Do you even have a budget?
Well, yeah, we have a budget.
[Laughs] And look, its a couple things.
Credit: HBO
And I also think that weve been really met with a lot of enthusiasm.
Bands and writers want to be part of it so thats something to help maintain a certain economy.
So its not like, MickJaggerjust calling up his friends and asking for a favor?
Its more deliberate and a team [effort] than that.
But look, I think people see this show as being a way to reach a new audience.
So its been good.
But in a sense, the drama dictates the core musical elements of each episode.
Is there anything you couldnt get?
Did you have any white whales?
No, no, its been pretty good.
Is that a cool thing to get to play with?
Yeah, thats really the most fun.
They were like, I know this song, I know this song!
It was great, because we created it no one had ever heard it.
So thats very satisfying.
Its really fun to blur the lines between fact and fiction.
[laughs]
There are also a number ofeastereggs scattered throughout for music fans.
Can you talk a little bit about getting so many current musicians involved?
Well, Julian, Ive worked with him before, and hes a Lou Reed aficionado.
So that didnt take much brain-wracking.
And sometimes we do things that we just think will be fun.
Oftentimes you do it because it allows you to have control over the elements of a song.
Being able to mix it with precision and creativity.
And then otherwise sometimes you cant jump into the original material.
original recordings] of the songs.
So we were able to do the stop and start that we did in the scene.
Theres a song I love that ends episode 9.
That was a real joy.
Elvis Costello also worked with us, and hes one of my all-time favorite artists.
The real R&B.
Or just, you know, deliver a line decently.
[Music Supervisor] Meghan Currier, who works very closely with me, had to get very involved.
The whole process sounds pretty above and beyond what would be involved for a typical TV shows music elements.
It is; its been really intense.
But its great, to do this is kind of like becoming a mixed martial arts master.
There are so many points of contact and so many characters that youre negotiating with and negotiating for.
I need to take, like, a two-week nap first.
