Full Transcript for Volker Bertelmann (Composer of DC Studio's Clayface)

the show. 40 00:04:23.790 --> 00:04:25.810 I know your journey into getting into composing is much 41 00:04:25.870 --> 00:04:29.560 different than most people. You got approached from your original 42 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:33.180 music to start working on the music for film. I 43 00:04:33.220 --> 00:04:36.180 know Star Wars and Indiana Jones were pivotal for your 44 00:04:36.220 --> 00:04:38.550 love for movies when you were younger. Did you ever 45 00:04:38.709 --> 00:04:40.589 think when you were younger and starting to get into 46 00:04:40.629 --> 00:04:44.069 music that you would add to that cinematic experience later 47 00:04:44.110 --> 00:04:44.389 in life? 48 00:04:45.829 --> 00:04:46.589 No, not at all. 49 00:04:46.750 --> 00:04:50.490 I mean, I was born in a bloody small village, 50 00:04:50.610 --> 00:04:54.230 you know, I mean, there was everybody knows that knew 51 00:04:54.370 --> 00:04:57.610 everybody in a way. And there was hardly the only 52 00:04:57.649 --> 00:05:00.189 way you could have some entertainment was to start a 53 00:05:00.230 --> 00:05:03.870 rock band with the friends of from school. And, you know, 54 00:05:03.910 --> 00:05:06.449 we had a rehearsal room i think when i was 55 00:05:06.449 --> 00:05:09.769 12 i had already and i rented an own rehearsal 56 00:05:09.810 --> 00:05:13.129 room and um you know we had we were in 57 00:05:13.230 --> 00:05:15.670 a in a kind of group of other bands that 58 00:05:15.689 --> 00:05:17.509 were much older than us we were i mean we 59 00:05:17.550 --> 00:05:21.949 were young kids but the older bands they had obviously 60 00:05:22.009 --> 00:05:26.000 already synthesizers and they had you know they had material 61 00:05:26.040 --> 00:05:30.540 that they could work with and so at some point 62 00:05:30.699 --> 00:05:33.959 i asked them if i could lend me one of 63 00:05:34.019 --> 00:05:37.000 them when I'm rehearsing and I bring it back. I 64 00:05:37.079 --> 00:05:42.399 enjoyed that time very much. But thinking about being a 65 00:05:42.420 --> 00:05:44.920 film composer, it was totally. 66 00:05:46.019 --> 00:05:46.500 Not there. 67 00:05:46.560 --> 00:05:49.740 The only thing that I felt in my heart was 68 00:05:49.860 --> 00:05:52.279 when I was going to the cinema in that age. 69 00:05:53.100 --> 00:05:55.939 And we had a very good cinema around the corner. 70 00:05:56.579 --> 00:06:00.079 And I know maybe one of the most impressive films 71 00:06:00.110 --> 00:06:03.480 that I had where I felt afterwards... it stuck with 72 00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:06.319 me for a long time. And I felt like there's 73 00:06:06.379 --> 00:06:10.449 something in that combination of music and film that really, 74 00:06:11.129 --> 00:06:15.490 you know, is hitting me. That was Ennio Morricone's score 75 00:06:15.670 --> 00:06:17.129 to Once Upon a Time. 76 00:06:16.949 --> 00:06:17.449 In the West. 77 00:06:17.850 --> 00:06:20.189 I was a little bit older already, but when I 78 00:06:20.250 -->

00:06:22.740 saw that one, I was just like, oh man, this, 79 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:26.720 I mean, just a few notes and it's brilliant. And 80 00:06:26.759 --> 00:06:31.480 then there's obviously a wonderful vocal piece when, you know, 81 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:34.850 when the, The lady goes and then, you know, brings 82 00:06:35.189 --> 00:06:39.490 food to the railway workers. And, you know, I mean, 83 00:06:39.689 --> 00:06:43.129 I was just totally stoked. And then with 18, I 84 00:06:43.180 --> 00:06:47.100 made my first music for a German TV series, which 85 00:06:47.160 --> 00:06:50.600 was very accidental. But the guitar player from our band, 86 00:06:50.699 --> 00:06:55.060 his parents were, his mother was a director who worked 87 00:06:55.120 --> 00:06:59.259 in Munich and had already, you know, quite some success. 88 00:06:59.319 --> 00:07:00.939 And she needed some source music. 89 00:07:01.730 --> 00:07:05.490 And so we wrote some songs and that was put 90 00:07:05.790 --> 00:07:08.209 under the, let's say, the radio in the kitchen or, 91 00:07:08.769 --> 00:07:12.269 you know, it was in a way used as source tracks. 92 00:07:13.290 --> 00:07:16.069 But that was very, that was a wonderful process. And 93 00:07:16.110 --> 00:07:21.509 then cut and no film, no music for a while. And, 94 00:07:21.610 --> 00:07:24.050 you know, and then it came back at some point. 95 00:07:24.730 --> 00:07:27.829 That's amazing. That first band you said you were younger, 96 00:07:28.310 --> 00:07:30.620 was that God's Favorite Dog or was that another band? 97 00:07:31.459 --> 00:07:33.620 That was the that was a much it was our 98 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:37.819 school band i didn't know even uh well what the 99 00:07:37.860 --> 00:07:42.120 name was but we had we started in that you 100 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:47.060 know we we were covering rolling stones music and then 101 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:51.360 i started to write the first songs and we were 102 00:07:51.379 --> 00:07:55.060 i think we were winning a couple of competitions in 103 00:07:55.110 --> 00:07:58.110 that area for rock music and you know it was 104 00:07:58.329 --> 00:08:01.769 just like a I was good in sports and. 105 00:08:01.670 --> 00:08:03.370 In music, and that was one. 106 00:08:04.810 --> 00:08:08.930 Part. Yeah, so was there kind of like a... I 107 00:08:08.949 --> 00:08:10.230 know you said you grew up in a small town, 108 00:08:10.269 --> 00:08:13.100 but was there like a sort of music scene there? 