originally posted October 10, 2006
GKA Times:Well folks here it is, the Ron Wasserman "Mighty Raw" interview sequel: Still a bit Raw And be sure to visit Ron's spankin new site(RonW) when you're finished
GKA Times:So hows the family been Ron?
Hows the wife and kids? I've heard of many famous singers like Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra sang to their children, are you and your wife any different?
Ron Wasserman:The family is great. Thanks for asking. Since my wife is a real singer she mainly teaches our 2 1Ž2 year old boy to sing. I work on his rhythm. He's going to be a musician for sure. (if he wants to)
Current musical favorites
GKA:The iPod has really changed the way we listen and share music. Sharing one's personal MP3 list is a goodway to learn a lot about someone's tastes. So what's in your iPod right now?
Ron: My iPods are actually sitting on the shelf for the moment. I got this Pioneer inno, a little XM satellite receiver so I've been cruising most of the stations on there. My moods and taste change constantly so one day it'll be extreme death metal, and the next world music.
Upcoming projects
GKA:I was quite excited to read up on the projects you've done over the years like Dragonball Z and X-Men(Fox Kids). But what are you working on these days?
Ron:Just finished up shows for CBS, Saturday morning named Horseland, Cake TV,Dance Revolution, Trolls and the in between stuff for the Slumber PartyGirls. All in all about 7 hours of score and songs total written from March 15th to Sept 20th of this year. 7 days a week, 10-13 hours a day, every day. Brutal.
Thoughts on YouTube
GKA:Whats you take on YouTube? While iPod has changed the way we listen, YouTube has changed the way we watch. In less than two years it's provided very popular, very free and easy entertainment for some, new venues to get famous for others. I've heard of musicians crediting YouTube for getting their faces and sound heard where as otherwise no one would have given them the chance.
Ron: YouTube is the new "MP3.com" where we (Fisher) kind of exploded online and ended up with a deal at Interscope/UMG. I think it's a great site and it'llprobably be great for the next year or so until it becomes all commercials and trailers. BTW I did hear that GE owns it, which owns NBC so perhaps it's already headed there.
GKA:Where is the TV theme song heading? Since you've taken part in the BGM and themes of so many shows, I must ask whether or not you liked Teen Titans and all their Japanese music? When you first heard Smallville's song, did you say to yourself "Save Me!"
Ron:First off, themes are getting shorter. They used to all be 60 seconds and are mostly 30 seconds now. Why? Because you can cram in another commercial. Stylistically each show has always been and continues to be different so I'm not sure where things are headed. However some shows, like Power Rangers do lose their direction and focus and start going with stuff like the Mystic Force theme which, will sound terribly outdated in 4-5 years.
GKA:Personally, I think theme music is the crown jewelry of a good show. Growing up in the 80s(Miami Vice,Magnum P.I. Knightrider, Greatest American Hero) I would say they are what keep the show fresh in your head What does someone have to do to get into making themes for television.
Ron:First off, every composer has to pay his dues. This usually means starting as a studio assistant and then using any down time to start learning how to engineer and write.
Then, you just need to slowly but consistently inch your way into the right circles and present some ideas. Once you do that, you'll move to a new level of abuse, pay more dues, and then, if you're lucky,(which will happen if you just keep working) you'll get a show that does well and BOOM! Then the phone starts ringing for a month or two. LOL!
GKA:How many songs have your written for PR
Ron:I think it was around 30.
GKA:You`ve belted out plenty of lyrics during your time on Power Rangers. But were there any number of songs that were cut and never released?
Ron:Good question,.hmmmmm...I do think everything was used cause there was no time to waste. Remember I was scoring to picture about 30 minutes a week and writing a song. It was rough. I.m sure there were lots of basic ideas that got trashed, but nothing ever fully recorded and mixed was.
GKA:What do you think of Ranger songs and artists outside your body work on PR?
Ron:Obviously it's mostly been derivative of the original theme which is very flattering and most of it has been really great. Especially the stuff my friend Jim Cushinery sang on.
GKA: Tell everyone what happened this year, and what your plans were for theOperation Overdrive theme.
Ron:I was so busy that I really did not plan anything in advance. I simply shot a email off to Disney to see when they wanted a theme submission and they politely wrote me back saying they already had the theme for 2007.
GKA:I know everyone reading this probably has this question running around somewhere in their head,"What exactly happened with next year's theme" In other words, why does it seem like Disney is more orless trying to keep you in the dark so to speak and pull an "early" due date for the theme?
Ron:No, I don't think they're keeping me in the dark, I think that when I posted my rejected themes for Mystic Force on the web, it pissed off some wimp-ass executive. That is what I think really happened. Their email would have been a lot nicer with perhaps some sort of explanation of what had happened or something. I've been in the business long enough to know whenI'm being blown off.
