Erin Broadley: How are you?
Mike Patton: I’m good! How are you?
EB: Hungry indeed. You live around here… how do you like Japantown? Come here often to buy Samurai swords?
MP: Or 39-cent Hello Kitty stickers.
EB: [Laughs] Oh, my favorite. So let’s talk about A Perfect Place, which you scored. First film score you’ve ever done, correct?
EB: How was this experience compared to some of your other projects or bands?
MP: It’s 100 percent different. If it’s one of my own projects or even a band, it’s done when it’s done. You have the ultimate veto power. When you’re working for someone else, you’re a hired hand in a sense and he tells you when it’s done.
EB: Right, the director gets final cut.
MP: Yeah, and rightfully so.
EB: How did you meet the director, Derrick Scocchera?
MP: I was a big laserdisc guy and he had a store in my neighborhood and I used to go shop there a lot. So being a regular customer, I got to know the people who worked there and I got to meet him. It was really a great store. It was so great, [laughs] of course it went out of business. I spent a lot of money in there. We got to be friends and from that point on, he was working for Zoetrope for Coppola for a while and we’d call each other from time to time to talk about film and talk about music. I’d invite him to my shows and he’d send me stuff that he was doing. He started an independent company [Fantoma Films] where he was putting out great DVD box sets from really historic directors… Mario Bava, Fassbinder… he put out lots of great stuff that, even if I didn’t know him, I’d just go to the store and buy it. He put together great packages and I was a fan of what he was doing and he said, “You know what? I also write scripts,” and sent me a few scripts and it’s hard for me to tell what a movie is going to be like from reading it on paper, but there was a kinship there and when he said, “I’m going to make a short film and I want you to score it,” who was I to argue?
EB: With the 2004 film you starred in, Firecracker, some wondered why you didn’t also score the film because a lot of the music you make has a very cinematic element to it.
MP: Yeah. For a musician, using film is part of your vocabulary. At least for an untrained musician, I think it’s important. It certainly works for me. With Firecracker, I did not want to act in the movie; I wanted to do the score. And the director -- again, sort of an acquaintance who turned into a friend -- he was adamant and said, “No, no. I’m not letting you do the music; I want you to [act]. I want you to stretch out. I want you to try something new.” And I said, “Well, okay, I’ve looked like a fool before, why not again?”
EB: For A Perfect Place, was there any point where you were down on the set, checking it out?
MP: No. I would have loved to but I happened to be out of town when they were filming it and, you know, a film like that is pretty renegade. I think they barely got the permits that they needed to do it and a lot of it was done at night. It’s a short film, black and white, beautifully shot, almost like a play in that there’s just very few characters and very few sets, but the strength is in the writing.
EB: And the characters. One of my favorite characters is the little old lady who has a collection of bow ties in her house, which is just one of those simple quiet elements that can really define a character.
MP: Yeah. The best part of it is, it starts out with guys playing a card game and they basically, quote unquote, kill their friend who was cheating, [laughs] or so they thought. And somehow, even though we maybe wouldn’t be driven to those lengths, you can relate. If you were to kill someone, all these questions would come up. It’s not as easy as Scorsese would have you believe: you kill somebody, you drop some lye on them and you bring them out to the suburbs. It’s a lot harder sometimes so I think that’s one of the premises of the film.
EB: One thing about the score, it taps into a lot of the same themes that are in the film. Were you crafting these compositions scene by scene or was it more, “Here’s a word, here’s an idea, go with it.”
MP: A lot of the film was basically done, or close to being done, before I started. Being friends with the director, he showed me a couple of scenes. Also, he would just describe a scene to me and say, “I need a theme for when the old lady puts on a seventy-eight and I want it to sound like Enrico Caruso.” One of the best directions he gave me was from the outset he said, “I want one major theme, and I want you to come up with a zillion variations including the source music, including a seventy-eight record, or when the guys are in a car, flipping the radio dial, I want you to write a piece like that.” In a sense, I was doing the score and the source music, in one. It was fun.
EB: The music really moves the scenes along. That’s one thing I noticed; it’s tied into the scenes enough that it helps the narrative progress.
EB: How did you strike the balance between somewhat heavier sounds and dark subject matter and still retain a sense of humor within this score?