109 00:08:13.319 --> 00:08:15.259 You talked about older bands and stuff, so was there 110 00:08:15.300 --> 00:08:18.459 like shows actively happening in your area or kind of close? 111 00:08:19.360 --> 00:08:22.720 Yeah, I mean, and the area was quite a very 112 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:27.750 religious area, and there was quite what you might call 113 00:08:27.810 --> 00:08:32.610 in America white rock, kind of seen in that area, 114 00:08:32.679 --> 00:08:35.970 but they were very technically, they were very good. So 115 00:08:36.149 --> 00:08:38.009 I think I was, we were in a way in 116 00:08:38.049 --> 00:08:41.769 that area profiting from their kind of, you know, success. 117 00:08:43.009 --> 00:08:46.450 And I was not such a big fan of that 118 00:08:46.570 --> 00:08:50.820 kind of message in music. I was rather a fan 119 00:08:50.860 --> 00:08:53.210 of having, you know, and I was not against it. 120 00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:57.019 I was rather a fan of having songs that are 121 00:08:57.059 --> 00:09:03.620 expressing my life. you know, and like expressing everything, like 122 00:09:03.659 --> 00:09:08.299 the rage and, you know, let's say the physical aspects 123 00:09:08.379 --> 00:09:12.889 of music, the stage diving, you know, everything that was 124 00:09:13.009 --> 00:09:16.549 madness as well, as well as emotions. I've always felt 125 00:09:16.590 --> 00:09:20.029 that that was a nice, in a way, music was 126 00:09:20.110 --> 00:09:23.539 made for this, for me, rather than, let's say, a 127 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:26.659 moral message in the first place, you know. 128 00:09:27.440 --> 00:09:30.000 Yeah, 100%. I mean, that's what made me fall in 129 00:09:30.019 --> 00:09:32.039 love with music when I was a teenager and stuff 130 00:09:32.059 --> 00:09:34.360 like that. I was going to ask, like, I've heard 131 00:09:34.379 --> 00:09:37.889 you talk many times about, like, stage diving and the 132 00:09:37.970 --> 00:09:40.049 energy of music and live music and stuff like that. 133 00:09:40.490 --> 00:09:44.529 Were you into any, like, hardcore metal punk bands when 134 00:09:44.549 --> 00:09:45.070 you were younger? 135 00:09:45.090 --> 00:09:46.889 No, no. 136 00:09:46.970 --> 00:09:49.549 I was rather in... I mean, God's Favorite Dog was 137 00:09:49.629 --> 00:09:54.120 maybe the hardest... where we opened, I would say on show, 138 00:09:54.340 --> 00:09:58.460 we opened very big festivals with 60 000 people but 139 00:09:58.509 --> 00:10:01.279 we were let's say at the six o'clock slot and 140 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:04.840 then after us they played public enemy and then there 141 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:08.559 was suicidal tendencies and then there was red hot chili 142 00:10:08.600 --> 00:10:11.320 peppers and that was in a way the i think 143 00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:15.100 we were the warm-up for it but the the energy 144 00:10:15.240 --> 00:10:19.090 and the let's say the jumping and the wildness of 145 00:10:19.129 --> 00:10:22.529 the music was in that kind of area. I would 146 00:10:22.570 --> 00:10:27.769 say Suicidal Intendancies were maybe the most far away in 147 00:10:27.830 --> 00:10:32.850 terms of heaviness. But I would say we were in 148 00:10:32.909 --> 00:10:37.710 the same kind of energetic area than Red Hot Chili Peppers, 149 00:10:37.870 --> 00:10:41.850 for example. That was in a kind of similar area. 150 00:10:41.990 --> 00:10:44.649 I don't think that we reached the same quality at 151

00:10:44.690 --> 00:10:50.059 that time. You know, we were just obviously loving all 152 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:57.009 the crossover music and hip-hop and Cypress Hill and, you know, 153 00:10:57.049 --> 00:10:59.990 all that kind of... It was a little bit more 154 00:11:00.049 --> 00:11:03.570 like where you could, you know, wave your. 155 00:11:03.490 --> 00:11:07.899 Head to it. That was... Yeah. That was... Yeah, that's 156 00:11:07.940 --> 00:11:08.539 what we loved. 