In the earÂly 1980s, aspirÂing filmÂmakÂer Jim JarÂmusch immersed himÂself in New York’s underÂground music scene. He played keyboards–a “fairÂly primÂiÂtive Moog synthesizer”–in places like CBGB and the Mudd Club with a No Wave band called The Del-ByzanÂteens and was deeply influÂenced by the spirÂit of punk rock. “The aesÂthetÂics of that scene realÂly gave me the courage to make films,” JarÂmusch latÂer recalled. “It was not about virÂtuÂosÂiÂty. It was about expresÂsion.”
Over the years, JarÂmusch cast musiÂcians instead of actors in many of his films: Joe StrumÂmer, Tom Waits, John Lurie, Iggy Pop–all had someÂthing in comÂmon. Each had stood up against comÂmerÂcial presÂsure from the mainÂstream popÂuÂlar culÂture. JarÂmusch carÂried the same uncomÂproÂmisÂing spirÂit into the creÂation of his films.
In the disÂcusÂsion above, recordÂed someÂtime after the release of 1999’s Ghost Dog, JarÂmusch explains his approach to using music in film.
The openÂing sequence of JarÂmusch’s 1986 film Down by Law (above) rolls to the groove of Tom WaitÂs’s “JockÂey Full of BourÂbon,” from the clasÂsic Rain Dogs album. Waits himÂself plays a leadÂing role in the film. His music fits perÂfectÂly into the atmosÂphere of the stoÂry, writes Juan A. Suárez in his critÂiÂcal study, Jim JarÂmusch: “WaitÂs’s songs tell of fracÂtured romances set in an underÂworld of drifters, pimps, and prostitutes–to a large extent the milieu of the film. And both JarÂmusch’s film and WaitÂs’s songs recyÂcle retro idioms. The visuÂal style of Down by Law draws from a numÂber of 1940s and 1950s stuÂdio genÂres, while WaitÂs’s songs are replete with pasÂtichÂes of polÂka, waltz, clasÂsic blues, and Caribbean rhythms.”
For the surÂreÂal 1995 westÂern Dead Man (samÂpled in the monÂtage above) JarÂmusch enlistÂed Neil Young to comÂpose and perÂform the soundÂtrack. “To me,” Young is quotÂed as sayÂing at the outÂset of the project by Jonathan RosenÂbaum in his BFI ModÂern ClasÂsics book on the film, “the movie is my rhythm secÂtion and I will add a melody to that.” Young recordÂed his minÂiÂmalÂist score, much of it improÂvised, in a large wareÂhouse in San FranÂcisÂco while watchÂing a rough cut of the film. Young played all the instruÂments: elecÂtric and acoustic guiÂtars, pump organ and a detuned piano.
The othÂer-worldÂly, someÂtimes jarÂring music bafÂfled a few of the critÂics. “A mood might have develÂoped here,” wrote Roger Ebert in a scathing review, “had it not been for the unforÂtuÂnate score by Neil Young, which for the film’s final 30 minÂutes sounds like nothÂing so much as a man repeatÂedÂly dropÂping his guiÂtar.” OthÂers heard genius. Rock hisÂtoÂriÂan Greil MarÂcus, in his “Ten reaÂsons why Neil Young’s “Dead Man” is the best music for the dog days of the 20th cenÂtuÂry,” wrote: “The music, as you lisÂten, sepÂaÂrates from the movie even as it frames scenes, banÂter, recitals. It gets bigÂger and more abstract, and it becomes hard to underÂstand how any film, showÂing peoÂple doing this or that in speÂcifÂic, non-abstract ways, could hold it.”
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RelatÂed ConÂtent:
The Music in Quentin Tarantino’s Films: Hear a 5‑Hour, 100-Song Playlist
New Jim JarÂmusch DocÂuÂmenÂtary on Iggy Pop & The Stooges Now StreamÂing Free on AmaÂzon Prime
Jim Jarmusch’s Anti-MTV Music Videos for TalkÂing Heads, Neil Young, Tom Waits & Big Audio DynaÂmite