MP: Didn’t think about it. To me every project or every piece of music has a certain amount of requirements. Maybe I’ll set out to create some sort of heavy and dark atmosphere and in the end it becomes comedy. To me, it’s about maintaining a balance and it’s really hard to quantify that. It’s hard to describe what that balance is but I know it when I hear it. The most important part is when it’s done, let it go.
EB: Right. You’ve said before that one of the hardest things to do is to pull back and press stop.
EB:Does it get any easier over the years?
MP:Eh, depending on the project. To me, certain projects are easier than others. Fantomas… I know exactly when that music is written and done and there’s no more tweaking to do. Something like this film score is a little more difficult; I was on unfamiliar ground. Sometimes when you’re dealing with a collab or maybe a guest vocal for somebody it’s also hard to know because ultimately, you’re deferring to someone else. Usually it works out. But I’ve done a few collaborations or guest spots where it just didn’t work out, either the artist wasn’t happy with it or didn’t feel that it suited the track. You do your best and ultimately if you’re a guest you’ve got to know when to go, “Okay! You’re the boss.”
EB: It’s like being a guest in someone’s house. You’ve got to know when to step down.
MP: Oh yes, I’ll leave now. I pissed on your couch but I’m leaving.[Laughs] I tracked in mud on your expensive carpet…
EB:[Laughs] I’ll pay for the cleaning bill.
EB: Back to A Perfect Place, the score you did is about twice as long as the actual film so how did you decide which music was included? Or why the choice to include extra tracks in the CD available?
MP: Ultimately, it is the director’s decision. There were certain scenes, certain cues where I did two or three different versions. Like, the thing we were calling the “Alley Theme,” where they’re dragging the body out to the alley, he wanted something with a beat and percussive so I gave him two different choices. He chose one and used it and then, you know, had the other sitting around so it’s like, I guess you just put them on the soundtrack.
EB: Yeah, why waste something good?
MP: Yeah. Also, I didn’t want to put out a CD that was 20 minutes long and a film that was 20 minutes long. I wanted to extend the CD a little bit and make it a little more desirable.
EB: Right, and to have them be able to exists independently on their own…
MP: Well, yeah! Actually, the director made some great suggestions… it was his idea to do a vocal version of the main theme, almost as a single, or whatever. It never got used in the film and was a complete afterthought, but that was his idea. That was [the] “Twist” theme that I did with vocals and it’s probably one of the standout tracks on the album.
EB: It’s a fun track, yeah.
MP: He gave me some direction that was a little hard to follow, just because he was aiming really high. Like, “I want a main theme that sounds like Elmer Bernstein.” And you just don’t press a button and…
EB: …become Elmer Bernstein!
MP: Yeah. That’s like saying, “I’ve got an idea for a street fight and I want you to be Mike Tyson.”
EB: Just do it, channel it.
MP: Yeah, just grow and kick some ass.
EB: And get a tattoo on your face [laughs].
MP: Yeah [laughs]. Bite somebody’s ear off. It was very challenging in that respect but I’m glad he was aiming high and forced me to aim a little high.
EB: Last year you got a lot attention for the sound effects you did for the creatures in I Am Legend. Any afterthought on that whole project?
EB: You and Will Smith best buds now?
MP: Oh yeah. He was in the studio, patting me on the back.
EB: You guys are gonna put out a rap album, like Fresh Prince.
MP: There you go. Fresh Mike.
[Both Laugh]
MP:No, uh, [doing the sound effects] was clinical and dry and fun and easy.
EB:Was it flattering in the least that they wanted a more human element to the scariness of the film?
MP: Yeah, it was great. It was a completely unique opportunity and it probably wouldn’t have come my way unless someone involved in the film didn’t put their ass out there and suggest me. So I’m really thankful and would love to do more stuff like that.
EB: You’ve said before that to keep things interesting, you have to continually reinvent or find new ways to say what it is you want to say with music. How do you find ways to make that happen without feeling redundant?
MP: That’s a difficult question and even harder to realize. You just keep trying. My way of doing it is just to keep doing things. Stay busy. My way of learning and getting better and growing is by doing.
