the corner
from Union Square. He's gone to record an album outside Paris, so as long
as we feed the "pusser" and walk "Winston" we can stay. It"s a vast apartment
with a large piano, loads of guitars lying around and it's a ten minute
walk from the studio.
The equipment is up and running and we're off. All goes well, until the
Theramin arrives. I set it up as shown but it just squawks - at us. In
the evening an expert is called. He laughs at our attempts and re-sets
it, in the bigger studio, surrounded by lots more space. This is what Theramins
love. But now we had to play it. A nightmare. We all have a crack, eventually
deciding to record a full hour's worth on DAT and then sample it. Simple.
We have the extraordinary Tomas Ulrich to play improvised cello over impromptu
piano. "Winston" - the dog - enjoys. Throughout the recordings, Stuart
the sound editor has kept an eye on things. He's going to re-sample sections
of music and move and layer them because I've got to go. Sadly, I can't
stay for the final mix of the film but Michael seems happy and hopefully
all the components will come together at the end.
The soundtrack CD of Nadja was compiled in London at Worldwide International.
We used "The Fisher Prestonics" process. Kevin Paul, Richard Preston set
up numerous toys and as ever this OST contains many pieces from the film,
sound effects, dialogue, location recordings and bits and bobs. Elena was
recorded in the back of a cab as we drove Peter Fonda to Nice airport.
Michael and Galaxy in NYC during loop sessions. The Incredible Voice Changer
was used extensively.....
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