157 00:11:09.379 --> 00:11:12.960 That's what's awesome about... I mean, it happens in America too, 158 00:11:13.019 --> 00:11:16.529 but I think... as far as those like huge fests 159 00:11:16.549 --> 00:11:19.389 like europe really started that and and i mean every 160 00:11:19.490 --> 00:11:22.710 they call it festival season every summer and every fest 161 00:11:22.789 --> 00:11:25.500 is like the craziest lineups you've ever seen from like 162 00:11:25.980 --> 00:11:29.139 metallica to like you said like a cypress hill or 163 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:32.240 anything like in that genre and then to all the 164 00:11:32.340 --> 00:11:35.649 current like heavy alt alt bands that are on the 165 00:11:35.669 --> 00:11:37.029 rise too it's it's nuts. 166 00:11:36.889 --> 00:11:43.539 He's Yes, and even the combination of emotional, like soft music, 167 00:11:44.509 --> 00:11:48.950 which I think I'm not a big fan of. I 168 00:11:49.129 --> 00:11:52.629 know that you have categories and when you are a fan, 169 00:11:52.669 --> 00:11:56.870 you are somehow stay in that category kind of. But 170 00:11:56.929 --> 00:12:00.490 at the same time, I always love to, you know, 171 00:12:00.549 --> 00:12:06.519 to actually cross the categories just to give them give 172 00:12:06.620 --> 00:12:10.159 people an idea of what's also possible. And so I 173 00:12:10.179 --> 00:12:14.080 think I was always invited also later as Hauschka, I 174 00:12:14.120 --> 00:12:18.100 was invited to concerts where I had mainly Gothic people 175 00:12:18.179 --> 00:12:21.110 in the audience, or I had, uh, I was playing 176 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:23.750 in front of a classical audience with, uh, you know, 177 00:12:23.789 --> 00:12:27.409 a Rachmaninoff concerto, or then I played at the Berghain 178 00:12:27.450 --> 00:12:30.470 in Berlin, in a techno club. And then, you know, 179 00:12:30.509 --> 00:12:33.570 these were like, it was so diverse, but I, um, 180 00:12:34.029 --> 00:12:38.870 I somehow There was people that really loved going there 181 00:12:39.370 --> 00:12:42.210 and enjoying it in their kind of atmosphere, you know. 182 00:12:42.590 --> 00:12:44.710 Rolling into like what you worked on with Clayface. And 183 00:12:44.730 --> 00:12:48.250 I was very stoked to see how they took a 184 00:12:48.330 --> 00:12:51.419 comic book property, really leaned into a genre that really 185 00:12:51.480 --> 00:12:55.879 hasn't been done before. I think as far as this movie, 186 00:12:56.639 --> 00:13:00.750 which

I think is really, really cool. And I know 187 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:04.740 the last few years for you have been wild with 188 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:08.279 composer work. But this year has been a ton of 189 00:13:08.299 --> 00:13:11.159 movies you've been working on. But how did the opportunity 190 00:13:11.220 --> 00:13:13.159 to score Clayface come about for you? 191 00:13:13.460 --> 00:13:16.580 Well, I was already in touch with Warner because I 192 00:13:16.600 --> 00:13:20.480 did a movie with them that will be released, I think, 193 00:13:20.620 --> 00:13:26.070 next year. Which was already done before Clayface. 194 00:13:26.190 --> 00:13:27.009 And I was. 195 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:30.639 working with them on that one it's called panic carefully 196 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:33.940 i really loved the the work with them and i 197 00:13:34.299 --> 00:13:37.110 think they loved what i've done in a way you 198 00:13:37.149 --> 00:13:41.289 know and and obviously over the years now since i 199 00:13:41.509 --> 00:13:46.230 um i got maybe more knowledgeable to people in the u.s 200 00:13:46.350 --> 00:13:49.570 and to to the industry in the u.s and in 201 00:13:49.889 --> 00:13:53.509 england and uh you know i think people are more 202 00:13:53.590 --> 00:13:59.110 requesting me for maybe they think that I can do 203 00:13:59.289 --> 00:14:04.350 certain things very good, very properly. And, you know, and 204 00:14:04.389 --> 00:14:07.580 that is a long journey. It sounds like I'm under, 205 00:14:07.679 --> 00:14:12.960 I'm talking about, I'm underestimating my, you know, my value 206 00:14:13.059 --> 00:14:14.940 in a way, but it's not, it's not like that. 207 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:18.679 It's really, it takes a long time. You work, you 208 00:14:18.700 --> 00:14:21.350 work on things and then you feel like you made it. 209 00:14:21.500 --> 00:14:24.389 But a lot of times when I felt I made it, 210 00:14:24.389 --> 00:14:27.659 I was, I was thinking, no, I have to now 211 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:34.549 work harder to hold the privilege of being in that area. 212 00:14:35.009 --> 00:14:39.029 And so I worked pretty much all day long and 213 00:14:39.710 --> 00:14:42.929 years and years after, let's say, my Oscar win. And 214 00:14:43.309 --> 00:14:47.169 just to make sure that I can learn, I can 215 00:14:47.309 --> 00:14:51.149 get deeper into the subject because I My time with 216 00:14:51.190 --> 00:14:54.269 film music was already quite, in comparison to others, it 217 00:14:54.309 --> 00:14:57.789 was quite short. I had, you know, I had made 218 00:14:57.860 --> 00:15:02.440 maybe three films when I did Lion in 2017. And then, 219 00:15:03.179 --> 00:15:08.460 I mean, that's now, you know, nine years, which is 220 00:15:08.519 --> 00:15:11.860 not such a long time for a composer. It was 221 00:15:11.940 --> 00:15:15.240 quite late in my career and I wanted to make 222 00:15:15.320 --> 00:15:18.539 sure that I take the wave and I surf it 223

