Russ Landau

The success of the CBS hit series, Survivor, helped propel the current reality television juggernaut. Survivor composer Russ Landau is one of the most successful television composers today. Russ, who won 5 ASCAP Film & Television Music Awards this year, took some time in his studio with ASCAP's Shawn Le Mone to discuss his success.

How did you, a trumpet-playing kid from Connecticut, grow to be one of the most successful composers working in Hollywood today?

Well, I was never a very good trumpet player (laughs). Actually, I switched to bass and classical guitar in high school before realizing my true passion in life was music. I studied theory and composition at the University of Bridgeport's School of Music.

After college, six months of teaching music in a very exclusive private school convinced me not to ever do that again so I packed up my old pickup truck and moved to New York. I played bass in a bunch of bands, started getting session work, and eventually joined the Paul Winter Consort as their bass player and producer. As I became increasingly interested in film scoring, I scored everything and anything I could get my hands on. I landed a few TV pilots -- none of which made it to series.

Eventually, I moved to California. I couldn't get a decent job for almost two years and had my piano loaded on the moving van back to Connecticut when a representative of Steven Spielberg called offering me a single episode of SeaQuest. Eleven episodes and an Emmy nomination later, I was on my way to a successful career as a composer.

How difficult was the transition from a science fiction series like SeaQuest to Survivor?

Survivor isn't science fiction? Really, Survivor is more like SeaQuest than a lot of my other projects. It requires big panoramic scores, and water plays a big part in the series.

The success of Survivor is what stimulated the current reality TV phenomena. Survivor is now targeted for seven series. How does it feel to be a part of such a huge success?

Well, great! I'm most pleased to finally find a home for “Ancient Voices” (the Survivor theme song), which had been a work in progress and actually was just sitting on the shelf for over a decade.

You've gone on location for each new Survivor series to capture the sounds of the native environment and culture. Can you tell me a little about that experience?

I'm blessed to have had the opportunity to work with so many fantastic musicians from all over the world. From my early work with Paul Winter, I gained many great experiences in ethnomusicology. It seemed funny to be walking in Paul's footsteps a little in my own quest for the ancient voice that defined a particular culture...me being the irreverent stepchild of graceless parents, namely Rock and Roll. But I quickly found my own reverence for the honesty and heart in the indigenous music of the people who had so graciously opened up their homes and ancestral lands to me.

I have heard that you became especially attached to the Masai in Kenya when working on Survivor: Africa?

Yes, I spent a good amount of time hanging with the Masai people in a village near the famous Masai Mara wildebeests migration. I sat down with the eldest son of the village chief and we shared our stories. I was welcomed into his home of sticks and dung. It wasn't until I asked that he told me how hard it was to find supplies and funds to keep the school running. When I got back to America, I felt that I wanted to give something back to them, so I auctioned a bass I used on the last Survivor live show and was able to raise $4,000 for their school.

I would imagine being a naturalist and sportsman has made this experience especially fun for you.

Well, if you count fly-fishing for freshwater crocs on the upper Herbert River in the Australian outback -- yes!

The music of Survivor is such an identifying component of the show. How has this led to other opportunities?
It's been a great calling card.

Fear Factor is turning into quite the franchise as well. Can you tell me how you approach the music for this series?

Well, Matt Kunitz (executive producer) and Rupert Thompson (director) know exactly what they want, and they are protective of it! In fact, I think Matt TIVOs every other show I do just to make sure none of his show's music shows up in somebody else's.

So, what can you tell me about the next Survivor and other future projects you're working on?

I've signed so many non-disclosure statements I need a personal bleeper. I can say that I am really excited about Survivor: Pearl Island, off the coast of Panama, because it will allow me to do some important environmental work that's very close to my heart. I'm currently working on a block of shows on NBC, including Fear Factor, Dog Eat Dog, Most Talented Kid, Prehistoric Planet, and some other top secret ones. I'm also working on Eco Challenge, Anything For Love, Average Joe, and Restaurant. There are some movie and jingle projects as well.

— Shawn LeMone


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