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NEWS : STORIES
When famed teen-flick director John Hughes first heard experimental jazz-rockers Tortoise a few years back, he felt emotions that took him to the heyday of the mid-'80s. Watching them play at various Chicago rock clubs, he felt a connection
It's no wonder then that the filmmaker who merged new wave and the movies recruited Tortoise's songwriter John McEntire to score his new film "Reach the Rock." "His music just worked so well for the film that I think it's the best soundtrack I've done," Hughes boasted. "The music just has so much integrity and stands so well on its own." When most people think of scores for Hughes flicks, they recall such new-wave hits as the Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)." Now, just as the Chicago-based filmmaker turned to '80s pop acts to give an indelible sonic signature to his earlier flicks, he's infusing his current project, "Reach the Rock," with the sounds of this decade. "I think the music ended up working really well in the film because there's not a tremendous amount of development in it," said McEntire, 28, an avowed fan of such legendary film scorers as Bernard Herrmann ("Psycho"). "Reach the Rock" -- which Hughes wrote and produced -- was scored by McEntire, multi-instrumentalist with Chicago's pioneering band Tortoise. Slated for a March 2 release, the soundtrack features the new Tortoise track "In A Thimble" (RealAudio excerpt). It also includes a host of other experimental Chicago rock musicians and bands such as Bundy K. Brown, the Sea and Cake, and Dianogah. All contributors were hand-picked by the film's music supervisor, Hughes' son, musician John Hughes III (Slicker). "The music for this film is more subdued than previous films I've worked on," said director Hughes, known to many '80s kids for his genre-defining teen movies "Sixteen Candles" (1984), "The Breakfast Club" (1984), "Pretty in Pink" (1985) and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986). As in his earlier films, the music by then-fairly obscure acts -- including Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Echo and the Bunnymen -- played a major part. Hughes called McEntire's score a central element of "Reach the Rock." Hughes said his films always have drawn from whatever music is obsessing him at the time, be it reggae, jazz or punk from pioneering bands such as the Clash. More recently, he's been checking out avant-garde Chicago bands, such as Shellac, the Sea and Cake, and Tortoise's 1996 dub-jazz masterpiece Millions Now Living Will Never Die -- and the new film reflects it. "When you hear Tortoise and see these nighttime scenes where it's hot and you're waiting for the rain, and there's this impotent thunder in the distance, the mood of the music really matches the picture," Hughes said. The film, which had a limited theatre release in October of 1998 and will hit video in March, was directed by William Ryan from a script by Hughes. Much slower paced and more down-tempo than the films Hughes is generally known for, it follows the trail of troubled, small-town youth Robin (played by Alessandro Nivola) as he attempts to woo his former high-school girlfriend for one last time. Most of the film takes place on a stormy evening in jail as Robin confronts his difficult past with a local police sergeant who blames the youth for the death of his nephew. McEntire, who created atmospheric, minimal instrumental pieces such as "Stolen Car" (RealAudio excerpt) for the film, said that the notion of scoring came naturally to him, even though this was his first attempt. "The music suits the film because it doesn't demand that they be epic pieces," McEntire said. "It's more about tone and setting. I felt good about doing it, like I was getting my feet wet." The project felt like the beginning of a new avenue for his restless creativity, McEntire said. For his part, director Hughes said he felt confident asking his son to help compile the film's music. "John [Hughes III] brought John McEntire to me because he knows I've had a great deal of concern throughout my career about getting the music right," Hughes said. "That's the first priority." Hughes' son, a veteran of such Chicago bands as the late Bill Ding and Slicker, said he was aware of how vital a role music would play in the film, which is why McEntire was the top of his list. "It's such an obvious call because a lot of the Tortoise records have that soundtrack quality to them already," said the younger Hughes, 22, who will release the album on his own Hefty Records imprint. Although he said he had indirectly helped his father choose music for films before, the younger Hughes said his first professional collaboration with dad was an eye-opening experience. "He's always looked to us for opinions," said John Hughes III, whose younger sibling James is also a musician. "We weren't able to help when he was making his teen movies, but I'm obviously familiar with his tastes and I think Tortoise and John were an easy match." In fact, Hughes' son said he already had suggested Tortoise music as the temporary score for the film before McEntire was involved. "I don't know what we would have done if John [McEntire] had said no," John Hughes III laughed.
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