00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:21.730 and I learn to surf, you know. And so I 224 00:15:21.789 --> 00:15:25.509 think now I have the feeling I know much more. 225 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:30.000 But there's still, you know, every film has a different 226 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:34.679 aspect to look at. And, you know, and the chemistry 227 00:15:34.740 --> 00:15:38.299 between people is always different. So I'm, yeah, and then 228 00:15:38.620 --> 00:15:40.639 the guys from Warner were asking me, would you be 229 00:15:40.700 --> 00:15:44.919 interested in, you know, doing a DC movie? And I said, yeah, 230 00:15:44.980 --> 00:15:49.340 there's a sticker on my agent's, where I said I 231 00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:53.220 would love to do a film that has somehow a 232 00:15:53.580 --> 00:15:58.100 superhero connection or, you know, a kind of... And Gotham 233 00:15:58.139 --> 00:16:02.820 City was mainly more my world than, let's say, the 234 00:16:02.879 --> 00:16:03.759 Marvel world. 235 00:16:04.210 --> 00:16:04.419 Right. 236 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:07.139 In a way, at least, you know, I like the 237 00:16:07.179 --> 00:16:12.409 Marvel world as well, but I loved the connection to 238 00:16:12.450 --> 00:16:13.289 a real city. 239 00:16:13.470 --> 00:16:16.110 That was always something that I enjoyed. 240 00:16:16.419 --> 00:16:18.899 Yeah, now you're part of, I think it's the highest 241 00:16:19.139 --> 00:16:22.899 rated on Rotten Tomatoes and stuff, like body horror movie, 242 00:16:23.220 --> 00:16:25.460 or at least it's up there. And I think it's 243 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:28.620 the highest grossing body horror movie of all time already, 244 00:16:29.379 --> 00:16:31.740 which is awesome. Very, very good. 245 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:36.049 Yeah, I'm very happy because things like that can very 246 00:16:36.169 --> 00:16:41.090 easily fall somewhere into a place where nobody is interested. 247 00:16:41.570 --> 00:16:46.669 And I really love that it got so much Also, 248 00:16:47.110 --> 00:16:51.490 I would say natural attention, not pushed. I mean, obviously, 249 00:16:51.549 --> 00:16:56.500 there's advertisement and people do videos and all that. But 250 00:16:56.549 --> 00:17:00.039 at the same time, you can sense when something is naturally, 251 00:17:00.059 --> 00:17:02.700 let's say there's word of mouth, I would say, when 252 00:17:02.740 --> 00:17:04.180 people are talking with each other. 253 00:17:04.819 --> 00:17:06.960 And I had the feeling that there's something of that 254 00:17:07.079 --> 00:17:07.339 in there. 255 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:10.170 Going into it, I was like, okay. I was like, 256 00:17:10.230 --> 00:17:12.450 I think this is going to be like a true 257 00:17:12.509 --> 00:17:14.450 body horror movie kind of thing. But I was shocked 258 00:17:14.470 --> 00:17:18.670 of how far they went. I was like, wow. I 259 00:17:18.730 --> 00:17:20.630 couldn't believe it. But I was stoked about it. I 260 00:17:20.650 --> 00:17:25.980 was

very pleasantly surprised with how far they went. I 261 00:17:26.019 --> 00:17:28.720 do want to know, I know you had pretty much 262 00:17:28.779 --> 00:17:31.980 full freedom of how to craft the sound of this movie. 263 00:17:32.099 --> 00:17:34.829 But did you take any inspiration at all from any 264 00:17:34.980 --> 00:17:37.470 older Batman projects while making the score for this? 265 00:17:37.609 --> 00:17:42.069 I would say I would maybe take inspiration from... the 266 00:17:42.170 --> 00:17:46.690 mood in those films, not from the music itself. I mean, 267 00:17:46.730 --> 00:17:50.329 when obviously the music in the films like Dark Knight, 268 00:17:50.410 --> 00:17:53.490 for example, is for me one of my favorites, at 269 00:17:53.539 --> 00:17:58.359 least from that genre. And also Joker with Hildur's music. 270 00:17:58.440 --> 00:18:01.599 The mood in there is quite a dystopian kind of... 271 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:06.599 There is some darkness in there and, you know, obviously 272 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:09.740 not so much horror, but there's always this. 273 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:14.519 Hopelessness in a way at the same time the. 274 00:18:15.099 --> 00:18:18.740 More hopeless you feel the more you have hope in 275 00:18:18.759 --> 00:18:21.640 the film as well and I think in this film 276 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:25.730 there was the chance of spreading hope and the things 277 00:18:25.849 --> 00:18:28.650 in there that suddenly. 