It was a special and unique situation — essentially, being the entire music department for the IFC comedy series Gigi Does It. The show is about a 76-year old woman who lost her beloved husband, Harold, but gained a new lease on life thanks to a secret bank account he left her. Armed with millions of dollars and a mile-long bucket list, Gigi is determined to live life to the fullest, and is bringing her trusty male nurse sidekick along for the ride.
Licensing from my own catalog, being the music supervisor and composer has been a concept I have wanted to try for a long time, and this series was the first situation where it really came together.
When I first met with the executive producers, I was very confident in saying I can bring all the elements needed to get the job done. I have a killer boutique music catalog called Super Sonic Noise “Trax.” I have music supervised many projects, but most of all I have been a composer for television and advertising for the last 20 years. I feel the one-stop-shop aspect gave the producers the feeling that it was all going to get done and get done right. Everything would be wrapped up nicely in this tight organized ball of music.
First off, on the music supervision side, I was trying to find the sound, style and music of Gigi. Given the main charter is a 76-year-old Jewish grandmother, we went in a jazzy direction, but I took it to the cheesy lounge, elevator, kitschy and campy side. Overall, I wanted the sound to be quirkier instead of having a more serious tone and that seemed to work for everyone. For most of the underscore we utilized the Super Sonic Noise catalog and a few others. Additionally, my team and I would write new music for the show in that kitschy, campy, Herb Albert vibe.
Frequent spotting sessions, working with the editors, and general tweaks to the music choices, was an ongoing thing. However, there were very little music notes from the producers and the network, which is always a good feeling.
The theme music was the main musical component for the show. It was something I wrote awhile back that was waiting for Gigi to come along and give it the home it deserved. When the producers first heard it, they said, “That’s it! That’s our theme!” I wasn’t sure the theme would make it to the final edit. I mean, I pushed for it, but there were a lot of chefs in this kitchen. There were a few other musical pieces I kept in my back pocket just in case they decided to drop the original theme, but in the end it really was a perfect fit for Gigi Does It. And that’s my shtick!
Jason Moss can be reached through his Website at supersonicnoise.com.