Interview with Sir Tim Rice, Lyricist
Tyler Foundation (TF): You started out in musical theater. Can you talk about some of your experiences?
Sir Tim Rice (STR): Well that’s a pretty big question – not sure how to begin. It’s something I got into unintentionally. I was lucky to meet Andrew Lloyd Webber in the early days and he had ambitions to write musical theater, which I didn’t. I was more interested in the popular side of things, you know, rock & roll and all that. But I had a bit of working knowledge of musical scores through my parents’ record collection. When I met Andrew, I got into the groove quite well and I think not knowing so much about theater helped. Gave me an original take on things.
TF: Can you talk through the process of being a lyricist. How does it work?
STR: Well, there are no hard and fast rules. But if you are writing musicals, the first thing to get right is the story. That’s much more important than the words. Once you’ve got a good story, you need to structure the plot in a way to tell the story. Having done that, normally the composer will write the music for each scene that’s been planned. And then I’ll put the lyrics to the music. So, my job tends to be at the beginning and the end with the music in the middle of the sandwich.
TF: So, the composer and lyricist may collaborate on the story and plot as well?
STR: Well, it depends. With Andrew, he certainly made many good contributions to the story line. In the case of Joseph, we certainly didn’t write the story – that was some Old Testament scribe! But we need to know which aspects of the story to tell and when Andrew got that information, he would sit down to write a tune. I’ve found with many composers that they like to know what sort of scene they are writing before they sit down to create a tune.
TF: Are there some lyrics which are harder to write than others?
STR: I think for me, funny lyrics, or telling a story in an entertaining way is easier than writing serious, love lyrics because the love thing has been said many times before. There have been many songs about how hard it is to say ‘I love you’ in an original way. Whereas if you write funny lyrics, I find it easier because you can use much more extensive language, any word, conversational words, slang words, unusual words, unromantic words. In a love song you are kept within fairly tight confines. Any love song usually has far fewer syllables, you have to be much more concise so that’s hard but if you get it right, it’s very satisfying.
TF: The work with Disney came later on. How would you say it was different from what you had done before?
STR: Well, I was working in film which was the main, obvious difference. I liked that because I thought I could write songs quite well. The other thing that happened was that I collaborated with Elton John. Elton is the only major composer I’ve worked with who wanted to get the lyrics first. All his great hits were written with Bernie Taupin providing the lyrics first. And I found that great fun. Doing what I could do, i.e. write words, with a blank piece of paper. So, I’d send off some words and he’d send back a demo with my own lyrics.
TF: You’ve already mentioned Andrew Lloyd Webber and Elton John. Which people have you particularly enjoyed working with?
STR: Well, I’m not going to single out one above the other. I'm not sure I could. I’ve been very lucky and I’d include Alan Menken who is a great composer. I think I’ve been lucky enough to work with each of them doing what is their particular strength. With Elton, I think we needed more of a rock score for Lion King which is exactly what he created. Bjorn and Benny [formerly of ABBA] were really magnificent in doing this huge, almost operatic score for Chess. And Alan Menken is perhaps the supreme Broadway composer in the traditional mode. An extremely brilliant contemporary writer. Of course with Andrew Lloyd Webber it was great fun because we were starting out together and we didn’t really know what we were doing so I really enjoyed my work with Andrew but that was particularly because we were both young and starting out. After you’ve been in the game for a while, there are things that you enjoy but other things that you get fed up with… like promoting it and doing all these other things.
TF: Going back to that period when you were starting out with Andrew, did you look back on the great musical combinations like Rodgers and Hammerstein for inspiration or guidance?
STR: Well, I think so but not too much in that I hadn’t really seen many of their shows. I’d never seen My Fair Lady. I knew the scores quite well and I particularly liked the lyrics. There were one or two other influences I had which were not conventional theater like Michael Flanders who wrote a lot of wonderful songs in the late 50‘s / early 60’s, things like ‘Mud Mud Glorious Mud’. I probably was influenced by Gilbert and Sullivan. Also, I think my main knowledge came from rock & roll and there were some great lyricists, people like Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Eddie Cochran, the Everly Brothers, they had great lyrics which were very clever and very witty, many of which would have stood up on a Broadway stage.
TF: Any current or future projects that you can tell us about?
STR: Well, I’m going off literally any minute to Hungary to see some filming. I’m working on a film called the ‘Nutcracker’. It’s a remake and I’ve written the songs. But it’s a big film retelling the Nutcracker story shot in Hungary and directed by a wonderful director called Andrei Konchalovsky. And I’m working on a piece of my own based on the diplomat Machiavelli. I’ve got to the stage where I’ve done the story line so ready to focus on the music.
TF: You’re a big cricket fan which is well known! The great Dennis Lillee will be joining us in Tokyo. Have you encountered him before?
STR: I have indeed. He’s a lovely guy and that’s very exciting. I look forward to seeing him very much!
TF: How’s you team (Heartaches) going?
STR: Well, we’ve just had our last game. Tragically we lost! But we had a pretty good summer. We’ve done OK.,
TF: Have you been to Japan before?
STR: Yes, I first came in 1955 when I was 10. My father had a job with an aircraft company and he was posted over to Japan for 10 months or so. It was great fun! So, I got to know Tokyo quite well when I was young. And I’ve been back a few times in connection with various shows I’ve had on there.
TF: And are you looking forward to this trip?
STR: I certainly am! I’ve got a few pals I’d like to catch up with there and I look forward to meeting everyone in connection with your great Foundation!
TF: Well, we’re very excited about the Idol and have auditioned around 18 people so far. We’ll narrow them down to 8 finalists for the night. There’s some concern about what kind of judge you are going to be??!! Can you give any inkling?
STR: I’ll be vicious cruel, heartless, a tyrant!!! Or maybe, I’ll be an old softy! I don’t know.
TF: Thanks Tim and see you in a few weeks.
Photos and other original copyrighted material are borrowed from http://www.timrice.co.uk/ |
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