278 00:18:28.230 --> 00:18:31.690 Make people much more let's. 279 00:18:31.230 --> 00:18:35.990 Say closer with their life in Gotham City you know 280 00:18:36.289 --> 00:18:40.539 beforehand you had mostly like obviously you have certain settings 281 00:18:40.740 --> 00:18:46.930 of dangerous events and then somebody's chasing the other and 282 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:49.799 then it goes in the other direction and back and forth. And, 283 00:18:50.420 --> 00:18:52.819 you know, and obviously that is very, I like, I 284 00:18:52.859 --> 00:18:56.420 like films like that, but here it was, there was 285 00:18:56.500 --> 00:19:00.700 also this emotional connection of two people that really are 286 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:03.640 attracted to each other. And then there was another relationship 287 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:07.380 and I love that quite a lot because that gave 288 00:19:07.420 --> 00:19:12.220 me the freedom of switching and bring in some, You know, 289 00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:16.019 also some hope, which means then when hope is taken away, 290 00:19:16.759 --> 00:19:20.960 it even feels stronger as a loss, I would say. 291 00:19:21.960 --> 00:19:24.940 And so, you know, I like that in that film. 292 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:30.240 But besides that, I try to stay away from music 293 00:19:30.859 --> 00:19:33.910 that was made for this before because I'm very, very 294 00:19:34.029 --> 00:19:39.130 quick in adapting things. And then I suddenly realize, oh, no, 295 00:19:39.190 --> 00:19:40.450 that was

not my melody. 296 00:19:40.490 --> 00:19:40.789 Sorry. 297 00:19:43.569 --> 00:19:47.000 So I'd rather stay away from that and just try 298 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:50.579 to be as authentic as possible and raw. love the 299 00:19:50.619 --> 00:19:54.700 immediate reaction to something without being too much informed. 300 00:19:55.099 --> 00:19:56.839 I love that you said the thing of hope. Cause 301 00:19:56.960 --> 00:19:58.740 as I was watching it, I was like, yeah, the 302 00:19:58.779 --> 00:20:03.250 score feels oddly hopeful at times. And I loved, especially 303 00:20:03.309 --> 00:20:05.930 when they were kind of working on like fixing his 304 00:20:05.990 --> 00:20:09.210 face and with all the science and everything that there was, 305 00:20:09.369 --> 00:20:12.269 there was an awesome layer of intrigue through all of it. 306 00:20:13.089 --> 00:20:16.519 Like it felt like inquisitive, the music adding to the 307 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:20.019 moments of them discovering as, as characters. I thought that 308 00:20:20.059 --> 00:20:23.680 was so cool. And so kind of a unique for 309 00:20:24.059 --> 00:20:27.519 this type of film in, in general, I did want 310 00:20:27.539 --> 00:20:32.490 to ask, what does it feel like that you have 311 00:20:32.670 --> 00:20:35.869 introduced kind of the sound of Gotham? Like I know you, 312 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:39.900 said that the Clayface theme and the Gotham theme were 313 00:20:39.940 --> 00:20:42.180 the same theme or close. 314 00:20:42.079 --> 00:20:42.940 To the same theme? 315 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:45.799 Yeah, the Clayface theme and the Gotham theme are the 316 00:20:45.859 --> 00:20:49.940 same because I felt when I was working on the 317 00:20:49.960 --> 00:20:54.049 Clayface theme, I had the feeling to actually make Clayface 318 00:20:54.109 --> 00:20:57.549 as a part of the Gotham kind of world. And 319 00:20:58.549 --> 00:21:01.750 my feeling was once I wrote the first theme was 320 00:21:01.809 --> 00:21:05.670 for that kind of scene where you have a boat 321 00:21:05.710 --> 00:21:10.059 that is riding towards Gotham City. And you see the 322 00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:13.099 first time the skyline of, and it's a little bit like, 323 00:21:13.259 --> 00:21:15.240 here we are, this is what we have. 324 00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:15.720 You know? 325 00:21:16.539 --> 00:21:19.039 And when I wrote that theme for it, I had 326 00:21:19.059 --> 00:21:22.140 the feeling that this theme is actually representing everything that 327 00:21:22.200 --> 00:21:25.720 is not only in Gotham, that is actually in a way, 328 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:30.799 Clayface in his torn and in his tornness, he's in 329 00:21:30.839 --> 00:21:34.710 a way, representing exactly what what is the identity of 330 00:21:34.769 --> 00:21:37.730 Gotham City there is people who want to live and 331 00:21:37.799 --> 00:21:40.019 want to love and want to you know have their 332 00:21:40.140 --> 00:21:43.660 normal life and then there's others that are taking things 333 00:21:43.740 --> 00:21:47.259 away and you have to somehow live with these kind 334 00:21:47.299 --> 00:21:51.190 of two different characters in the city but also I 335 00:21:51.250 --> 00:21:54.490 felt he was very similar to that and so I 336 00:21:54.849 --> 00:21:59.670 you know I'm I felt it was maybe nice to Well, 337 00:22:00.049 --> 00:22:02.730 it was also a practical thing because there was not 338 00:22:02.789 --> 00:22:07.809 like 10 Gotham City moments where I felt every time 339 00:22:07.869 --> 00:22:10.049 I can bring that in. And every time I've had 340 00:22:10.130 --> 00:22:14.390 a Gotham City scene, Clayface was in it. So in 341 00:22:14.450 --> 00:22:18.589 a way, I tried to find a practical reason