Why Not Become A...Film Composer?

‘MUSICIAN, composer, writer, photographer, filmmaker. Barry Adamson is not a man to take it easy.’ So proclaims his website - and with just cause. Since producing his own song, Brain Pain, at the tender age of ten, Adamson’s music career has seen him tour with Iggy Pop, remix for Depeche Mode, be shortlisted for a Mercury Prize and find two of his albums - Oedipus Schmoedipus and Moss Side Story - included in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. He has dallied with the likes of Joey Ramone and Ian Curtis and counts Guns 'N’ Roses amongst his fans. Not bad for a comic-loving outsider who, growing up in 1960s Moss Side, struggled to fit in. 

It was such a coup - like working with Hitchcock in the sixties

Recent creative endeavours include writing and directing two short motion pictures. Adamson has provided music for TV series, adverts, computer games - and even Maliphant’s Olivier award-winning ballet - but it’s arguably his career as a film composer that has seen the most success; with a repertoire spanning Natural Born Killers to The Beach. 

So how does an ‘outsider’s outsider’, who once developed a talent for mimicry to avoid being bullied, end up working with Quentin Tarantino and Danny Boyle? We decided to find out...

Hi Barry, firstly can you tell us a bit about your background - you started off as a Bad Seed right?

BA: "Yes, I was getting bored of my graphic design course at Stockport Art College so decided to audition for Magazine (ex-Buzzcocks singer Howard Devoto’s post-punk band) as a bassist, and was fortunate enough to get in. After about three years, I joined the Bad Seeds (an Australian alternative rock band, formed by the Birthday Party’s Nick Cave) and eventually started producing my own albums in 1989." 

After enjoying commercial success as a band musician, what made you foray into film? 

BA: "I’ve been drawn to music in film since childhood, ever since watching a Bond double bill on a soggy seaside holiday; it’s like a third dimension, a new language. My first solo album, Moss Side Story, was actually like a soundtrack without a movie. I was scouted by Derek Jarman and became known for evoking music that was cinematic, some say ‘film noir’. I’ve always been drawn to darker genres like crime and mystery, which I think is reflected in my commissions."

The Last of England, Jarman's seminal 1988 arthouse flick

How does the composition process work?

BA: "Music is generally one of the last steps. Occasionally I’m sent the script beforehand but generally I do most of the work when I’ve been sent the film. Sometimes I’ll meet the directors and crew, but technology advances mean my work these days is mainly just done in the studio: I’ll develop a skeleton composition on the piano, then use synthesisers to emulate other instruments. The process can take anything from a few weeks to several months." 

You’ve written and directed two films yourself...what inspired those?

BA: "I did a 40-minute drama called Therapist in 2011 and an 11-minute horror called The Swing The Hole and The Lie in 2014. It was an honour to be shown at festivals like Cannes and Adelaide but I think that film making is a lot less exclusive than it used to be. Again, technology has made things a lot more accessible. You can take photos on a smartphone, for example, or film on an SLR. I’ve always liked writing, from songs to stories, so it was a natural progression to extend that to scripts."

Needless to say, your career has been incredibly diverse. Can you pick a highlight?

BA: "Working with David Lynch on Lost Highway, without a doubt. He rang me and said he’d been listening to my stuff for ten hours straight. I flew to LA and was basically given a masterclass on all the components of filmmaking. It came at a low point for me and was such a coup - like working with Hitchcock in the sixties." 

Adamson curated the Soundtrack movie season, which runs at HOME until 31 August. More info here

.... alternatively, why not become a Circus Acrobat or a Chocolatier?