Mick Harvey is, of course, best known for his work with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. But he also extends his talents to the world of film music composting with scores in Chopper, Deliver Us from Evil and the Nick Cave penned Ghosts... of the Civil Dead. With a dozen films to his credit, Harvey decided to compile the album Motion Picture Music '94 -'05 and release it through Mute Records.
Buy Motion Picture Music '94 -'05
Daniel Robert Epstein: Im surprised an album like this could come together because of rights issues.
Mick Harvey: Most of the things that I work on are either Australian films, which are never as big budget as Hollywood or theyre much smaller productions or low budget European productions. So I can usually factor into my agreement with them allowing me to use them on my own release, if not straight away, then after a year or so. Theres probably one or two where I wasnt able to do that and couldnt use that stuff but its all a matter of preparation.
DRE: Do you feel the album works as a whole altogether?
Mick: I do. I thought about that aspect and felt in the end that it worked together in some way. But Im the last person to be able to be fully objective about that. I hope so.
DRE: Did you change anything from how they played in the movies?
Mick: I did some remixing of the things. There are a few pieces that I shortened or crossfaded and things like that. But they are actual mixes as they appeared in the original productions.
DRE: I know that one of the big films you did was Chopper a few years ago.
Mick: Yeah, thats one of the few thats actually been made available in America. Im not sure about the other feature films but that one certainly was.
DRE: How was it working on it?
Mick: It was Eric Banas first leading role. I think he made one or two movies before that in very small supporting roles and had done a lot of television. So it really was his first big acting job, apart from his being a TV comedian. But people really didnt know whether hed be able to pull off an acting role of that nature. Each film is a bit different. For that film they pretty much entered into it and thought that they would not require any score music. So they got to a point fairly late in the post-production where they suddenly realized that actually they did need some score [laughs]. They really only needed one theme and a few pieces of incidental music. So in some ways it was a small job but in other ways it was a bit more difficult because what was required was very specific. You cant really experiment a lot, you have to come up with something that was going to be just right. It was the only real piece that youd hear of that nature. So it wasnt like a full movie scoring was, it was more like half of one.
DRE: Im surprised you havent done more movies since Chopper.
Mick: It depends. Most people who do film soundtracks put themselves on the market and they get an agent and are put on short lists. I dont really do that. In fact, I tend to just ask not to be contacted. I dont really need the work. Im happier if filmmakers come directly to me or ask for me specifically. I do have a agent in Melbourne now, who looks after loads of film composers and my basic outline to them was Dont send me out to any filmmakers on a short list of half a dozen potential composers, Im not interested.
DRE: From what Ive heard, people are sometimes afraid of you. Maybe thats a part of it too.
Mick: I dont think so. I think people assume that I wouldnt be interested and that Id be impossible to contact. Thats not really the case. If someone were genuinely interested in me doing their soundtrack then Id watch their film. But if I accepted all that people wanted me to do, I just wouldnt have any time to do my own stuff. Likewise if I were on the market to do film scores then I would just be reading film scripts from people who are not necessarily interested in what I could do for their film, they just need a composer. I prefer to keep it scarce. I think Ive done three feature films since Chopper so Im not doing too badly.
DRE: Whats it take, besides someone wanting you to do it, to get you to jump onto a film?
Mick: The content of the film. For instance, [Deliver Us from Evil director] Amy [Berg] contacted me about doing that documentary. I remember playing hard to get but it was obvious to me that she was keen on me specifically helping her get together a musical concept. I asked her to send me the rough cut of the documentary so I could see what I think of it. Im very opinionated in that way. At the same time I thought it was a very important documentary. It was very full on, powerful and possibly important piece so I reluctantly got involved [laughs]. I really like Amy and I really like the film shes made. But its a big job when you get on a film even with a small one. The time it takes away from my own music and family is substantial. Amy was actually willing to come down to Australia specifically to spend four or five days in the studio going through it all. We put it all together and that all seemed to go well.
A film is another persons project in a way and when you enter into one, you have to enter into the world of their obsession because these people have usually been working on these things for three or four or five years. Its the most important thing in the world to them. To me its something which has a different level of interest to being the most important thing [laughs].
DRE: I know that much of your music is made in collaboration with other people; do you find doing the music with bands is much different than collaborating with filmmakers?
Mick: It has similarities. Collaboration with the filmmaker is probably more like an opinionated A & R department but I dont actually have to do that. We dont have an A & R department at Mute Records. It is just [founder] Daniel Miller, who gives us full artistic freedom or whatever you call such a thing. Thats also why I tend to work with people I know. Either friends or contacted through mutual friends so theres a better understanding and good communication about what they might want. Im very wary of entering into projects with strangers because the communication level is so complex. You really need to be able to discuss things very precisely and get a very good, mutual understanding. Thats why Ive steered clear of being involved in anything from America or at least from Hollywood. I dont think I would enjoy that system at all.
DRE: I like a lot of the tracks from this Frank Hurley movie which is something Ive never heard of.