Will you be making a theme for the fans
GKA:Theres been talk that you might pull off a theme solely for the sake of the fans. Any truth to that? And would you be open to making a anniversary song?
Ron:No and no. Also, because the phrase "Power Rangers" is copywritten, you can't release a song that uses the title or speaks about the show without the copyright holders permission.
And they ain't going to give me that.
GKA:Before we get to the fan questions I have one burning question, did you REALLY like the Mystic Force song?
Ron:Yes and I especially loved the original version by the Black Eyed Peas called "Pump It".
GKA:As always we at the GKA Times like to hear what burning questions fans want to ask our guests. So here are some hot picks right now.
Hi Ron, Did Kathy Fisher work on any of the first set of original Power Ranger songs? I seem to remember hearing a female voice in a few of the songs. Thanks for your time,-Brian
Ron:Hi Brian, You know there was something she did sing on for the show but I just can't remember what it was and I don't seem to have a copy of it anywhere. Also,since she and I did a bunch of stuff for Sweet Valley High at the same time,my memory is a little clouded. Sorry.
Whats it like being the music maker of the a favourite boys TV show?-Solar Max Ranger
Ron:IMHO there has been no greater honor OR responsibility I've had professionally. Since all I've ever done since the age of 3 was play piano and starting writing at 5 1/2, I would have been so bummed had I never had such a huge success as MMPR.
Can you tell us who is "Super Power² is that anickname for you friend Jim Cushinery?-Omegaranger468
Ron:I think so. Remember that by this time I was long gone from Saban and I believe Jeremy Sweet was writing for the show. So I think they came up with that name.
Do you ever wonder would be like if you released a full Power Rangers album with TV version, reprises and extended versions? Speaking of which, what would SPD's theme sound likeif it was extended or any themes for that matter? -BlueBrotherX7 Boy.
Ron:I sure would love to do that, and I believe it would have probably of sold pretty well but sadly whenever corporations are involved there are so many hoops to jump through to get permission, and then YOU do all the work and THEY take 90% of the cash. This is why it's never been done by me or any other artists that worked on all sorts of other shows. Sucks..huh?
A longer SPD theme would be so hard because there is already SO much packed into that one minute version. Might sound a little long if it were 3 minutes or so.
Did you record a full-length version of Space's "Go,Go, Power Rangers" rendition? The one with a bunch of electric guitar with little accompaniment, ending with the lyrics, "Go, go, power"?-Primo Piccolo
Ron:I think there may have been a long version. Unfortunately I don't have a copy of the song but it does seem we did a full length version for something.
Does Ron own the rights to ANY of the songs he's done for PR, or are they all part of the Saban Music Library now?-SnoopsWarner
Ron:No. And just so you don't think I got taken advantage of too badly, neither does any other composer that writes for any movie or TV show or game that you've ever seen. This doesn't mean that we don't get performance royalties or have token ownership of the composition, but the copyright and all the legal stuff associated with it are always owned by the corporation. For example I just finished up 3 Scooby-Doo PodCasts. Took me 3 days to do them, had a great time. The contract, 17 pages long. LOL!
On your time producing songs for Saban, was there anysong you wish you could do differently, any song youwish you could take back, or any song you wish youcould add?-Phantom Ranger
Ron:I'd erase "Fight" only because there was a instance in Norway or somewhere where a girls two brothers accidentally killed her. Although I know it's not my fault in any way, perhaps if I'd not written that particular song, this incident would not of happened. I would do "We Need A Hero" differently. Always though it would have been cool to have the first verse in more of the "Cold September Rain" G&R style and then break out into the version that exists. Nothing to add that I can think of.
Ron, a question Do you think Disney missed the boat on commisioningyou to write SPD specific song tracks for the series,or do you think that was a budget issue depending onwhat salary you would command?-Cameron Samurai
Ron:I have no idea and will probably never know why they were not interested inhaving me write songs. Had nothing to do with the money because Disney paysthe same fee to everyone on their TV stuff period, regardless of who youare. There is simply no logic to their decisions. It's baffling.
Showing posts with label Ron Wasserman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ron Wasserman. Show all posts
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The Ron Wasserman "Mighty Raw" Interview
Originally posted December 5, 2005
A pioneer in the music industry and the voice thatcarried three years of Power Rangers, Ron "AaronWaters" Wasserman has been a fan favorite contributorto the Power Rangers license. Ron is married to thebeautiful Kathy Fisher. Kathy and Ron make up the acclaimed band Fisher, with Kathy's loving vocals andRon's talents for making instruments sing along withher is a true spoiling of your ears and your heart. Visit the bands official site and grab a few shots of them here
On Life
GKA Times:First Ron, can we get a hello to the readers?
Ron Wasserman:Hello everyone. It¹s an honor to be here. Thank you for having me.
