Cliff Martinez
Cliff Martinez
Cliff Martinezis an American musician and composer. Early in his career, Martinez was known as a drummer notably with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Captain Beefheart. Since the 1990s he has worked primarily as a film score composer, writing music for Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Drive, Only God Forgives, The Neon Demon, Contagion, Solaris, and Traffic...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionComposer
Date of Birth5 February 1954
CountryUnited States of America
writing cutting waste
For me, the work begins with a rough cut of the film. I can't do much with the script. I've tried to write music to a script prior to seeing the film, but I've found it turns out to be a waste of time.
degrees demand isolation
Composing demands a degree of isolation.
musical way lasts
Composers are in some ways the last frontier of musician that gets a paycheck for their musical services.
diversity radio film
I've always been very left of center and the radio never had much diversity and film did.
writing years two
Singer/songwriters spend two or three years making an album, and then it goes up for sale and everybody pirates it and you don't make any money. Whereas, writing a film score you still get presented with a paycheck.
kids thinking careers
If I had kids, I don't think I would recommend they pursue a career in music.
taken mean thinking
I think the music business is becoming more difficult. It's really taken a big hit with piracy, so it's a lot more difficult. I mean, it was kind of an impractical career choice when I did it 25 years ago, but nowadays it's truly reckless.
thinking discipline
I've never tried to work chronologically. I don't think I have the discipline to do that.
writing waste scripts
I don't like to write any music to a script. Experience has taught me that's generally a waste of time.
men thinking answers
The way that I make films is that I sit down and I think, "How much money could I get with less consequences?" And that's how I start. I'd rather have less money and total autonomy than more money and start having to answer to things, because then I'm not being true and the money men are not being true.
creative vision important
It's very important that you never depend on money to fulfill your creative vision. If you do that, you're doomed to fail.
thinking always-trying years
I think there is quite a continuity over my 25 years of doing music, and I'm always trying to break away from it.
challenges chameleon
I like challenges and I definitely would like to be more of a chameleon.
careers challenges welcome
I'm not in a position in my career where I turn things down. I'm very easy. So the projects often dictate the direction you will go in. I welcome things that challenge me.