EB: You started Ipecac in 1999 with Greg Werckman. Coming up on your 10-year anniversary, obviously you have expanded your roster and are still going strong. How has it changed in recent years compared to when you first started?
MP: It’s been great. I would say the main struggle has been [that] we’ve kept the same amount of employees and the same business model, if you will, meaning Ipecac is like three or four people. Always has been. Yet, we’re getting more and more submissions and personally I’m finding there’s more and more great music that needs to be put out! But we don’t have the manpower. I’m a little nervous about expanding. What we’ve done so far has worked. If we were to listen to our distributors and whatnot, we’d hire 15 more people and run it like everyone else runs a label.
EB: Then again, you don’t want t
o be like everyone else runs a label because we’ve seen what happens there.
MP: Yeah. If you really think about it, the reason we’ve been successful is because of the way it’s gone. Ultimately the way we do it, if you’re looking for half a million dollars and a bunch of hype, we’re not the right label for you. If you want to record cheaply, which is not to say that it can’t be a great sounding record or an amazing record, but do it smart, and then you will ultimately be rewarded because you will make royalties and not dig yourself some sort of loan shark hole where you’re constantly in the [dark]. Our label is not for everybody, but people who understand that aesthetic will be really happy with us and we’ll be happy with them.
EB: Another thing you have coming out in 2008 is [the video game] Bionic Commando. You do the voice of one of the lead characters. Tell me a little bit about how you got involved in that? You’ve always been a bit of a video game enthusiast.
MP: Yeah, that sort of dropped out of the sky and I think it sort of came about because I did a couple of other video game voiceovers and once your name is in the hat…
EB: …You’re on their contact list.
MP: Totally. So I got the call and I was familiar with the old ’80s Nintendo game .
EB: What character do you play?
MP: The main guy, Nathan. Basically, what I did was… I will tell you that my best point of reference was I was trying to channel Henry Rollins [laughs]. It was a real drill sergeant, tough guy.
EB: Did you method act it? Getting into character, weight lifting every morning?
MP: I didn’t go quite that far but you have to have some point of reference and Henry was mine. And Henry… no offense [laughs]. Hey, eat your eel!! I’ve already eaten my eel.
EB: Okay, I’m going to eat my eel and you tell me what else we can expect from Ipecac in 2008.
MP: New Melvins, new Dalek, Farmer’s Market, Desert Sessions, Mondo Cane, Rhazel… Finish your eel. Be a good girl.
EB: I’m finishing my eel… dad. [Laughs]
MP: [Smiles] I’ll take that as a compliment.
EB: Mike Patton’s my daddy, telling me to finish my eel.
EB: [Laughs] How do you balance being a businessman and an artist without completely losing your mind?
MP: I don’t think about it, just kind of do what I do. The label is a part of every day; it’s just a matter of how much of that day. Sometimes it’s more; sometimes it’s less. To be honest, it’s rewarding and most of the things that I do, my contribution to the label is things that I’d be doing anyway. Listening to music, listening to new artists… I would do that anyway, even if I didn’t have a label. So to have a purpose in doing that is even better.
EB: And to put a roof over their heads and not have them be wandering, homeless stray pieces of music.
MP: Yeah, like I said before, the real trouble is there’s too much great music and we can’t do it all. And that’s in the last year or two become a reality. It’s a bitch. If I heard something great tomorrow, I’d have to tell an artist, “This is great, I’d love to put it out, but I can’t do it until late ’09.”
EB: There’s no promises of grandeur right away like there are with other majors.
MP: [Laughs] There’s no promises of grandeur, period. But just on a timeline vibe, no artist wants to hear that. I can totally relate but we’re in that position right now and that’s just the way it is.
EB: So what’s your next release we should be looking out for?
MP: Mondo Cane. It’s a new project of mine. It’s an orchestral project of ’50s and ’60s Italian pop tunes that I arranged.
MP: It’s a crooning record but with an orchestra. Not many horns. And, I wouldn’t say very jazzy, but much more orchestral ballad stuff. Lots of singing. But it’s not in English. Summertime we hope.
EB: Well, any parting words of wisdom?
MP: Eat your fuckin’ eel!
EB: I’ve eaten pretty much all the fuckin’ eel.
EB: I just didn’t eat the skin!
MP: The skin’s the best part!