GKA:A native Californian I hear, where did you plant your roots?
RW:The beautiful San Fernando Valley just a tad north of Los Angeles when I was a child. I then moved to the city for a bit. The traffic and L.A.attitude got to me after a while so I now live in the mountains about 80 miles north of LA. I love it here.
GKA:From a Rangerfans point of view you¹re solely a guitarist, but listening to Fisher reveals you`re quite accustomed to piano.
RW:My primary instrument is piano which luckily enables one to write for literally every instrument existing. Perhaps this is why some of the guitarparts written for PR, Fisher. I think this helped me create a some what different approach to creating guitar parts.
GKA:Reading up on you has given me some insight on who youare. A champion of the little guy? A Revolutionist? How would you describe up yourself in one word?
RW:Underdog.
GKA:When did you decide what you would do in life?
RW:I really never seriously considered music as a profession. However everything that happened just pointed me in that direction and since Ivealways been a person who is very sensitive to signs¹ and omens I feel I luckily took the right path every time I came to a fork in the road.
GKA:Tell as about your wife
RW:I met Kathy Fisher through Ron Kenan who was V.P. of music at Saban. He thought we might be interested in working together which was how the relationship started and continued for the first year and a half.
Since we became so close and involved on a daily basis we both knew it would only bea matter of time before we made an attempt to have a personal relationship.
We've been together now for nearly a decade and it¹s been really great. Kathy is (as some of you know) an amazing singer. Back in 1994 I finally convinced, begged her to sing the theme for a show called ³Sweet ValleyHigh. This led to her getting a call to do a commercial a few years later.
She really exploded on to that scene and has had at least 4-5 national spotsrunning every year ever since. Not exactly the most artistic outlet for asinger, but at least it¹s a very good business. (and nearly impossible toget in the door.)
GKA:Growing up, who or what was your biggest inspiration to be so straightforward?
RW:I remember always asking adults about how much money they made or how they ran their businesses. I would never get a straight answer. Also, most of my guy friends were really typical and totally covered their emotions. These examples do absolutely nothing to help shape a kid's mind. God only knows how much faster I could have developed in life by getting a few straight
answers.
These are the main reasons I have always been very forthcoming about myself and the projects I"ve been involved with. I only hope to help reduce some agony time for other people. The downside to my approach is that very few people want to hear the truth.
Don't get me wrong, I don't go around criticizing everything or feel I'm the least bit better. If someone asks, I only convey actual facts about a particular situation. Unfortunately most of the time it¹s not such a fairytale and this, In my opinion, tends to destroy some people's fantasy.
GKA:Your IMDB profile lists a few cartoons on your plate,animation and the like are close to your hears aren't they?
RW:Nearly every project gets my absolute focus.
They are all, good or bad, successes or failures, a part of my soul. Although sometimes when I listen back to older material I have no idea what the hell was going through my head when I was writing that material.
GKA:There never seems to be enough time in the year to stop and smell the roses, tell the readers how you look at life.
RW:I NEVER took any real time to slow down until my son was born in 2004. Simply hanging out with him initially went against my grain and really conflicted me internally between being so in love with this little human and feeling like I was really not creating enough material. I'm over that now and have finally learned to live more in the moment. This has really helped me live a much happier life.
GKA:Favorite color?
RW:Hate to make this complicated but it depends on what the color is applied to. Inside of a house (small rooms) Blood Red. Clothing, Blue or Brown(dropped the black for now.) LOL!. Sorry.
GKA:Before we get into the other topics, tell us about what you want to be remembered for the most. A person that could always be trusted.
On Music
GKA:Noting how well established the MP3s role in today's music industry has become, do you think they've helped artists take more control over their music, or just lined the pockets of corporate executives?
RW:First off, I love MP3s. That being said, the technology has all but destroyed the music business, but has greatly enhanced an artists freedom to get to the masses and for music in film and television to be a lot better because music supervisors can now easily go through a ton of tracks quickly instead of fumbling with a stack of CDs.
The pockets of the corporations running the music business are not getting as stuffed as they were even 4 years ago. They totally blew it by refusing to embrace new technology. I told Doug Morris (head of Universal MusicGroup) back in 2000 that whoever created a 99 cent download service would be the McDonalds of the internet music business. He laughed and said ³not in my lifetime. Now he does deals with Apple iTunes.
GKA: So many award shows today clutter the airwaves; in the end does this onslaught mean much to the middleman? This is to say if only the popular folks get nominatedand take home awards, what are the lesser known folks going to do to get noticed by the mainstream?
RW:For now, only the biggest artists will get huge recognition but this is how it has always been. However in years past there were real rock stars and huge events. Now there are a bunch of white boy rocker bands that all sound the same, chick acts that all sound the same, rap acts all the same etc. Mainstream music IMHO sucks terribly right now. I personally listen for more foreign artists these days because at least they aren't all using the same damn sounds.