of 342 00:22:18.829 --> 00:22:24.759 matching those two things. Then what you described beforehand, the 343 00:22:24.990 --> 00:22:29.809 moment when the nanos are taken over of his brain 344 00:22:29.900 --> 00:22:32.809 and you know you can see the scientific aspect of 345 00:22:33.730 --> 00:22:36.609 what happens inside of him we call that always the 346 00:22:36.650 --> 00:22:39.710 nanos theme and that was for me kind of a 347 00:22:39.769 --> 00:22:44.089 theme of a chemical process in a way like let's 348 00:22:44.109 --> 00:22:47.410 say the process from when you melt iron or when 349 00:22:47.450 --> 00:22:51.210 you you know when you have a kind of material 350 00:22:51.289 --> 00:22:56.390 is going from concrete into into gas like this kind 351 00:22:56.450 --> 00:23:00.079 of process you know And so I was thinking about 352 00:23:00.700 --> 00:23:01.519 that like. 353 00:23:03.079 --> 00:23:05.299 Chain reactions in a way. 354 00:23:06.220 --> 00:23:10.029 And so I created these sounds that are starting mostly when, 355 00:23:10.230 --> 00:23:13.049 let's say, when the danger comes. It starts with a 356 00:23:13.490 --> 00:23:18.589 high whistling sound that is always nearly like a high... 357 00:23:18.829 --> 00:23:21.009 It's a very high violin that plays like. 358 00:23:23.640 --> 00:23:25.319 Like very high, like a whistle. 359 00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:30.690 And then that... is the alarm and then the nanos 360 00:23:30.769 --> 00:23:34.089 are taken over. So there was a little bit like 361 00:23:34.210 --> 00:23:39.690 a comic in myself, you know, describing these kind of 362 00:23:39.779 --> 00:23:44.180 processes in the microcosm in a way. And I wanted 363 00:23:44.220 --> 00:23:46.660 to transfer that into music. 364 00:23:46.740 --> 00:23:49.500 I think you nailed it for sure. That's awesome. It's 365 00:23:49.559 --> 00:23:53.569 cool hearing that insight into that for sure. I do 366 00:23:53.589 --> 00:23:57.230 want to talk about prepared piano for a second. How 367 00:23:57.269 --> 00:23:58.450 did you discover that? 368 00:23:58.710 --> 00:24:01.309 I was not discovering it by John Cage. I mean, 369 00:24:01.329 --> 00:24:06.349 John Cage is a guy from New York and

he 370 00:24:06.410 --> 00:24:11.619 was mainly, let's say, the inventor. There was another, I 371 00:24:11.660 --> 00:24:16.779 think his teacher, Henry Cowell, was even an earlier protagonist 372 00:24:16.859 --> 00:24:19.779 of the prepared piano. I think it was a little 373 00:24:19.799 --> 00:24:23.579 bit like a rage against the establishment because he was 374 00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:29.869 trying to get into that instrument and creating sounds rather 375 00:24:29.930 --> 00:24:33.900 than using it in, let's say, the traditional way. And 376 00:24:34.039 --> 00:24:37.680 my approach to it, and I discovered that later when 377 00:24:37.740 --> 00:24:42.529 I was already asking a journalist in Germany to write 378 00:24:42.589 --> 00:24:46.029 down for my first prepared piano record, which is called 379 00:24:46.109 --> 00:24:49.900 The Prepared Piano. I asked him to write the liner notes, 380 00:24:49.960 --> 00:24:52.200 and I said to him, can you write something, can 381 00:24:52.220 --> 00:24:55.960 you research where The Prepared Piano started, and can you 382 00:24:56.000 --> 00:25:00.380 make sure that it's not me who is putting himself 383 00:25:00.539 --> 00:25:04.079 out there as the inventor? Because I want to make 384 00:25:04.140 --> 00:25:05.380 sure that I'm not suddenly. 385 00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:11.940 Yes, I found that thing. I just wanted to have 386 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:17.700 the historical context of the prepared piano. And so he 387 00:25:17.740 --> 00:25:21.240 wrote that in there. But I came from a period 388 00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:24.519 in my life where I was heavily involved in electronic 389 00:25:24.599 --> 00:25:31.440 music and techno. And I had recorded a record. My 390 00:25:31.500 --> 00:25:34.680 very first piano record was in a way the first 391 00:25:34.940 --> 00:25:39.660 try of make an electronic music with my own instrument 392 00:25:39.740 --> 00:25:45.119 because I wanted to have piano involved. But that was 393 00:25:45.660 --> 00:25:49.509 very impossible with just the piano. I always had to 394 00:25:49.549 --> 00:25:52.670 have a laptop on stage. And at some point I 395 00:25:52.710 --> 00:25:55.730 felt like, I don't know, I'm looking like I'm working 396 00:25:55.769 --> 00:25:59.589 in an office and I can't, I'm not, I don't 397 00:25:59.789 --> 00:26:02.309 feel like the dynamic I'm, you know, I'm in a 398 00:26:02.329 --> 00:26:08.180 way typing and, Obviously, later onwards, the electronic music scene 399 00:26:08.220 --> 00:26:12.319 was totally fine with having people perform with laptops. And 400 00:26:12.359 --> 00:26:17.819 there was quite a huge boom. And I loved seeing 401 00:26:17.880 --> 00:26:21.269 people who were doing it. But my instrument was still piano. 