Bruce, Carly, Goh

When I was asked to help promote the release of White on Rice, I had to decline because I hadn't seen it and, thus, couldn't recommend it. However, when offered a chance to offer a song written and recorded by Goh Nakamura to promote the Asian-American-themed indie flick, I agreed with no hesitation and, of course, the song is great. Goh is a cool dude who makes cool music--a singer-songwriter with all the skills, talent, and wit without the baggage of being a wannabe poet, failed rockstar, or aspiring actor looking for a break. I took the advantage of the situation to ask my friend (and friend of GR) some questions about writing the song as well as somewhat related topics. Download the song here, look for Goh on tour in a living room near you, and let me know how the movie is if you see it!

GR: When The Spy Who Loved Me came out, I remember Carly Simon saying how it was important to work a movie's name into a song but to do it kind of subtly--hence "Nobody Does It Better," as opposed to Duran Duran straight-up calling their 007 theme song "A View To A Kill." What's your take on movie songs?
GN: Unless you're writing a 30-second jingle for Coca-Cola or Tide bleach, I think subtlety is desired in songwriting of any sort--especially if you want to impress other writers, Cola drinkers, or bleach users. Ideally, I think that a movie song should amplify the character or plot line of the film. It should mirror the emotions of the movie, make you laugh, cry, or fall/fail in love. Bruce Springsteen's songs are a good example if you think of "Streets of Philadelphia" or "The Wrestler."

GR: I'm pretty sure you've made music to be used in soundtracks and scores, but what about songs? Got any stories about any, or perhaps ones that didn't happen?
GN: I'd estimate that 60 percent of the stuff I write for films ends up on the cutting room floor. I contributed some lyrics and music for a song on the Body of Lies soundtrack, and was told that a high-profile singer would be singing it. Later, I found out that the singer would be none other than Mike Patton, one of the greatest vocalists on this earth at the moment. I freaked out, and am still kind of freaked out by it. I had to write the lyrics really fast; I hope he understands.

GR: How did you get involved is White on Rice? Eric has mentioned that he's seen you play at Asian film fests and related events, so are you pretty wired into the scene?
GN: I saw the film at the San Francisco Asian Film Fest, and met David and Hiroshi after the film. We went to Gordon Biersch after, and Dave ordered a chocolate cake for dinner while Hiroshi and I ate comfort food and drank beers. I hit it off with them, and a few months later Dave asked me to write a song to help promote the film. It gave me an excuse to write a really goofy song with the words "douchebag," "Chacci," and "Fibonacci." As far as the fest, I've been going for the past two years and have met some fantastic, creative people. The "scene" is really small, and everyone is pretty approachable and gracious for the most part.

GR: Do you watch a lot of Asian American cinema? What do you like or dislike about it?
GN: To be honest, I don't watch much cinema to begin with. I certainly don't mind seeing Asian faces get screen time and not be one of the stereotypical roles I grew up with. One of my favorite Asian American films was Saving Face. I recently met the director, Alice Wu but didn't realize it was her till the next day. I freaked out, and am still freaking out about it. (Yeah, I am name-dropping a lot in these answers, but it feels pretty awesome.)

GR: Your song for White on Rice is very much a first-person narrative. Is it a very accurate account of your writing the song? That is, looking up the phrase on Wikipedia, etc.
GN: Absolutely accurate. I wrote it really quickly and was using all the resources I could muster. Dave wanted the title in the chorus, so I did indeed do some searches. I had to look up the Fibonacci Sequence because I hadn't thought about it since junior high school.

GR: Do you know if your "White on Rice" song will be played in full-on Dolby with surround sound? That must be a kick for musician to hear.
GN: I don't think it's going to be played in Dolby. Maybe in Dublin. Or doubly.

Note: The song was commissioned to promote the movie, but isn't actually in it, so don't get your hopes up!