GKA:How would you best describe this business?
RW:I compare the record business to the 1930s film business where actors were all exclusively signed to one of the big studios. Then, the actors became free agents and suddenly the business was revived. Story lines became more interesting and the technique of film making grew at an astounding rate. This same rule is the only thing that can save the record (CD) business.
The music for film/TV & commercial business in my opinion is at a all time high. This is where I hear the best cutting edge coolest stuff. Although the scripts seem to have a rather corporate influence, the music seems to be on the cutting edge. Why? I have no idea but am thrilled at how that side ofthe business is going.
GKA:Does talent always mean you're going to be a success?
RW:Almost never simply because the word talent is only part of the equation to be successful. I've known so many absolutely over the top amazingly talented musicians, but they were socially inept or had other character flaws that prevented them from ever having a real shot at being successful.
Let me tell you a little backstage info. Most of those hugely successful bands who appear to just be partying all the time and walking out on stage and sounding great are actually, (when no one is looking) having daily meetings with everyone involved with the project to discuss strategies, business plans etc. to help sustain the bands success. This is part of that success equation.
Great musicians + people who have the sense to care about their careers + street smart enough to carry and honestly communicate with a audience + BEING KIND TO EVERYONE. You get my point.
GKA:We've lost so many legends in just the last ten years,who could you name as some of the great living legends currently in the industry.
RW:Bono. Willy Nelson. Neil Young. Chris Martin. Trent Reznor. Prince. Rick Rubin. Bob Dylan. A bunch more.
GKA:I'm Afro American; I listen to almost every variationof music there is, all except Rap and Hip Hop. Now by my standards I just don't care for that style of music, but others might take offense to this as being against my "culture". But here is my question to you Ron, does today's music have an ethnicity or is it just the way it's marketed?
RW:Okay. Here comes my brutal honesty. I feel the Afro American rappers are doing themselves and their people a disservice. Let me be clear, I'm talking about the really negative shit. This perpetuates the stereotypical bullshit image of African Americans that white people have. I realize that lyrically the anger comes from a very honest and angry place and in no way can I ever claim to fully understand it simply because I did not grow up under those terrible conditions however, cashing in at the expense of vulnerable kids AND filling their heads with more hate is very very VERY fucking bad.
What really pisses me off is that while these people PRETEND to be at one with their audience, they totally isolate and protect themselves from the very people they claim to be. AND if you don't think that with the exception of Dr. Dre who was smartenough to exploit a white kid and take HIS money that the corporationsaren¹t laughing all the way to the bank on this one by exploiting African Americans, you are wrong.
GKA:What was your Favorite song growing up?
Like colors this varied all the time. I would go from top 40 to classical toclassic rock all the time and obsess with that particular song or artist. Sorry I can't be more specific on this.
PR & Rangerfan Questions:
Who was the best producer you worked with: Saban or Kalish?
RW:Considering I never met Kalish it would have to be Haim Saban. He was the most vicious and brilliant business person I had or have ever met. Guess this is why he is worth billions of dollars now. (Something I would never want personally.)
Also. would you like to act on Power rangers oneday?-Superanger
RW:I'd like to be the ranger who could bring back the original pink ranger (AmyJo Johnson) circa 1994 to 2005 and take her to my hide out. LOL!!! She was one sexy gal.
When did you stop composing main themes for PowerRangers and why?
RW:1995. I pretty much blew a chip from 6 years of 80 hour weeks of writing for all the Saban shows. I believe I was suffering from total exhaustion.They really should have sent me and Kathy to Tahiti for 2 months instead of allowing me to walk out the door. However it worked out much better for me in the long run to jump without a safety net.
Who decides (Disney era) if they are going to use your song or not? Is it the production staff or the Disney executives and how do you know what to put into the theme song. -Rangerkiing 2.0
RW:I think the executive producers (whom I'm never met) make the final decision. I deal directly with one of the heads of music who pretty much is a go between person. A bit odd. Disney sends me a basic break down of the show, about 4 pages, with a outline of the story and a few key phrases they'd like to be used in the theme. The rest is up to me.
What was the first PR song besides the main theme youwere asked to do (Fight, 5-4-1, Go Green Ranger Go, etc.)?Did you have to reapply for Zeo, or did you just auto-transfer between seasons? Does any kind of sheet music exist for your songs? If so, could we have access to them?-Zapdos560
RW:First song was "Fight" I believe they just auto-transferred for Zeo if I understand your question correctly. Sheet music was done for all the songs by Saban so that foreign companies recutting the vocals for their countries would know what notes to sing.Sadly I do not have any copies of these and have no idea how to obtain any.Sorry about that.