Mick: Thats a documentary about an Australian filmmaker and photographer. That was an English, German, Australian co-production. It was produced for television so its been shown on television in all those places but probably not in America. Have you heard of the Shackleton Expedition?
DRE: Yes, I have.
Mick: Hurley is the man who actually made the film. It is an early silent black and white film from 1914 or whatever. So its quite famous in Australia.
DRE: Have you begun touring live again?
Mick: I have because I made an album that came out about 18 months ago and we did a few dates in Europe. We did a whole lot of dates last May and Ive been enjoying it a lot. I have a live band that Ive managed to gather together so its all been working quite well. Most people didnt seem to even notice that I had released an album. It went well under the radar. I think it was crawling through the underground but the fact is thats all very exciting for me. I have another album coming out in late April.
DRE: One Mans Treasure was the one that came out a year and a half ago and I read that the next album will be in a similar vein.
Mick: Its similar, yeah. With the band together now a lot of the tracks have been recorded live in the studio as opposed to the first album, which I recorded all by myself. I stopped playing shows in 2005 for a while and since then Ive done a lot of solo stuff. Its what Ive been focused on for the last year or so.
DRE: Nick [Cave] has great success last year writing The Proposition, do you have any desire to tell stories in that way?
Mick: No, not really. I dont think thats one of the things that Im driven to do. Im not a prolific songwriter in any way, shape or form. I write things occasionally but its something that comes to me now and then and Im happy for it to be that way rather than forcing it. Some people arent.
DRE: Do you feel more centered now?
Mick: Yeah, things seem more relaxed now. Its usually not as hectic or stressful as it once was. I hope it will be more like that. I think Im following my nose like Ive always done. Theres no master plan or any particular long term plan.
DRE: How old is your son?
Mick: Hes six.
DRE: Is he playing music yet?
Mick: No, hes mostly doing comic strips and making up characters and films and stuff. He seems to be developing into a bit of an artist.
DRE: Oh it runs in the family then.
Mick: Let me ask him, Do you play music sonny?
He makes up little songs occasionally.
DRE: Do you guys see yourself doing another Bad Seeds tour?
Mick: Theyre looking at recording a Bad Seeds album in the summer. Nick isnt doing much until then. He says he wants to write lots of songs for the album. I think Ive got a European tour in May and I suppose the next thing would be the Bad Seeds album.
DRE: You guys seem like youre all getting along pretty good.
Mick: Yeah, we get along fine. Weve always had a lucky setup. There isnt a lot of the normal internal pressures. We have a group structure where theres no preconception of a democracy. The idea of a band doesnt really conform to the democratic process. Im fully for and completely in favor of the members of the group having a voice but it is not very practical.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
Buy Motion Picture Music '94 -'05
Daniel Robert Epstein: Im surprised an album like this could come together because of rights issues.
Mick Harvey: Most of the things that I work on are either Australian films, which are never as big budget as Hollywood or theyre much smaller productions or low budget European productions. So I can usually factor into my agreement with them allowing me to use them on my own release, if not straight away, then after a year or so. Theres probably one or two where I wasnt able to do that and couldnt use that stuff but its all a matter of preparation.
DRE: Do you feel the album works as a whole altogether?
Mick: I do. I thought about that aspect and felt in the end that it worked together in some way. But Im the last person to be able to be fully objective about that. I hope so.
DRE: Did you change anything from how they played in the movies?
Mick: I did some remixing of the things. There are a few pieces that I shortened or crossfaded and things like that. But they are actual mixes as they appeared in the original productions.
DRE: I know that one of the big films you did was Chopper a few years ago.
Mick: Yeah, thats one of the few thats actually been made available in America. Im not sure about the other feature films but that one certainly was.
DRE: How was it working on it?
Mick: It was Eric Banas first leading role. I think he made one or two movies before that in very small supporting roles and had done a lot of television. So it really was his first big acting job, apart from his being a TV comedian. But people really didnt know whether hed be able to pull off an acting role of that nature. Each film is a bit different. For that film they pretty much entered into it and thought that they would not require any score music. So they got to a point fairly late in the post-production where they suddenly realized that actually they did need some score [laughs]. They really only needed one theme and a few pieces of incidental music. So in some ways it was a small job but in other ways it was a bit more difficult because what was required was very specific. You cant really experiment a lot, you have to come up with something that was going to be just right. It was the only real piece that youd hear of that nature. So it wasnt like a full movie scoring was, it was more like half of one.
DRE: Im surprised you havent done more movies since Chopper.
Mick: It depends. Most people who do film soundtracks put themselves on the market and they get an agent and are put on short lists. I dont really do that. In fact, I tend to just ask not to be contacted. I dont really need the work. Im happier if filmmakers come directly to me or ask for me specifically. I do have a agent in Melbourne now, who looks after loads of film composers and my basic outline to them was Dont send me out to any filmmakers on a short list of half a dozen potential composers, Im not interested.
DRE: From what Ive heard, people are sometimes afraid of you. Maybe thats a part of it too.
