One of the first soundtrack composers to adopt the synth,
Fabio Frizzi's name is synonymous with Italian horror of the 1970s and '80s
thanks to his unforgettable collaborations with director Lucio Fulci among
others. We caught up with Frizzi in the midst of his 'Fulci 2 Frizzi' live
concert tour.
When did you first
decide to become a musician?
A true decision I've never taken, in the sense that it is
life that often decides for us. I've liked music since I was a child; it was
like a cult in my family. The moment I tried to push on that possibility, after
the experience of pop and classical groups of my adolescence, was at the end of
high school. My passion was strong and to be able to live off working with
music was, for me, the greatest ambition.
Did you initially
set out to compose soundtracks?
No, it was not my first idea to become a soundtrack
composer. I liked rock, pop, vocal groups, baroque music; I liked to play with
my friends musicians. But my father was a man of cinema and, as you can
imagine, his love of film was very contagious. Experiencing the daily life of
my father and his world, I also learned about this aspect of music, the
soundtrack. The emotion aroused me listening and listening to the musical
themes that struck me watching a movie, and made me realise that this could be
my way.
You're best known
for your collaborations with director Lucio Fulci, and you were arguably his
most important collaborator. What can you tell us about the working
relationship between yourself and Fulci?
I speak about my relationship with Lucio Fulci very
often, but sometimes I rediscover in my memory some detail apparently
forgotten. Surely the figure of Fulci for me, in those years, was that of a
teacher, a person who led me to search for an artistic personality, a
craftsmanship which then was useful throughout all my working life. And then,
over time, the collaboration has turned into a beautiful friendship. His
artistic heritage is for sure one of the most important things that I am
experiencing at this time.
You were one of
the first composers to employ heavy use of synthesizers. Was this for budgetary
reasons initially? Were you influenced by the progressive rock scene of the
'70s?
Yes, these were the two fundamental elements that started
me off using keyboards, from the beginning of my career. The budget element has
always been one of the painful elements of the composition of soundtracks in
Italy. One of my old publishers, Adriano Merkel, when we spoke of the cost of
the soundtrack and I was complaining of the insufficiency of the amount
proposed to me, he answered me, with a strong Roman accent, "You have to
use the equipment." In his slang he meant I would have to learn from these
new technologies, to lower production costs. The other element was also a
strong and important one, the new trends that mixed rock with classical
reminiscences was very close to my taste. The prog groups made great use of
keyboards; that's where I fell in love, for example, with the Mellotron.
You've written many riffs that send a shiver down the
spines of anyone who hears them (The Beyond and The Psychic are personal
favorites). Most music is purposely designed to make listeners feel good; is it
more difficult to create a feeling of unease through a piece of music?
Very often, to emphasise tense situations or strong
images, one is led to explore the world of dissonance. And there is no greater
thing than using some dissonance in a melodic path, say reassuringly. It's a
little like displacing the listener. All of this should however be done again
following his compositional instincts, the use of a technical end in itself is
never a winning choice.
What do you think
is the most important aspect of a good score?
Personality. I think a soundtrack must have a distinct
character, must be different, interesting, well connected to the film, the
story. On the one hand it must be objective, obviously right for that
situation, but on the other it must represent in the best way the thinking and
personality of the composer. One of the greatest compliments I can get is when
people say, "I was watching the movie. I did not know you had written the
music, but at some point I said 'It can only br Fabio Frizzi who has written
this music!'"
Do you think the
score is more important to horror movies than other genres?
Well, for the strength of the feelings that you want to
deliver to the listener, for the kind of strong message that the horror film
always brings with it, yes, probably it is. I would say that all movies, living
out of a spiral of tension that grows from beginning to end, they need a
significant music. And the horror is the prince of this category. Although I
must admit that in any film, even in a love story, the theme song is always a
great protagonist.
Are there any
recent film scores that you've found particularly impressive?
Probably in recent years the soundtracks, like many forms
of art and entertainment, I perceive more aligned to the styles of individual
genres. I believe it is the consequence of a globalisation also of these forms
of culture, except in many cases of young composers who have found their way.
There are today too many good scores, but the other day in LA I bought an old
LP with the music of Charade by Henry Mancini. When I put it in the turntable I
got excited a lot.
The synth sound
has come to define horror of the mid-70s to late '80s, but it's been making a
big comeback in recent years with movies like It Follows and The Guest, and of
course with yourself and John Carpenter playing live concerts. Why do you think
it's enjoying a current revival?
At a time like the one we live in, I would call
post-historical, digital reproduces everything, it has taken possession of our
lives. The cars are all alike, the phones, there is nothing that tastes
"temporary". So the human being goes in search of the true flavours -
he drives a 1960s Jaguar and feels good, or he buys a carpenter's table from
1900 and lives a journey through time, one with true flavors. The synth has the
same charm, when we used them we often showed their limits, but we were trying
to maximise them, inspired by rhythms and melodies. Today they have become
legends and many young musicians try and use these masterpieces of modernism,
giving them life and voice. A bit as we do, we old users.
You're playing a
concert in London's Union Chapel October 29th. What can the audience expect
from the show?
'Frizzi 2 Fulci' can be said to have been born right
there, at the Union Chapel, three years ago. What I want to bring back to that
magical place is the satisfaction of these three years, the story of a project
that was born, grew, diversified. A kind of birthday party. Lucio Fulci was my
traveling companion; thanks to him and to our cooperation and friendship, I
find myself around the world not only to tell a personal story, but a bit of
the history of our beloved Italian cinema, which has been part of my country's
good culture. A way to exchange feelings, passion, emotions, in the name of a
noble art called cinema.
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