Have you ever heard the music of any Ranger actorsturned singers, like Amy Jo Johnson or Johnny Yong Bosch?-PrimoPiccolo
RW:Amy came in one night to record something with me for MMPR but I can not remember exactly what it was or if it was used. She did an okay job. I do remember she was exhausted a bit
Are there any Power Ranger songs you produced but never made it onto the air? If so why not and what were they about?-hasso_opitz
RW:Absolutely everything was used. My theme submission for the upcoming Mystic Force season was my very first rejection on anything PR related.
Hey Ron, what was your most favorite song that you produced for PR?-PhantomRanger
RW:I always get in trouble here because just like my favorite colors or favorite songs it changes all the time. I will say that "We Need A Hero" is my favorite kind of emotional song. It was written on piano initially (never recorded) as a slow ballad and is actually rather sad. I wrote that about and to America in general. "5-4-1" to me was the most fun to sing and that droning chorus (simple) groove was quite hypnotic to me.
Could you describe the process that goes into composing one of your songs?-VeangenceGod
RW:First off, I must have all the daily "junk" out the way first so there isn't anything distracting me in the least. I then fire up everything in my studio and just start messing around with basic grooves until something hits me. About 30% of the time I get lucky and start from there. Another 30% of the time I hop in the car and just drive around bouncing melodies around in my head.
If something cool comes through, I have a digital recorder ready tosing into. The rest of the time I literally pace in a circle for hours just waiting for a decent idea to come to me. This is a terribly agonizing process but as long as I stay on my feet and consistently move, something always comes through.
Does being attached to Power Rangers all the timeirritate you?-gored21
RW:Absolutely not. Very few people are fortunate enough to have been associated with such a mega huge show like Power Rangers. I consider it one of the luckiest breaks of my life. Plus, the fans of the show are way better, more honest and respectful than any of the other shows I've worked on.
What do you think of children's media in general?-NinjaJack
RW:Here is how I see it. I'm sad that there is so much violence in kid's TV and games however, I sincerely believe that 99.999999% of the children exposed to that media are totally aware of the difference between a show or game and real life. I also do not believe there is any way to go backwards in time. Everything evolves and until something else is created that equally interests a kid as violence in media does things will have to stay as they are.
What I LOVE about modern media is that nearly all shows now are mixed race and this will help the United States become more like Europe where there is much less racism.
GKA:Tell us about your worse day at Saban Entertainment
RW:I had the approval of 20th Century Fox to score the first Power Rangers Film and Haim decided to throw me off the project by telling me I was not good enough to score a film.
He actually did this IMO because it would have brought me into the spotlight and increased my ability to move forward career wise. "Cross My Line" is about this day.
GKA:Now counter that with your best experience with the company
RW:The day they said the show was number one in children's TV history and that I was probably going to be famous for the music part.
GKA:How many songs did you end up composing for PR?
RW:Probably around 20 or so.
Bonus question
GKA:Not long after you left the show, they dropped rock music altogther outside of the theme music. In fact in 2000's Lightspeed Rescue I can't even consider that "rock". Truthfully PR just brought the rock music back to the in show tunes in 2003. Were you aware of this?
RW:Honestly I was not aware of this. Because of all the intense work I'd done on the show for the 1st 3 years I was so sick of anything to do with Power Rangers that I did not watch a single minute of any new episodes. That being said, IMHO I do not think that any other genre of music besides rock would have the same impact to viewers on this show. Sadly this happens all the time as producers think they are Steven Spielberg and want a big Orchestral score like John Williams. The only difference is that for TV you don't get the time and certainly never get the budget for a 85 piece Orchestra to record the score so, you generally end up with a weak synth like sounding score.
GKA:Is rock PR`s true path? Or should future musicians try and sink their teeth into other genres?
RW:I personally think rock should be the only direction and anyone that has heard my other work knows I write in a lot of styles so I'm not just saying this because it's all I do. That being said there is a special connection between hard rock and the show. Why they've decided to change that for Mystic Force is beyond me.
If for no other reason it's going to really date the show. Believe me, a rap-pop theme is going to sound very old in 10 years. I think the original MMPR theme albeit not the best sound quality by today's standard, still kicks ass! It¹s strange to suddenly change music direction after 12 years of a really successful genre for the show.
GKA:Ron, I have to thank you for this time you spent answering these questions and giving this fandom some insight on yourself. Would you like to have the last word?
RW:I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to read my rambling thoughts here. If it gives any of you any new insight or inspiration in any way, then I've done my job.
RAW
A pioneer in the music industry and the voice thatcarried three years of Power Rangers, Ron "AaronWaters" Wasserman has been a fan favorite contributorto the Power Rangers license. Ron is married to thebeautiful Kathy Fisher. Kathy and Ron make up the acclaimed band Fisher, with Kathy's loving vocals andRon's talents for making instruments sing along withher is a true spoiling of your ears and your heart. Visit the bands official site and grab a few shots of them here
On Life
GKA Times:First Ron, can we get a hello to the readers?
