Thinking In Sound: Marc McClusky on Why Music and Sound Will Always Have a Place In Advertising
Marc is a multi-platinum award-winning producer, mixer, composer, and creative director based in New York City. His credits include multiple top-5 Billboard albums and a #1 album on iTunes.
Over Marc’s 20-plus year career, he has worked with labels: Atlantic, Geffen, Island / Def Jam, Epitaph, Hopeless, Warner, Fueled By Ramen, creating albums for artists: Weezer, Bad Religion, Everclear, Motion City Soundtrack, Farewell, Ludo, and Grandson, for producers: Rick Rubin, Brett Gurewitz, Ulrich Wild, and many others.
He has worked on several feature films and currently scores the stories of some of the world’s largest brands like Coca-Cola, Lexus, and Ford. Marc’s production talents span almost every genre, from rock to pop, from electronic to hardcore and cinematic.
LBB> When you’re working on a new brief or project, what’s your typical starting point? How do you break it down and how do you like to generate your ideas or response?
Marc> I try and use two sides of a coin. I think music should be reactive and immediate, instinctual. If someone tells you "killer job" and gives you a high five and a Al pastor taco, you feel good, you don't think about how you think you should feel, you just feel.
For me, that would be step one, getting out the feels. The other side of the coin is ok now how do I refine that feeling and idea so it can fit in the story? I am lucky to be surrounded by super smart creative people. We go in the front door with each other so if something can be better we let each other know.
LBB> Music and sound are in some ways the most collaborative and interactive forms of creativity - what are your thoughts on this? Do you prefer to work solo or with a gang - and what are some of your most memorable professional collaborations?
Marc> I come from a punk rock background and making records with bands in a studio environment. That "upbringing/education" taught me a lot about success being a team effort. I also had amazing mentors like Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion, Epitaph Records) when I was making records for Epitaph and Matt Wallace (Maroon 5, Faith No More) who taught me the value of letting ideas develop over time.
One invaluable lesson I learned from watching the director's commentary of Young Frankenstein, one of my favourite movies, Mel Brooks was talking about the scene where Frankenstein's monster is doing a tap dance to "Putting on the Ritz" and Mel Brooks didn't think it worked. Gene Wilder wrote that scene and they got into a pretty heated debate about cutting that scene. Gene was so passionate about leaving it in Mel kept it.
It is one of the funniest parts of that movie.
Mel talked about the lesson he learned. If someone is that passionate about an idea that you might not like or get, step back and let them do their thing. Just because you don't get it does not mean it is bad, you just don't get it : )
To answer the second part of your question: I mixed a couple of Weezer albums in my music producer career and one of the most meta moments of my life was when Rivers asked me to mix an unreleased version of Mykle and Carli from the Blue Album. I was 15 when that record came out and was a huge fan of Weezer. That record influenced me as an artist. So when I got the call it was totally mind-blowing that I got to mix a song on a record that influenced what I am today. 🤯
LBB> What’s the most satisfying part of your job and why?
Marc> Making stuff with killer people. It's the best!
LBB> As the advertising industry changes, how do you think the role of music and sound is changing with it?
Marc> I think music and sound will always have a place in advertising. There is no other medium in which you can tell someone a story with their eyes closed and you never speak a word. Music is the power behind any story.
LBB> Who are your musical or audio heroes and why?
Marc> The Descendents, NOFX, Green Day, Alan Silvestri, John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. They are the sound of my childhood. Skateboarding, comic books, music, and movies.
The Descendents, NOFX, and Green Day all have fun, energetic, aggressive smart songwriting. Alan Silvestri, John Williams, and Jerry Goldsmith got me into film music. The 'Back To The Future' theme is an absolute banger! It's punk rock, when the chorus main brass hook drops it's a total fist-in-the-air type of vibe. 'Star Wars', 'Indiana Jones' I don't need to say anything else. Jerry Goldsmith's 'Omen' score, 'Alien' score, and 'Star Trek' score are just crazy amazing!
