New interview

[Blackoil]

Behind The Score: XFN Exclusive Conversation with Mark Snow

XFilesNews.com

Written by Avi Quijada

Thursday, 02 October 2008 20:36

There’s a place, a secret place, where magic happens. Beautiful sounds come to life in all their different natures: scary, eerie, funny, solemn, romantic, edgy, tragic and emotional melodies that evoke and transport you to moments in time, to places in your head, to a story... to a feeling.

Mark Snow is the father of those short notes that have become part of television history, and that enchanted place... is his studio.

I had the pleasure to share 40 minutes of his time, trying to get to know the person behind the sounds of "The X-Files," and I must say that Mr. Snow is as charming and intelligent as every single note that accompanies each scene from the show.

The Key Of Snow

In his home studio, he has given birth throughout his career to over 200 scores of the most talented compositions for TV and Film out there, including shows like "Millenium," "Smallville," "Ghost Whisperer," "The Lone Gunmen" and "Harsh Realm," to name a few. His signature is very recognizable to his fans. A unique sound has made him a recognized artist. But, how does he create these fantasies?

“When I'm working, I watch the movie when I’m playing along with it.” He begins, “...and I just keep going over and over until something connects to me.” The creation of music might be something untangible, sometimes inspiration drawn from a muse. When asked how he can translate emotions into music, he confesses, “It’s difficult to say what that is, but when I start to get goosebumps or I start getting emotional, then I know I’m close and I keep on working it until I think I really got it. Sometimes, it takes a short time, sometimes its a long time, you never know, its up to the Gods of music, I guess... "

XFN and fans all around the world thrived on the anticipation of the new film and with it the posibility of new "X-Files" traditions, such as new creations by Mark Snow. But what did he think about coming back to the franchise, the movie, the music and the reaction of the fans?

“... I hadn’t been on 'The X-Files' world since the last, actually the last episode, so it was a good 7 to 8 years of no 'X-Files.'” He comments. “Getting back into it really felt fantastic and very fresh, and since the music, you know, for the movie, I had the orchestra and all of my great 'X-Files' sounds, and a couple of singers and percussion stuff, it just felt very, very fresh and very, certainly familiar...”

Having scored over 200 episodes of "The X-Files" and both movies and received 6 emmy nominations, Mark Snow cannot pick a favorite song. He confesses that if he were to name one in particular, it would probably be in one of our top ten favorites as well.

No one can doubt that this new soundtrack, that was reviewed by XFN in early september, has everything that you could ask for: the thrill, the mistery, the melodies, that come full circle with new genre additions.

Mr. Snow himself confesses that one of his favorite tracks in the score for this new movie is Surgery, because “...(it) sounds almost somewhat classical, like a little Bach, and Gabriel Faure'’s Requiem...” He adds that he also enjoys Home Again, because it brought something different to the classic 'X-Files' score; the emotional and melodic nature that this movie presented him; the chance to develop something different and new. “I think everyone really responded to those great songs, so I’m very happy about that.”

The score includes as well tracks like The Trip to DC, Foot Chase and Can’t Sleep/Ice Field, that are what you might recognize as the “eerie” sounds of "The X Files," but he adds later on, reflecting on these two different tracks, that “...after everyone is scared to death, they can relax with these other 2 pieces.” And indeed we did.

Surgery and Home Again might as well be the signature pieces that describe what made this movie such a different change of pace in this new "X-Files" chapter, and to make things better, he actually included something more personal this time.

His wife, Glynn Snow, was a last minute addition to Home Again. The whistle had already been recorded, but Mark knew better; and with this, what had been a myth for over 15 years, became true when she whistled "The X-Files" theme for the breathtaking end of this song.

"The X Files: I Want to Believe" presented a new oportunity for him to take us into territories that he hadn’t shown us before. “I think the most important thing about that for me is that, I think everyone knows the classic sort of 'X-Files' music that I’ve done through the years,” he remembers, “ ...and here’s a chance for me to write really emotional, dare I say beautiful and melodic pieces that haven’t shown up in a lot in the TV show that much...” The fact that he now had the chance to include the richness of a full blown orchestra also added to the mix, a difference from the music previously composed for the show, which came from his home studio. “I just want to show everyone that I’m able (to) write the scary 'X-Files' stuff, but that I also write some of the hopefully beautiful, melodic, emotional music that the movie let me do.”

He was also delighted by the team that collaborated on the creation of this new musical production, which included the talented Alan Meyerson, who has worked in numerous famous scores in the last 15 years, including works with Hans Zimmer. Peter Anthony, Jonathan Sacks and Randy Kerber also were part of the team that coordinated the Hollywood Studio Symphony. Snow adds that the difference between scoring this movie and the TV series was that “...when you’re doing a TV show there’s no time, you don’t have the luxury or the pleasure of working or collaborating with people like these, so this was great.”