Ron Wasserman:Hello everyone. It¹s an honor to be here. Thank you for having me.
GKA:A native Californian I hear, where did you plant your roots?
RW:The beautiful San Fernando Valley just a tad north of Los Angeles when I was a child. I then moved to the city for a bit. The traffic and L.A.attitude got to me after a while so I now live in the mountains about 80 miles north of LA. I love it here.
GKA:From a Rangerfans point of view you¹re solely a guitarist, but listening to Fisher reveals you`re quite accustomed to piano.
RW:My primary instrument is piano which luckily enables one to write for literally every instrument existing. Perhaps this is why some of the guitarparts written for PR, Fisher. I think this helped me create a some what different approach to creating guitar parts.
GKA:Reading up on you has given me some insight on who youare. A champion of the little guy? A Revolutionist? How would you describe up yourself in one word?
RW:Underdog.
GKA:When did you decide what you would do in life?
RW:I really never seriously considered music as a profession. However everything that happened just pointed me in that direction and since Ivealways been a person who is very sensitive to signs¹ and omens I feel I luckily took the right path every time I came to a fork in the road.
GKA:Tell as about your wife
RW:I met Kathy Fisher through Ron Kenan who was V.P. of music at Saban. He thought we might be interested in working together which was how the relationship started and continued for the first year and a half.
Since we became so close and involved on a daily basis we both knew it would only bea matter of time before we made an attempt to have a personal relationship.
We've been together now for nearly a decade and it¹s been really great. Kathy is (as some of you know) an amazing singer. Back in 1994 I finally convinced, begged her to sing the theme for a show called ³Sweet ValleyHigh. This led to her getting a call to do a commercial a few years later.
She really exploded on to that scene and has had at least 4-5 national spotsrunning every year ever since. Not exactly the most artistic outlet for asinger, but at least it¹s a very good business. (and nearly impossible toget in the door.)
GKA:Growing up, who or what was your biggest inspiration to be so straightforward?
RW:I remember always asking adults about how much money they made or how they ran their businesses. I would never get a straight answer. Also, most of my guy friends were really typical and totally covered their emotions. These examples do absolutely nothing to help shape a kid's mind. God only knows how much faster I could have developed in life by getting a few straight
answers.
These are the main reasons I have always been very forthcoming about myself and the projects I"ve been involved with. I only hope to help reduce some agony time for other people. The downside to my approach is that very few people want to hear the truth.
Don't get me wrong, I don't go around criticizing everything or feel I'm the least bit better. If someone asks, I only convey actual facts about a particular situation. Unfortunately most of the time it¹s not such a fairytale and this, In my opinion, tends to destroy some people's fantasy.
GKA:Your IMDB profile lists a few cartoons on your plate,animation and the like are close to your hears aren't they?
RW:Nearly every project gets my absolute focus.
They are all, good or bad, successes or failures, a part of my soul. Although sometimes when I listen back to older material I have no idea what the hell was going through my head when I was writing that material.
GKA:There never seems to be enough time in the year to stop and smell the roses, tell the readers how you look at life.
RW:I NEVER took any real time to slow down until my son was born in 2004. Simply hanging out with him initially went against my grain and really conflicted me internally between being so in love with this little human and feeling like I was really not creating enough material. I'm over that now and have finally learned to live more in the moment. This has really helped me live a much happier life.
GKA:Favorite color?
RW:Hate to make this complicated but it depends on what the color is applied to. Inside of a house (small rooms) Blood Red. Clothing, Blue or Brown(dropped the black for now.) LOL!. Sorry.
GKA:Before we get into the other topics, tell us about what you want to be remembered for the most. A person that could always be trusted.
On Music
GKA:Noting how well established the MP3s role in today's music industry has become, do you think they've helped artists take more control over their music, or just lined the pockets of corporate executives?
RW:First off, I love MP3s. That being said, the technology has all but destroyed the music business, but has greatly enhanced an artists freedom to get to the masses and for music in film and television to be a lot better because music supervisors can now easily go through a ton of tracks quickly instead of fumbling with a stack of CDs.
The pockets of the corporations running the music business are not getting as stuffed as they were even 4 years ago. They totally blew it by refusing to embrace new technology. I told Doug Morris (head of Universal MusicGroup) back in 2000 that whoever created a 99 cent download service would be the McDonalds of the internet music business. He laughed and said ³not in my lifetime. Now he does deals with Apple iTunes.
GKA: So many award shows today clutter the airwaves; in the end does this onslaught mean much to the middleman? This is to say if only the popular folks get nominatedand take home awards, what are the lesser known folks going to do to get noticed by the mainstream?
