TOD: Music is SO important to me; it really makes life worth living, I think. So there are lots of albums to chose from that have had a huge impact on me...songs that I can remember exactly where I was the first time I heard it, and then went on to discover the artist's whole catalogue.
I have had several instances of pulling off the road because I was too overwhelmed by what I heard and had to give it my full attention. If I fall in love with a song, I can listen to it dozens of times in a row without getting tired of it. (Good Vibrations, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, the 2nd movment from Beethoven's 7th, the Who's Tommy, The Beatles' White album and Sergeant Pepper, Randy Newman's Sail Away, Harru Nilsson's Harry and the motherlode: Rhapsody in Blue are just a few.)
But if I had to pick one album that influenced my life above all others, it would be Van Dyke Park's SONG CYCLE.
Van Dyke is not a household name, but I became a fan of his through his work for Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman. He seemed to be this omnipresent musical force, whether it was playing piano or producing for other artists. He helped raise the bar on some of my favorite albums.
But when I heard his own music, (after pulling over the car) I can honestly say it changed my life. This was before the internet or CD's, and his albums were almost impossible to find. But I finally found an friend who was equally as fascinated by VDP's music and had all the albums which he graciously taped for me. (I have since bought them all on CD 3 times over in different releases.)
I felt a spiritual connection to this dense collage of music and never grew tired of hearing it because there was always some clever quote or hidden gem I'd never noticed before. But more importantly, I had discovered an artist who created the albums he wanted, not what some record label dictated. I learned early on in my career that I could work on things that mattered to me; I would also have to pay the bills but through determination and trying to always do my best, I could perhaps find a group of regular collaborators and clients. I also knew I was never going to get rich, but I would be happy in my work if I followed that path.
Years later we began corresponding and Van Dyke was as gracious and kind as you could hope your hero would be. Several times he offered his help on my documentary films, but our schedules never aligned.
Finally, on THE ADVENTURES OF OCIEE NASH, I knew I had a film that was tailor-made for his composing skills. I had to fight to use him; the producer had a composer buddy, the director had lots of people knocking at her door, and they had a tendency to favor people they liked rather than the person who was right for the job, because they knew nothing about music or the very important role it should play in giving a film its heart.
When several investors came aboard with money specifically based on VDP's name, the producers decided it would be a good idea to hire him!
Collaborating with him on this film from the beginning through the scoring session (with Grant Geissman in attendance) was without question the highlight of my professional career, and one of my favorite experiences of my life.
Van Dyke and his lovely wife even came to Atlanta for the premiere and Greg and I had the opportunity of showing them around for a few days. What fun that was, and they were as gracious and kind and generous as you can imagine, even though VDP barely broke even on this project, if that!
