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With the writer's strike causing TV these days to resemble summer re-runs, it's good to see that some original quality programming finished production early enough to actually keep airing new shiite. And fortunately one of them is Nip/Tuck, now in its 5th season.  Hot chicks, endless melodrama, shaved chest hair - it has it all.  It also features some great music due to a healthy budget and a talented music supervisor in PJ Bloom.  We cornered PJ recently to ask him about the show's creative process, and about the multi-faceted Hunnypot, his established music venture.

SEEN: Nip/Tuck moved from Miami to LA this year.  Tell us how that’s affected the music for the show.

PJ: I’d like to say that there was a distinct change of musical direction this season, but Nip/Tuck’s soundtrack was cemented long before we ever shot the first frame of the first season.  The producers and I met during the development of the series to discuss how we’d approach its sonic fingerprint. We decided early on to use a combination of hip, new, cutting edge music combined with classic songs from the last 40+ years to create that tongue-in-cheek lyrical component that speaks to the action.  Our soundtrack still follows this model today.  If there are any changes now that we’re in L.A., perhaps it’s certain “Hollywood” subplots that allow for different satirical lyric moments.

SEEN: The season premiere must have cost a fortune, there were something like 5 songs in the first act alone.  Was it a conscious decision by you and the show to really blow out the premiere with loads of music, or did it just sort of happen that way?

PJ: Nip/Tuck’s creator, Ryan Murphy, has always had a penchant for bookending the series very strong musically.  We come out the gate big and we cross the finish line big. Accordingly, we dig ourselves into a pretty deep financial hole from the onset of the season.  We need to make up for that during the middle so we can go huge for the season finale.  As you well know, managing the money is often the hardest and least glamorous part of being a Music Supervisor. Nip/Tuck has to be one of the most difficult shows I do in that respect.

SEEN: There was a super featured use of Kilo’s “Lean Like A Cholo” in this season's premiere (see video above), it had to have topped out at 2 full minutes (scene where McNamara & Troy get ready to take on LA, get pimped out, and go to the bar).  Have you heard anything about what that use did for that artist?  Sales?  Myspace hits?

PJ: Honestly, I don’t know the answer.  This season, we were able to complete the making of our episodes about two months prior to their airings.  I’m so deep into other creative, technical and administrative issues by the time shows finally air, I rarely have time to check on those kind of statistical things.  Further, I’ve always been one to put my art behind me once I complete a film or an episode of television.  The way I’m built, I would lose way too much sleep over-thinking whether something worked or if viewers reacted in the way I hoped (if at all).  So...as a way to balance my personal and artistic well-being, I just don’t look back.  Once I’ve committed to creative direction, I move on.

SEEN: Tell us a bit about the signature “operating room stereo” uses in the show.  Do you go more for lyrical references to story, or for tone?

PJ: That high-tech, sleek Bang & Olufsen stereo and the music it plays were always meant to be a character in the show.  Most of the time, we try to use songs that speak lyrically to the procedures being conducted in the operating room.  On occasion, we’ll use music that speaks to the characters' individual tastes; but most often the songs are a satirical look a whatever cosmetic procedure the patient is undergoing.

SEEN: Gabriel & Dresden (who's latest mix album recently made SEEN's top 10 list of '07) have been involved in helping shape the sound of the show.  They mixed all the songs on the soundtrack and remixed the main title.  How did their relationship with the show come about?

PJ: Nettwerk Records was our best suitor for the Nip/Tuck soundtrack at the time.  Their catalogue was/is wrought with material that naturally fits the show. Also, I wanted to make a concept album, not just a “greatest hits” collection of the first two seasons.  I was DJ’ing clubs a lot at that time and I knew I wanted it to be a continuous DJ mix.  But, I didn’t want it to be your basic House, four-on-the-floor beat-matcher.  I wanted to take songs that had more traditional structure. deconstruct them and create a unique listening experience.  Nettwerk gave me the latitude I needed to accomplish this.  At that same time, Motorcycle (aka Gabriel & Dresden) had the biggest dance hit in the World with “When The Rush Comes”.  They were an obvious marketing fit for our soundtrack.  So, I connected with Josh & Dave to spend time conceptualizing about the album, primarily to see if they even wanted to participate and could actually pull it off.  Once everyone was comfortable with the template, I flew to their San Francisco studio to work.  We spent the next several days tearing up tracks and writing new overlays to create a mix album that is still very unique today.  As part of that process, we completely flipped the theme song too. We broke out each individual track, dumped some, created others and made what is basically a totally new song; a remixed theme that rivals the original and became a staple of the promotional campaign behind the show.  It rips!  To this day, Josh & Dave are still very close friends of mine and two people I respect dearly. I look forward to the day we work together again!

SEEN: Hunnypot for years has been a brand associated with the film & TV music community.  Can you tell us about how it started?

PJ: “Hot Tub” John Anderson (then Head of Creative for Windswept Music Publishing) and I started throwing film & television music mixers about eight years ago to coincide with the then burgeoning soundtrack field.  The soundtrack area was growing but, until then, no one had put a real face on it.  We probably had 30 to 40 folks show up at those early parties.  As the world of film & television music grew, so did our events.  Now, our Hunnypot parties can boast as many as a 1000 people and include a wide variety of creative and culturally aware people across a broad spectrum of entertainment fields.  We host live bands and tastemaker DJ’s.  We have a presence at most major music conferences including CMJ and South by Southwest.  And, our events are always free!  In addition, we broadcast a weekly radio and release a highly respected compilation series, among many other elements.  Check us out at HunnypotUnlimited.com!

SEEN: What’s next for the Hunnypot party and radio show?  What does the future hold for the Hunnypot brand?

PJ: In 2008, Hunnypot Unlimited will be signing emerging bands and artists in all genres to our newly formed publishing arm.  We will continue to increase awareness of the brand and our acts through our parties, events and radio show, some of which include co-sponsors like The Grammy’s, The Academy of Country Music, the newly formed Guild of Music Supervisors. The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard Magazine.  There are too many incredible things to list, so check out our website for more info.

SEEN: If you could work on any TV show other than one you’re currently on, what would it be and why?

PJ: Hmmm…. I would have to say ‘Family Guy’.  Seth McFarland is one of the most talented people in television today and his show has some of the best writing of any episodic series.  What the show manages to accomplish with original songs and recordings is nothing less than incredible.  ‘Family Guy’ also does live scoring every week, something that’s highly unusual in our world. I’m always heavily involved with score on my shows.  To be able to record with a real orchestra every episode would be glorious for me.

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