RW:For now, only the biggest artists will get huge recognition but this is how it has always been. However in years past there were real rock stars and huge events. Now there are a bunch of white boy rocker bands that all sound the same, chick acts that all sound the same, rap acts all the same etc. Mainstream music IMHO sucks terribly right now. I personally listen for more foreign artists these days because at least they aren't all using the same damn sounds.
GKA:How would you best describe this business?
RW:I compare the record business to the 1930s film business where actors were all exclusively signed to one of the big studios. Then, the actors became free agents and suddenly the business was revived. Story lines became more interesting and the technique of film making grew at an astounding rate. This same rule is the only thing that can save the record (CD) business.
The music for film/TV & commercial business in my opinion is at a all time high. This is where I hear the best cutting edge coolest stuff. Although the scripts seem to have a rather corporate influence, the music seems to be on the cutting edge. Why? I have no idea but am thrilled at how that side ofthe business is going.
GKA:Does talent always mean you're going to be a success?
RW:Almost never simply because the word talent is only part of the equation to be successful. I've known so many absolutely over the top amazingly talented musicians, but they were socially inept or had other character flaws that prevented them from ever having a real shot at being successful.
Let me tell you a little backstage info. Most of those hugely successful bands who appear to just be partying all the time and walking out on stage and sounding great are actually, (when no one is looking) having daily meetings with everyone involved with the project to discuss strategies, business plans etc. to help sustain the bands success. This is part of that success equation.
Great musicians + people who have the sense to care about their careers + street smart enough to carry and honestly communicate with a audience + BEING KIND TO EVERYONE. You get my point.
GKA:We've lost so many legends in just the last ten years,who could you name as some of the great living legends currently in the industry.
RW:Bono. Willy Nelson. Neil Young. Chris Martin. Trent Reznor. Prince. Rick Rubin. Bob Dylan. A bunch more.
GKA:I'm Afro American; I listen to almost every variationof music there is, all except Rap and Hip Hop. Now by my standards I just don't care for that style of music, but others might take offense to this as being against my "culture". But here is my question to you Ron, does today's music have an ethnicity or is it just the way it's marketed?
RW:Okay. Here comes my brutal honesty. I feel the Afro American rappers are doing themselves and their people a disservice. Let me be clear, I'm talking about the really negative shit. This perpetuates the stereotypical bullshit image of African Americans that white people have. I realize that lyrically the anger comes from a very honest and angry place and in no way can I ever claim to fully understand it simply because I did not grow up under those terrible conditions however, cashing in at the expense of vulnerable kids AND filling their heads with more hate is very very VERY fucking bad.
What really pisses me off is that while these people PRETEND to be at one with their audience, they totally isolate and protect themselves from the very people they claim to be. AND if you don't think that with the exception of Dr. Dre who was smartenough to exploit a white kid and take HIS money that the corporationsaren¹t laughing all the way to the bank on this one by exploiting African Americans, you are wrong.
GKA:What was your Favorite song growing up?
Like colors this varied all the time. I would go from top 40 to classical toclassic rock all the time and obsess with that particular song or artist. Sorry I can't be more specific on this.
PR & Rangerfan Questions:
Who was the best producer you worked with: Saban or Kalish?
RW:Considering I never met Kalish it would have to be Haim Saban. He was the most vicious and brilliant business person I had or have ever met. Guess this is why he is worth billions of dollars now. (Something I would never want personally.)
Also. would you like to act on Power rangers oneday?-Superanger
RW:I'd like to be the ranger who could bring back the original pink ranger (AmyJo Johnson) circa 1994 to 2005 and take her to my hide out. LOL!!! She was one sexy gal.
When did you stop composing main themes for PowerRangers and why?
RW:1995. I pretty much blew a chip from 6 years of 80 hour weeks of writing for all the Saban shows. I believe I was suffering from total exhaustion.They really should have sent me and Kathy to Tahiti for 2 months instead of allowing me to walk out the door. However it worked out much better for me in the long run to jump without a safety net.
Who decides (Disney era) if they are going to use your song or not? Is it the production staff or the Disney executives and how do you know what to put into the theme song. -Rangerkiing 2.0
RW:I think the executive producers (whom I'm never met) make the final decision. I deal directly with one of the heads of music who pretty much is a go between person. A bit odd. Disney sends me a basic break down of the show, about 4 pages, with a outline of the story and a few key phrases they'd like to be used in the theme. The rest is up to me.
What was the first PR song besides the main theme youwere asked to do (Fight, 5-4-1, Go Green Ranger Go, etc.)?Did you have to reapply for Zeo, or did you just auto-transfer between seasons? Does any kind of sheet music exist for your songs? If so, could we have access to them?-Zapdos560
RW:First song was "Fight" I believe they just auto-transferred for Zeo if I understand your question correctly. Sheet music was done for all the songs by Saban so that foreign companies recutting the vocals for their countries would know what notes to sing.Sadly I do not have any copies of these and have no idea how to obtain any.Sorry about that.