But not everything in this new soundtrack came entirely from Mark Snow’s hands... well, not exactly. UNKLE did his own interpretation of "The X-Files" theme and according to the father of these gloriously famous notes, “...is actually, probably, the most sofisticated, beautiful, remix of the theme.” He recognized that although his creation inspired this new version, it is in fact, UNKLE’s influences and talents that made this such a remarklable track. "...it’s a beautiful, beautiful recording. It’s one of my favorites, if not my favorite.”

The Semitones: The Highs and Lows of a Phenomena

I had to know what did Mark Snow thought about the movie, the reaction of the fans and the critics’ reaction.

In one short paragraph, I think, he summed all of it to what really matters... “ I thought it was great and it really, really played for the hardcore fans, you know?” He continues. “So knowing the TV show for all of these years, and knowing all about the characters, I thought this was all a big payoff and I think the fans really responded to it, but a lot of the critics who didn’t know this TV series so well, I think, they might have been dissapointed, but we don’t care about them do we?” I couldn’t help but laugh at this.

Mark has been part of the X-Files family from the beginning, taking a leap into something that changed his like forever. “It absolutly did, in many ways, but before that I was, you know, going along and everything is ok, and along comes The X Files and everything got exagerated, all the good things and a few bad things,” He laughs. ”... it opened doors for me, you know? made me visible to other people, who wanted to hire me...”

Fame has struck him as a surprising matter. His theme has been versioned numerous times, making top rank in Europe and putting him in the top circle of people that have reached fame thru The X Files. He still gets surprised that to this day, after 15 years since the show aired for the first time, that there could be so much fans of his work out there.

“I think all of the people that have done versions of The X Files theme from all over the world is really incredibly satisfing and slathering to me because is such a simple piece...” He ponders. “...the idea that there are still fans, that people are watching the dvds, that’s amazing...”

Time Signature: Future beats

The chance of working in future X-Files related productions thrills him, “Absolutelly, I don’t know if there will be but if there is, you know, I’m the guy!!” He says exploding in laughter. “They can’t get anyone else, and, of course, it will be a great adventure to continue the X-Files saga. (...) This last X-Files movie was one of the best times I’ve ever had.”

Part of the privileges that working for The X Files has brought him is the chance of finding new jobs, as he has mentioned, and one of those has been the oportunity to work for the 86-yr-old French director Alan Resnais, a very well known filmmaker from the new wave cinema.

“He’s an amazing man,” He tells me with a hint of admiration in his voice, ”He heard my music for X-Files on French television, and thought I would be perfect for his movie... I’ve had one of the best times of my life being with him and his wife and the people over there.”

Working for the director of “Private Fears in Public Places” has influenced him, “This is a dream job for me, you know?” He elaborates on his desired new adventures, “I would also love something where its just not crazy, crazy action, but more phylosophical, psychological, thoughtful stuff, ...that to me would be a dream job.”

And it seems to me that we still haven’t seen the full blown experience of being a witness to Mark Snow’s talents. “It takes much more creativity into doing something like that,” he says referring to composing introspective scores, “...rather than a big action movie, where is just bang-bang, crash-crash, all the time. So hopefully some day in the future that will await me.”

He looks foward to someday be able to release a Mark Snow Original; music that will not be related to a score, to a movie, to a TV show, “...if i ever have enough free time, I’ll write some of my own music, and that would be great.”

Meanwhile, he’n working full speed into his announced compilation of X-Files related compositions, and for one of the few times, fans can actually tell Mark and Fox, which ones they think deserve the honour to be inmortalized outside of the series, and sparked with new life in this release of music from the series.

The notes...

Would have The X Files felt the same without Mark Snow’s music?

I, myself think that after everything is filmed and edited, the one thing that finally brings to life a scene, is the music. Special effects might let us see things that otherwise might go unnoticed by our imaginations, but music its what, alongside words and actions, lights that emotion that makes a production unforgetable. And so is how The X Files became famous thru scenes where hidden love was only palpable by the touching notes of his creations and a couple of holding hands...

When the final minutes of this marvelous conversation came, and the last question arrived, Mark could only say this to us:

“It makes me very, very thankful, and emotional, and happy, that you know..” He trails off trying to figure out what to say and explains, “...what I do, I do alone 99% of the time, I’m in my studio by myself, and I do my music specially for The X Files.” He continues, “...The idea that so many people like yourself and your friends around the world have responded to it, and I have worked so hard and been alone in my room for so many hours, but to have a payoff like this, and have the response from all of you people around the world, is very, very gratifying”

“I can’t thank you all for being so supportive, and so into the music,” He says after a pause, “...it makes me feel that I have done something really special in this world, ...so a big ‘gracias’ and ‘mucho gusto’” He adds to the delight of my Latin American heritage.

If indeed all it takes is for one person to change the world, in this convulsioned day and age, I cannot think of a better person to follow than Mark Snow. If anything, he has inspired many generations thru his compositions, letting us ignite the flame of creativity, fantasy and hope in the few notes that have evoked so many emotions, and brought to life the enchantment of breakthough stories that shall never be forgotten. He not only scored for a show, he created the soundtrack to many lives that fell in love with six simple accidental notes.

If you ask me... there are no such things like accidents, just random acts of universal wisdom.