S2E59 Music Man

Among Hollywood producers, CHRIS BOARDMAN is famous for being one of those very rare musicians who can write literally anything. Over his extraordinary career, he has written literally everything. His orchestrating/composing credits include THE COLOR PURPLE, THE WIZ, DIE HARD, LETHAL WEAPON, WATERWORLD, OUTBREAK, TOMMY BOY, PAYBACK, SPY KIDS and BORDELLO OF BLOOD. Chris has also lent his talents to musical acts like JULIE ANDREWS and co-founded the band WISHFUL THINKING. He really is an all around MUSIC MAN!

In this one, we talk a lot about music itself and the process of making music work alongside visual elements. As an orchestrator, Chris’s job is to take the film’s score and pump it full of orchestral life. To exploit every last bit of music’s emotional richness.

And, Chris has stories! Among the names dropped in this episode (with great stories to boot): MILES DAVIS, QUINCY JONES, MICHAEL KAMEN, TOTO (the band) and MEL GIBSON.

Chris also talks about a subject almost as near and dear as music: teaching. Chris is a phenomenal teacher and mentor. But then, look at the talented people who mentored Chris along his way. We’ll also talk about Chris’s work on an app that could be instrumental in suicide prevention. It uses music (tempo and tone especially) as a therapeutic to sonically alter suicidal thought processes. It works equally well on anxiety, depression and PTSD (it worked on Chris’s!). It’s fascinating – worth a listen – and worth some investment dollars, too!

Talking to Chris is not unlike listening to a Wishful Thinking cut. It’s smooth and flowing and, before you know it? The song’s over and you still want more. That’s music, man.

Yeah – that’s music!