The O.C. music producer Alexandra Patsavas
by Daniel Robert Epstein for SuicideGirls (http://suicidegirls.com/)

The O.C. is one of the top rated dramas on television. But the real phenomenon with the show is how it can take an unknown band’s song, put it on the show and the band will become hugely popular.

A number of the bands such as The Futureheads, Sufjan Stevens, Aqueduct and many more appear on the new The O.C. Mix 4 CD. I got a chance to speak with the person who gets these bands on the show, The O.C. music producer Alexandra Patsavas, about how it all happens.

Buy The O.C. Mix 4 CD

Daniel Robert Epstein: I read that The O.C. Mix 4 CD is being touted as the edgiest of The O.C. soundtracks.

Alexandra Patsavas: Who said that?

DRE: Uh, the press notes.

AP: Excellent [laughs]. We definitely dipped into the music well quite a bit.

DRE: What makes it edgy?

AP: Well it’s difficult for me to say because I’ve never described it that way.

DRE: How would you describe it then?

AP: I think it’s a great representation of the music we use in the show. It is some of our favorite songs.

DRE: How did Matt Pond PA end up covering Oasis’ Champagne Supernova?

AP: [The O.C. creator] Josh [Schwartz] was interested in the song. We went out to Matt Pond to have him specifically cover it for the episode.

DRE: Does that happen a lot?

AP: We’ve done it three times. Last year we had Nada Surf cover OMD’s If You Leave. We had Jem cover Maybe I'm Amazed and both of those were on The O.C. Mix 2.

DRE: What are your favorite bands that are on The O.C. Mix 4?

AP: I’m a big Beck fan. Also Matt Pond PA and Aqueduct.

DRE: What’s it like having this power to make bands popular?

AP: It’s been so great that the audience has been enthusiastic about the music we’ve been using. More than anything we are focused on using music that’s good for the show.

DRE: How much influence does Josh Schwartz have on the music for the show?

AP: Josh’s tastes are definitely reflected in the show. He approves everything we use. In fact he is going to see The Futureheads tonight.

DRE: What is the process for picking songs? Do you get every CD in the world?

AP: I’ve been music supervising for ten years so it’s a well organized business. Music ends up on the show in all sorts of different ways. I definitely get most new releases sent to my office but we also go see shows, listen to the radio and check out websites. But as far as music getting on the show, sometimes Josh scripts it or sometimes we pitch them for a specific scene.

DRE: Was it difficult getting Beck’s song Scarecrow onto the soundtrack and how did you pick that specific song?

AP: We were lucky enough to hear the album when it was unmastered. Stephanie Savage wrote the episode so we picked the song that would be best for it. We were able to put five new songs from Beck’s album Guero on the show.

DRE: What did having the Beastie Boys song on The O.C. do for the show?

AP: Before that happened the Beastie Boys had never licensed for television before. The producers and I are all big Beastie Boys fans so we were thrilled to be able to put their song in our Las Vegas show.

DRE: Do all The O.C. writers include what songs the characters listen to?

AP: Sometimes the songs are scripted but oftentimes there is no mention of a song in a script but it becomes very clear in the editing process that a song should go in. Sometimes we use a song as score and other times the characters are listening to the song. I remember last year we had a scene where Ryan Adams cover of Wonderwall was actually playing on a record player.

DRE: There always seems to be one show on TV that seems to get bands popular. I remember when it was Dawson’s Creek. What makes The O.C. special that it seems to be able to do that?

AP: I think the characters that the producers and writers have written actually listen to the kind of music we use so it’s easy to feature indie music.

DRE: How much of a requirement is it for the bands to be fans of The O.C.?

AP: I certainly don’t ask if they are fans. It’s always exciting to learn when a certain band watches the show but it’s about what works first.

DRE: If someone wanted to get into your line of work, how would they do that?

AP: The best way to get into it is intern with a music supervisor. It’s not only the creative side but it’s also a pretty complex clearance and budgeting process. That takes time to learn.

DRE: So you must have 10,000 CDs in your personal collection.

AP: I do [laughs]. I started as a promoter when I went to college.

by Daniel Robert Epstein

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web address: http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/The+O.C.+music+producer+Alexandra+Patsavas/