LBB> When you’re working on something that isn’t directly sound design or music (let's say going through client briefs or answering emails) - are you the sort of person who needs music and noise in the background or is that completely distracting to you? What are your thoughts on ‘background’ sound and music as you work?
Marc> Great question. It's usually silent or a movie or show is playing in the background. It's hard for me to listen to music and not start to think, oh that was a cool chord, or how did they get that drum sound? Once that starts the task at hand flies out the window gets picked up by a rat and is carried into the subway station.
LBB> I guess the quality of the listening experience and the context that audiences listen to music/sound in has changed over the years. There’s the switch from analogue to digital and now we seem to be divided between bad-ass surround-sound immersive experiences and on-the-go, low quality sound (often the audio is competing with a million other distractions) - how does that factor into how you approach your work?
Marc> It doesn't change my process at all. If it moved the needle for people we wouldn't listen to recordings from 50 years ago. The only thing that matters is what's on the proverbial tape. Some of the most emotionally provoking recordings of all time sound like crappy demos by today's standards. It's cool to hear stuff in ATMOS or 7.1 but I don't know if it makes the music better.
LBB> On a typical day, what does your ‘listening diet’ look like?
Marc> If I'm riding my bike it's usually Marvel scores. Nothing is more thrilling than riding a bike through Manhattan while an action score is playing. I do try to set aside time to go through some Spotify playlists we share at Supreme Music. It's important to try and stay current on production trends so you know where your blind spots are.
LBB> Do you have a collection of music/sounds and what shape does it take (are you a vinyl nerd, do you have hard drives full of random bird sounds, are you a hyper-organised spotify-er…)?
Marc> I use mostly Apple Music cause I like to buy albums. I guess knowing that side of the industry and how messed up it is now I like to contribute to it. Also, I can download the audio files which helps analyse the production and do nerd stuff with the tools we have available today.
LBB> Outside of the music and sound world, what sort of art or topics really excite you and do you ever relate that back to music (e.g. history buffs who love music that can help you travel through time, gamers who love interactive sound design… I mean it really could be anything!!)
Marc> Comic books, nerd culture, movies, and 'Call of Duty Zombies'. I'm totally the guy that started watching the 'Fallout' series, which is fucking awesome, and will watch all the 'Emergency Awesome' recap videos talking about every Easter egg from the game. I go to the movies a lot. My wife and I are a part of an elite membership called "AMC Stubs" It's incredibly difficult to get into ; )
Buying the soundtrack of movies before I see them is also a favourite thing to do. I get to know the music first then when I see the film its very interesting to see if my mental movie lines up with what the actual movie is.
I am also a big fan of the 'Call of Duty Zombies' game. I don't play the normal 'Call of Duty' but the Zombies mode is incredible. Me and a friend of mine who is also in our industry play almost every night. The best part of that mode is the easter eggs. Treyarch does an amazing job on the story and all the details that go into that experience. I wish someone would make a series of the Zombie Aether Story. Time travel, paradoxes, good v evil what else do you need?!!!!!!
LBB> Let’s talk travel! It’s often cited as one of the most creatively inspiring things you can do - I’d love to know what are the most exciting or inspiring experiences you’ve had when it comes to sound and music on your travels?
Marc> I am not a travel kind of person. That being said I do love walking around my beautiful city. NYC has all the entertainment and inspiration you could ever need. Just go hang out in the Lower East Side for a couple of hours. You can go to the MOMA or eat something you've never heard of. It's the best place for someone who wants constant change and evolution.
LBB> As we age, our ears change physically and our tastes evolve too, and life changes mean we don’t get to engage in our passions in the same intensity as in our youth - how has your relationship with sound and music changed over the years?
Marc> For me, I feel it's the same. If I couldn't do what I love to do in this industry I wouldn't be here. I like to have fun first and foremost. If that isn't happening then I probably won't do it. As a business owner and partner in a company, there are non-music-related challenges every day. How do we do this, what happens if x isn't available so on and so on? To me that is also fun. I like creative problem-solving. It's like making an album or a commercial score. How can we make this awesome? That's where the fun is.
