A John Cassavetes Fan site

1 year ago
8 notes
Cassavetes himself often came up with the lyrics for the songs that appeared in his later films, and hummed or pounded out a primitive tune on a guitar or the piano. Harwood’s assignment would be to turn the stammering and strumming into music. Some of the music for A Woman Under the Influence was created with a tissue paper and a comb. Some of the sound effects for The Killing of a Chinese Bookie were created by recording Cassavetes or Harwood knocking objects over in Cassavetes’ office or pounding on a table.  With no more professional training, background or experience than that, Harwood would, from this point on, be in charge of sound and music in almost all of Cassavetes’ subsequent work, including the stage plays of the eighties.

Cassavetes himself often came up with the lyrics for the songs that appeared in his later films, and hummed or pounded out a primitive tune on a guitar or the piano. Harwood’s assignment would be to turn the stammering and strumming into music. Some of the music for A Woman Under the Influence was created with a tissue paper and a comb. Some of the sound effects for The Killing of a Chinese Bookie were created by recording Cassavetes or Harwood knocking objects over in Cassavetes’ office or pounding on a table. 

With no more professional training, background or experience than that, Harwood would, from this point on, be in charge of sound and music in almost all of Cassavetes’ subsequent work, including the stage plays of the eighties.

1 year ago
17 notes
Then a few weeks later, just as Harwood was getting comfortable at noodling around on the keyboard, Cassavetes came in again and said he had just bought a Nagra [sound recorder] and decided that Harwood would also be doing the film’s sound. When Harwood protested that he didn’t know the first thing about sound recording, Cassavetes again said that was fine: ‘It’s just a tape recorder. They’re all the same. It’s easy. You can figure it out.’ Harwood spent the next three weeks carrying the recorder and microphone everywhere he went, experimenting at hom, in restaurants and on the street. (Ray Carney, Cassavetes on Cassavetes, Faber and Faber Ltd., 2001: p. 349)

Then a few weeks later, just as Harwood was getting comfortable at noodling around on the keyboard, Cassavetes came in again and said he had just bought a Nagra [sound recorder] and decided that Harwood would also be doing the film’s sound. When Harwood protested that he didn’t know the first thing about sound recording, Cassavetes again said that was fine: ‘It’s just a tape recorder. They’re all the same. It’s easy. You can figure it out.’ Harwood spent the next three weeks carrying the recorder and microphone everywhere he went, experimenting at hom, in restaurants and on the street. (Ray Carney, Cassavetes on Cassavetes, Faber and Faber Ltd., 2001: p. 349)


1 year ago
75 notes
– (826 plays)

Bo Harwood’s theme music for A Woman Under the Influence. 

Just prior to beginning A Woman Under the Influence, Cassavetes asked [Bo] Harwood if he would do music for the film. Harwood was a young, unknown, unemployed rock musician who couldn’t read music, but he embraced the challenge and began experimenting with things on his guitar. A few days later, Cassavetes came in and said he had decided he wanted piano music. When Harwood protested that he didn’t have access to a piano, Cassavetes blew off the objection and said that Peter Falk had one in his offices that they could use. When Harwood said that he didn’t know how to play the piano, Cassavetes was still unfazed. That didn’t matter; he could learn.  (Ray Carney, Cassavetes on Cassavetes, Faber and Faber Ltd., 2001: p. 349)

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