Have you ever heard the music of any Ranger actorsturned singers, like Amy Jo Johnson or Johnny Yong Bosch?-PrimoPiccolo
RW:Amy came in one night to record something with me for MMPR but I can not remember exactly what it was or if it was used. She did an okay job. I do remember she was exhausted a bit
Are there any Power Ranger songs you produced but never made it onto the air? If so why not and what were they about?-hasso_opitz
RW:Absolutely everything was used. My theme submission for the upcoming Mystic Force season was my very first rejection on anything PR related.
Hey Ron, what was your most favorite song that you produced for PR?-PhantomRanger
RW:I always get in trouble here because just like my favorite colors or favorite songs it changes all the time. I will say that "We Need A Hero" is my favorite kind of emotional song. It was written on piano initially (never recorded) as a slow ballad and is actually rather sad. I wrote that about and to America in general. "5-4-1" to me was the most fun to sing and that droning chorus (simple) groove was quite hypnotic to me.
Could you describe the process that goes into composing one of your songs?-VeangenceGod
RW:First off, I must have all the daily "junk" out the way first so there isn't anything distracting me in the least. I then fire up everything in my studio and just start messing around with basic grooves until something hits me. About 30% of the time I get lucky and start from there. Another 30% of the time I hop in the car and just drive around bouncing melodies around in my head.
If something cool comes through, I have a digital recorder ready tosing into. The rest of the time I literally pace in a circle for hours just waiting for a decent idea to come to me. This is a terribly agonizing process but as long as I stay on my feet and consistently move, something always comes through.
Does being attached to Power Rangers all the timeirritate you?-gored21
RW:Absolutely not. Very few people are fortunate enough to have been associated with such a mega huge show like Power Rangers. I consider it one of the luckiest breaks of my life. Plus, the fans of the show are way better, more honest and respectful than any of the other shows I've worked on.
What do you think of children's media in general?-NinjaJack
RW:Here is how I see it. I'm sad that there is so much violence in kid's TV and games however, I sincerely believe that 99.999999% of the children exposed to that media are totally aware of the difference between a show or game and real life. I also do not believe there is any way to go backwards in time. Everything evolves and until something else is created that equally interests a kid as violence in media does things will have to stay as they are.
What I LOVE about modern media is that nearly all shows now are mixed race and this will help the United States become more like Europe where there is much less racism.
GKA:Tell us about your worse day at Saban Entertainment
RW:I had the approval of 20th Century Fox to score the first Power Rangers Film and Haim decided to throw me off the project by telling me I was not good enough to score a film.
He actually did this IMO because it would have brought me into the spotlight and increased my ability to move forward career wise. "Cross My Line" is about this day.
GKA:Now counter that with your best experience with the company
RW:The day they said the show was number one in children's TV history and that I was probably going to be famous for the music part.
GKA:How many songs did you end up composing for PR?
RW:Probably around 20 or so.
Bonus question
GKA:Not long after you left the show, they dropped rock music altogther outside of the theme music. In fact in 2000's Lightspeed Rescue I can't even consider that "rock". Truthfully PR just brought the rock music back to the in show tunes in 2003. Were you aware of this?
RW:Honestly I was not aware of this. Because of all the intense work I'd done on the show for the 1st 3 years I was so sick of anything to do with Power Rangers that I did not watch a single minute of any new episodes. That being said, IMHO I do not think that any other genre of music besides rock would have the same impact to viewers on this show. Sadly this happens all the time as producers think they are Steven Spielberg and want a big Orchestral score like John Williams. The only difference is that for TV you don't get the time and certainly never get the budget for a 85 piece Orchestra to record the score so, you generally end up with a weak synth like sounding score.
GKA:Is rock PR`s true path? Or should future musicians try and sink their teeth into other genres?
RW:I personally think rock should be the only direction and anyone that has heard my other work knows I write in a lot of styles so I'm not just saying this because it's all I do. That being said there is a special connection between hard rock and the show. Why they've decided to change that for Mystic Force is beyond me.
If for no other reason it's going to really date the show. Believe me, a rap-pop theme is going to sound very old in 10 years. I think the original MMPR theme albeit not the best sound quality by today's standard, still kicks ass! It¹s strange to suddenly change music direction after 12 years of a really successful genre for the show.
GKA:Ron, I have to thank you for this time you spent answering these questions and giving this fandom some insight on yourself. Would you like to have the last word?
RW:I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to read my rambling thoughts here. If it gives any of you any new insight or inspiration in any way, then I've done my job.
RAW
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