402 00:26:21.450 --> 00:26:26.210 And so my question was, after the first tour where 403 00:26:26.289 --> 00:26:29.630 I had the piano and I had all the prepared 404 00:26:29.670 --> 00:26:33.990 piano sounds on a mini disc, and I just pressed 405 00:26:34.049 --> 00:26:38.450 play and then the prepared piano pieces were running from 406 00:26:38.490 --> 00:26:40.470 the mini disc and I played on top of it. 407 00:26:41.670 --> 00:26:44.190 I said at some point, I think there were two 408 00:26:44.250 --> 00:26:47.740 concerts in Germany, you know, because I was an indie 409 00:26:47.839 --> 00:26:52.319 artist that no venue had a good piano. I mean, 410 00:26:52.359 --> 00:26:56.240 they were either broken or they were, they had to 411 00:26:56.339 --> 00:26:59.220 rent one. And the renting of the piano was more 412 00:26:59.299 --> 00:27:00.519 money than my fee. 413 00:27:01.869 --> 00:27:02.109 You know? 414 00:27:02.650 --> 00:27:06.170 So, So in a way, it was very difficult for 415 00:27:06.230 --> 00:27:10.619 me to play shows. But then there were two clubs 416 00:27:10.880 --> 00:27:15.660 in Germany where they had one in Cologne called Stadtgarten. 417 00:27:16.059 --> 00:27:20.730 They had a grand piano. And I was just saying 418 00:27:20.769 --> 00:27:24.829 to myself, come on, let's throw the mini disc away 419 00:27:24.869 --> 00:27:29.289 and just play on that bloody piano and dry things out. 420 00:27:30.829 --> 00:27:34.900 And by just experimenting, I felt like if I'm preparing 421 00:27:35.059 --> 00:27:38.940 each string in a way like I'm working on a sampler, 422 00:27:39.980 --> 00:27:42.279 you know, at that time we had Akai samplers. They 423 00:27:42.319 --> 00:27:46.079 had always like drum kits on each note. You had 424 00:27:46.099 --> 00:27:51.809 a different bass drum, snare, hi-hat, a different sound. And 425 00:27:51.990 --> 00:27:55.230 in a way, I transferred that onto the piano and 426 00:27:55.289 --> 00:28:03.680 I started to find functionalities like percussive functionalities, sustain functionalities 427 00:28:03.740 --> 00:28:07.730 because the piano has no sustain in a way for 428 00:28:07.750 --> 00:28:11.430 a long time. So I worked with ebos inside of 429 00:28:11.470 --> 00:28:13.990 the piano and used them, you know, which are normally 430 00:28:14.089 --> 00:28:17.490 used for guitars. And I placed them on the strings 431 00:28:17.650 --> 00:28:22.059 and suddenly I had this long pad never stopping. And 432 00:28:22.099 --> 00:28:27.359 I didn't use any kind of computer. It was just 433 00:28:27.480 --> 00:28:30.430 like me working. Me working. 434 00:28:31.589 --> 00:28:32.309 With material. 435 00:28:32.410 --> 00:28:38.579 I was very happy once I found that out that 436 00:28:38.640 --> 00:28:42.339 I could work on a scale with, I could do 437 00:28:42.400 --> 00:28:47.740 electronic music without any electricity. And I think one, the 438 00:28:47.779 --> 00:28:52.210 first very nice experience was also the shows that I 439 00:28:52.250 --> 00:28:57.390 played at NPR where they, where the hosts of NPR 440 00:28:57.470 --> 00:29:01.650 went into a supermarket and he brought a bag with 441 00:29:02.450 -->

00:29:08.630 stuff with him, where he asked me afterwards, can you 442 00:29:08.670 --> 00:29:10.589 make some pieces out of that? You know, like a 443 00:29:10.630 --> 00:29:15.089 Tic Tac box or, you know, cleaning pads for pots 444 00:29:15.390 --> 00:29:20.430 and all sorts of different things, you know. Then the 445 00:29:20.470 --> 00:29:23.720 next Hauschkart tour started and I was suddenly invited to, 446 00:29:23.740 --> 00:29:29.000 you know, to... festivals and concerts with techno people. I 447 00:29:29.259 --> 00:29:35.490 was mostly playing on electronic, like very nerdy kind of festivals. 448 00:29:35.549 --> 00:29:37.910 And that was very nice for me because I suddenly 449 00:29:38.569 --> 00:29:42.799 recognized that there are many people out there who are 450 00:29:42.859 --> 00:29:47.740 doing very original music that is very close to their 451 00:29:47.779 --> 00:29:51.480 heart rather than they're looking for the charts, you know? 452 00:29:51.819 --> 00:29:53.839 Does the piano get mic'd at all? I think I 453 00:29:53.880 --> 00:29:56.299 heard you talking about music getting mic'd in certain ways. 454 00:29:56.900 --> 00:29:58.039 Yeah, we're using 12 mics. 455 00:29:59.650 --> 00:30:04.859 Have you ever tried running guitar pedals through the mics? Oh, yeah. 456 00:30:05.539 --> 00:30:10.220 No, we're using them. I use humbucker pickups on the piano. 