Mick: I dont think so. I think people assume that I wouldnt be interested and that Id be impossible to contact. Thats not really the case. If someone were genuinely interested in me doing their soundtrack then Id watch their film. But if I accepted all that people wanted me to do, I just wouldnt have any time to do my own stuff. Likewise if I were on the market to do film scores then I would just be reading film scripts from people who are not necessarily interested in what I could do for their film, they just need a composer. I prefer to keep it scarce. I think Ive done three feature films since Chopper so Im not doing too badly.
DRE: Whats it take, besides someone wanting you to do it, to get you to jump onto a film?
Mick: The content of the film. For instance, [Deliver Us from Evil director] Amy [Berg] contacted me about doing that documentary. I remember playing hard to get but it was obvious to me that she was keen on me specifically helping her get together a musical concept. I asked her to send me the rough cut of the documentary so I could see what I think of it. Im very opinionated in that way. At the same time I thought it was a very important documentary. It was very full on, powerful and possibly important piece so I reluctantly got involved [laughs]. I really like Amy and I really like the film shes made. But its a big job when you get on a film even with a small one. The time it takes away from my own music and family is substantial. Amy was actually willing to come down to Australia specifically to spend four or five days in the studio going through it all. We put it all together and that all seemed to go well.
A film is another persons project in a way and when you enter into one, you have to enter into the world of their obsession because these people have usually been working on these things for three or four or five years. Its the most important thing in the world to them. To me its something which has a different level of interest to being the most important thing [laughs].
DRE: I know that much of your music is made in collaboration with other people; do you find doing the music with bands is much different than collaborating with filmmakers?
Mick: It has similarities. Collaboration with the filmmaker is probably more like an opinionated A & R department but I dont actually have to do that. We dont have an A & R department at Mute Records. It is just [founder] Daniel Miller, who gives us full artistic freedom or whatever you call such a thing. Thats also why I tend to work with people I know. Either friends or contacted through mutual friends so theres a better understanding and good communication about what they might want. Im very wary of entering into projects with strangers because the communication level is so complex. You really need to be able to discuss things very precisely and get a very good, mutual understanding. Thats why Ive steered clear of being involved in anything from America or at least from Hollywood. I dont think I would enjoy that system at all.
DRE: I like a lot of the tracks from this Frank Hurley movie which is something Ive never heard of.
Mick: Thats a documentary about an Australian filmmaker and photographer. That was an English, German, Australian co-production. It was produced for television so its been shown on television in all those places but probably not in America. Have you heard of the Shackleton Expedition?
DRE: Yes, I have.
Mick: Hurley is the man who actually made the film. It is an early silent black and white film from 1914 or whatever. So its quite famous in Australia.
DRE: Have you begun touring live again?
Mick: I have because I made an album that came out about 18 months ago and we did a few dates in Europe. We did a whole lot of dates last May and Ive been enjoying it a lot. I have a live band that Ive managed to gather together so its all been working quite well. Most people didnt seem to even notice that I had released an album. It went well under the radar. I think it was crawling through the underground but the fact is thats all very exciting for me. I have another album coming out in late April.
DRE: One Mans Treasure was the one that came out a year and a half ago and I read that the next album will be in a similar vein.
Mick: Its similar, yeah. With the band together now a lot of the tracks have been recorded live in the studio as opposed to the first album, which I recorded all by myself. I stopped playing shows in 2005 for a while and since then Ive done a lot of solo stuff. Its what Ive been focused on for the last year or so.
DRE: Nick [Cave] has great success last year writing The Proposition, do you have any desire to tell stories in that way?
Mick: No, not really. I dont think thats one of the things that Im driven to do. Im not a prolific songwriter in any way, shape or form. I write things occasionally but its something that comes to me now and then and Im happy for it to be that way rather than forcing it. Some people arent.
DRE: Do you feel more centered now?
Mick: Yeah, things seem more relaxed now. Its usually not as hectic or stressful as it once was. I hope it will be more like that. I think Im following my nose like Ive always done. Theres no master plan or any particular long term plan.
DRE: How old is your son?
Mick: Hes six.
DRE: Is he playing music yet?
Mick: No, hes mostly doing comic strips and making up characters and films and stuff. He seems to be developing into a bit of an artist.
DRE: Oh it runs in the family then.
Mick: Let me ask him, Do you play music sonny?
He makes up little songs occasionally.
DRE: Do you guys see yourself doing another Bad Seeds tour?
Mick: Theyre looking at recording a Bad Seeds album in the summer. Nick isnt doing much until then. He says he wants to write lots of songs for the album. I think Ive got a European tour in May and I suppose the next thing would be the Bad Seeds album.
DRE: You guys seem like youre all getting along pretty good.
Mick: Yeah, we get along fine. Weve always had a lucky setup. There isnt a lot of the normal internal pressures. We have a group structure where theres no preconception of a democracy. The idea of a band doesnt really conform to the democratic process. Im fully for and completely in favor of the members of the group having a voice but it is not very practical.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck