FEATURE:
Scratched
IN THIS PHOTO: Olivia Wilde/PHOTO CREDIT: Isak Tiner for The New York Times
A Music Series with a Twist
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WITH podcasts growing ever-popular…
PHOTO CREDIT: Erik Mclean/Unsplash
and more diverse, there is pretty much one our there for everybody! That is true of music fans. If you want to find an album explored or a genre covered, you can go to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music or somewhere else and discover the podcast for you. Whilst 2022 is a year where I am going to (finally/hopefully) put my Kate Bush podcast fantasies into motion, I am also thinking wider afield. Maybe there is already a format like this but, when it comes to music I find the most interesting chats and insights come from people who are not musicians themselves. That being said, it can be interesting hearing musicians discuss albums they have been involved with. There is the incredible and long-running Song Exploder series, where artists (in the main) discuss a song of theirs. It is a real forensic and fascinating look into an individual song. I like all kinds of music podcasts, though one does not realise how widely music is utilised. From scoring films and plays to be using in political campaigns, different music in different settings can evoke separate and distinct reactions. A novelist or actor might have a whole new experience with music compared with, say, a director, campaigner or comedian. There are podcasts and series where ‘non-musicians’ are asked about their favourite tracks and music memories. In the U.K., we have Desert Island Discs: where a famous figure selects eight discs that they would take with them to a hypothetical desert island.
IN THIS PHOTO: Florence Pugh/PHOTO CREDIT: Jingyu Lin
Whereas an audio podcast would be the most convenient and easy option for this idea – considering it would bring in guests from around the world; the pandemic makes it harder for face-to-face chats -, there are not many music series and interviews on the screen. I pitched a series idea a while ago which would be held in an empty London cocktail bar where guests would sit opposite the host and, in a casual atmosphere, shoot the breeze about music and their formative song choices whilst sipping on their selected cocktail. I have been thinking hard about a new audio/visual idea: Scratched. The title refers to scratching a record, or scratching an idea or notion (it would also be a term used to describe a song that a guest used to love but doesn’t now). It would be a six-part series (that, hopefully, could run for several series) with a diverse range of guests from the world of literature, T.V., film, comedy and further afield – essentially, people who are not musicians but have a great appetite and knowledge of music. It has grown from the fact that actor, director, campaigner and all-round legend Olivia Wilde did a guest mix for KCRW a while back that I really loved and listened to a lot (she also appeared in the excellent and short-lived U.S. series, Vinyl). I love the idea of well-known figures chatting about music and getting to spin their favourite records. I am a big fan of Olivia Wilde, and I think that her passion for music of various tastes is really fascinating!
PHOTO CREDIT: Henry Perks/Unsplash
Someone else who I would love to have on/feature (if I were not to host) is director Edgar Wright. His films are noted for having great songs featured. He is a big music fan and, like Olivia Wilde, it would be awesome to hear Wright putting together his own playlist and discussing the music that matters most to him. Another hypothetical guest – on a hypothetical series! – would be the remarkable Aisling Bea. The Irish comic, writer, journalist, and general genius, again, has a deep and diverse love of music. I have read interviews where Bea has talked about music. I would be intrigued to learn about her childhood music tastes, what role it plays in shows she has written and appeared in, and what she listens to in her spare time. Maybe the guest list is quite ambitious, but I would plump for actor Florence Pugh as a guest. She is an amazing talent but, once more, someone who would reveal some really interesting stories and recollections. As someone in her twenties, her experiences and tastes might be very different to that of Edgar Wright or someone who was a little older than her. Another must-book is an author who is among the world’s very best: Colson Whitehead. Among other honours, he won the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction and the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Actor Elisabeth Moss is someone else who I really love and respect. She is someone who loves music but, as she is a different field to someone like Colson Whitehead, her episode would be different. It is about uniting a cross-section of acclaimed faces who give their own take on their unique music experiences.
IN THIS PHOTO: Aisling Bea/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Roy Rochlin
It is all very well having a guest list before you have an idea or anything solid! Whilst it is not out in the world yet or at the stage where it can be launched, I think a series called Scratched could work well purely as a podcast or a visual series. I like either option, though a T.V. series (whether it was a BBC, Netflix or Amazon thing) could deliver something more enriching and stimulating. The series would combine a general interview with that guest about their relationship with music…though there would also be categories and criteria that would be addressed. Such categories include the first song they remember, their favourite album of this year (whenever the year is when it goes out), and their favourite album of all time. There would also be an old-skool mixtape, where the guest would compile six songs that mean the most to them. As there would be actors, writers and comedians, it is a chance for that guest to explain how music links to their profession and the songs/artists who have been important in that sense. As I said, there would be that one song they used to love but no longer do. I am obsessed by the idea of T.V. series that are set in the past where we get music from that time played throughout (whether it is diegetic music or not). I also love music biopics too, so I would be asking about their pitches for shows like this. I am also intrigued about how music helps us when we are low or when we are happy. Delving more into the psychological side of things. So, Scratched would be a mix of the fun and more serious, where that guest’s full musical palette and tastes are opened up and explored.
IN THIS PHOTO: Edgar Wright/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
If it were a T.V. series, we would see mentioned albums and songs physically held and played; music videos seen, and this cool set allowing us to showcase their music choices. A podcast would allow the interview to be deeper I feel, and it would mean guests don’t have to travel. In any case, I know there are so many incredible people that we know and love who have this rich and deep love of music. I have thrown out some guests that I would love to include (especially Olivia Wilde and Aisling Bea) but, even if it does not get going or turn into anything concrete, it is my hope that a radio station, podcaster or station will think about doing something similar. Margot Robbie, too, is another person who has an eclectic and excellent taste in music! From their childhood choice tracks to the way music has fed into their career now, there is so much to discuss and uncover! Scratched is something that I am going to pitch this year and, alongside my hopeful Kate Bush podcast, see if it can come to fruition. I don’t think there is anything quite like this out there at the moment. To me, chatting with extraordinary people from various walks of the cultural map about the music that shapes them would be…
IN THIS PHOTO: Colson Whitehead/PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Close
A really cool idea.