457 00:30:11.400 --> 00:30:11.720 What? 458 00:30:12.279 --> 00:30:15.519 Well, these pickups are made by an American guy. His 459 00:30:15.559 --> 00:30:22.200 name is Helpenstil. And he's very well known. He invented 460 00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:29.099 these pickups for piano. I think, from my understanding... also very, 461 00:30:29.240 --> 00:30:33.259 you know, a lot of old rock bands were using 462 00:30:33.319 --> 00:30:36.210 his pickups because they needed a piano that is loud 463 00:30:36.269 --> 00:30:39.910 enough and that has no feedback. And so he, he 464 00:30:39.970 --> 00:30:43.930 invented that system that are like these pickups that you 465 00:30:43.970 --> 00:30:48.150 put underneath the strings and you can boost the bass 466 00:30:48.210 --> 00:30:51.839 like a hip hop bass. I mean, I have, I have, 467 00:30:51.980 --> 00:30:56.519 and I'm feeding that into a guitar paddle board that 468 00:30:56.559 --> 00:30:59.029 I have on the side and I have a loop 469 00:30:59.069 --> 00:31:03.369 station where I record myself and yeah, that's it. 470 00:31:03.869 --> 00:31:05.630 What other pedals you got on that board? I need 471 00:31:05.690 --> 00:31:05.950 to know. 472 00:31:06.250 --> 00:31:10.799 I have a time factor delay from Eventide. I have 473 00:31:10.839 --> 00:31:14.640 a lot of Chase Bliss pedals, which are my favorites 474 00:31:14.759 --> 00:31:17.099 because they are very random and they have a lot of, 475 00:31:17.500 --> 00:31:23.380 also they create synthesizer-like sounds, which I don't have to 476 00:31:23.559 --> 00:31:28.710 travel with big synthesizer gear. And because I'm improvising every 477 00:31:28.769 --> 00:31:32.390 concert since I was starting to work with it was, 478 00:31:33.150 --> 00:31:39.940 I mean, I've done now maybe around 1,200 shows since 2007, maybe. 479 00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:43.460 So I was playing nearly every year 100 shows. And 480 00:31:43.500 --> 00:31:46.859 then let's say when my film career started, I just 481 00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:51.519 stopped immediately and said, it's good to have a break. 482 00:31:52.099 --> 00:31:52.900 Yes, yes. 483 00:31:53.279 --> 00:31:53.519 You know? 484 00:31:54.210 --> 00:31:58.089 And now next year I'm recording a new album and 485 00:31:58.190 --> 00:32:02.599 I go back again to get into, let's say, more 486 00:32:02.630 --> 00:32:03.440 the live. 487 00:32:04.660 --> 00:32:05.220 Period. 488 00:32:05.480 --> 00:32:08.720 And not that I want to give up on the film, 489 00:32:08.779 --> 00:32:11.440 but I think I have now a kind of good, 490 00:32:11.539 --> 00:32:16.660 solid way of knowing how I can work with films. 491 00:32:17.380 --> 00:32:20.329 Because you want to, when I get asked by someone, 492 00:32:20.630 --> 00:32:22.349 can you do the music for my film, you want 493 00:32:22.390 --> 00:32:26.900 to be responsible for that project and you want to 494 00:32:26.960 --> 00:32:29.259 finish it and not go in on tour while you're 495 00:32:30.299 --> 00:32:36.319 writing it. It could be possible, but that's not my way. 496 00:32:36.460 --> 00:32:42.160 I love being present and making the best I can do. 497 00:32:42.180 --> 00:32:44.779 That makes sense. 498 00:32:44.799 --> 00:32:48.380 That's how you should do it for sure. Thank you 499 00:32:48.420 --> 00:32:49.960 so much for joining me. This was awesome. 500 00:32:50.279 --> 00:32:51.740 Thank you. Thank you for having me. 501 00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:54.160 No problem at all. Before we get out of here, 502 00:32:54.319 --> 00:32:55.680 I know you talked about a lot of stuff you 503 00:32:55.720 --> 00:32:57.549 kind of have coming up. Is there anything else you 504 00:32:57.569 --> 00:32:58.579 want to plug before we. 505 00:32:58.509 --> 00:33:00.049 Get out of here? No. 506 00:33:00.309 --> 00:33:03.009 I think you asked a lot of great questions and 507 00:33:03.170 --> 00:33:04.430 I love talking to you. 508 00:33:04.650 --> 00:33:07.190 Oh, awesome. Thank you so much. That's the goal. 509 00:33:07.210 --> 00:33:11.049 Yeah, absolutely. No, really, really great. 510 00:33:11.490 --> 00:33:15.130 I mean, I've done many interviews and it's always nice 511 00:33:15.210 --> 00:33:19.680 when there's a nice atmosphere and you, you know, I 512 00:33:19.720 --> 00:33:22.579 think the audience also feels that when, when they get 513 00:33:22.619 --> 00:33:26.599 information in a, in an atmosphere where, uh, people are 514 00:33:26.660 --> 00:33:29.700 respecting each other and where there's a knowledge of things. 515 00:33:29.940 --> 00:33:31.650 And I like that a lot. So thank you. 516 00:33:32.769 --> 00:33:34.650 Not a problem at all. It's, it's, it's my goal 517 00:33:34.690 --> 00:33:36.750 here that a hundred percent that, that, that, that is 518 00:33:36.829 --> 00:33:39.789 always the goal. And if, uh, you haven't already, I'll 519 00:33:39.849 --> 00:33:41.690 link all of Volker's stuff down below. So you can 520 00:33:41.730 --> 00:33:43.130 go check it out, go follow him, go check out 521 00:33:43.150 --> 00:33:46.450 his original music. Obviously you've probably heard his music without 522 00:33:46.519 --> 00:33:49.319 even knowing, um, Sometimes I know some people are very 523 00:33:49.380 --> 00:33:52.500 unaware of who does scores, which is fine, but you 524 00:33:52.519 --> 00:33:55.599 should learn more. So I hope these interviews help people 525 00:33:55.640 --> 00:33:57.529 learn a little bit more about this stuff. If you 526 00:33:57.549 --> 00:33:59.569 want some of the podcasts, you go to medicalnerds.com. All 527 00:33:59.609 --> 00:34:01.109 our links there in one easy place. If you want 528 00:34:01.130 --> 00:34:03.250 to follow me, my personal account is just at SeanXMa 529 00:34:03.289 --> 00:34:06.849 on Instagram and Twitter. Until next time, see you later, nerds.