Video: Joby Talbot & Neil Hannon Unwrap the Delicious New Music of WONKA

Welcome to Backstage with Richard Ridge

One of the most anticipated films of this holiday season is the new magical musical Wanka

which features a star-study cast, including Timothy Shalame. It is in theaters now, and the glorious soundtrack is available on Water Tower Music

And my guests are Neil Hannan, who wrote the new songs and Jobi Town

who composed the score. First of all, how did you get involved with Wonka

Well, you know, I worked with Neil a long, long, long time ago

I was in the band with him back in the 1990s for eight years. We haven't worked together very much since, though

Not like on purpose. We're still friends and still talk to each other

I don't see that much of each other because Neil's in Ireland and I'm in London

But I heard that he was doing this. and I thought, well, good for him

And I wondered whether I'd get a call. And eventually I did get a call from Paul King, the director

asking me that I'd come in and have a meeting. And Neil had been on the project for some time by this point

All the songs were written. But I knew Paul, I didn't know Paul personally

but I knew his work from Paddington, obviously, big fan. Of course, I leapt at the chance of going and seeing what my offer

and Neil had been up to. And, you know, I'm just kind of blown away by that

this amazing world building and this incredible reinterpretation of the classic movie that I

you know, obviously as part of everyone's DNA. Yeah, watch the film down, talk with Paul and thanks amber

I knew I was hired. I planned it from about 25 years ago

Basically, I have this band called The Divine Comedy and over the years I have a accumulated

fans, bizarrely. And one of those fans turned out to be like a really successful director

of films called Paul King. And yeah, I didn't know he was a fan until we got the sort of emails

saying, would you like to talk about perhaps doing some music for our next thing? So because, you know, we

knew it was Paul King of Paddington fame, I pretty much said yes, instantly. I

pretty much said, yes, instantly. I didn't even ask much about the project. So when you found out it was Wanka, like, was this like, you know

what it like you got a gold ticket? Like, tell me what that was like when you found out what it was

There was a little bit of jumping up and down and singing, my ship is coming in by the Walker brothers

Yeah, it was extraordinary, really, because I thought, you know, if somebody had asked me to sit down and come up with my perfect job

this is pretty much it. You know, because I love the original movie so much, the 1971 film

And you kind of brought up, and you're almost brainwashed with these

songs, the Anthony Newley and Leslie Brickis songs, but you don't really know what they are

They just, they exist, you know, and I really love songs like that, that they're sort of always

there. The Umpa Lumpa song was never written. It's just there, you know

So that's what I sort of tried to do myself. Musically, what is the feel you wanted to bring to it? Because in this new version, it takes place

of the 1940s. Yeah, though it's not specifically the 1940s, is it just like it's not specifically

any country? So there's a sense, it could be 1940s, could be

1950s, I don't know. So we didn't want it to be too kind of

of a period. You know, I did, we didn't, you know, I wanted to

reflect that slightly vague kind of magical. You know, there's a wonderful thing which I feel about

the first the original 971 film as well which is you know it a film that seems that feels when you watching it as a kid quite grown up And I think part of that is that you don quite understand where it is or you know when it was set who are these people

And I think Paul's very cleverly captured it at the same thing in Wonka, that there is the sense of like, well, this place is amazing, but what is it

And we never, you know, we don't really know. So I didn't want to kind of make it fairly, I didn't want the music to sort of negate that feeling, that's slightly

a bit at sea kind of feeling. We wanted to turn playing with that magical place

that this really can be anywhere. You know, it's, you know, world of pure imagination. Because that's what I loved about this movie

You really don't know when it takes place. And the sound you create are so different

with so many different genres of music. So that's what I love

But it's a perfect blend between what Paul wanted and what you wanted to bring to the film

which I think is really great. Yes, thanks. I mean, it was, you know, like we did talk about things

like, you know, like maybe having some electric guitar in there. But instantly, it made it seem, you know, a little bit too grounded in a time, you know, a time

So, yeah, we tried lots of different things. And this is what we, this is what we ended up with

And it just feels that that's, you know, that's Paul's brilliance, really, is that he

he has the overall holistic sense of what the world of the film is in his head

And it's so strong that he can really entertain kind of out there options

and live with them for a bit, and then kind of, you know, maybe not, you know, without getting distracted from his overall vision

It's impressive, very. Did you write a lot of the songs or all of the songs during the pandemic

For the most part, I wrote most of them, yes, and a good deal more that you will never hear during the pandemic

And I suppose, you know, not much goods comes from a pandemic, that's for sure

But it certainly gave me something to concentrate on because, you know, we were shut in like everybody else

And, you know, I'm lucky enough to have a job where I can actually keep working at home

Yeah. But there were a few that we, you know, once it had sort of calmed down a bit and I was working in London with them that I had to sort of come up with on the spot, so to speak

So I was going to ask you, which was one of the easier songs to write

And what was one of the most challenging songs that are both in the film for you

Well, strangely, the sort of the ballad, the duet between Noodle and Willie for a moment was surprisingly simple

because I knew it was for quite a young girl, so I tried to make it

I sat down and I thought, you know, like a piano exercise kind of vibe

very sort of arpeggio in the right hand and kind of nice classical chords

And the tune happened pretty much straight away and it was one of the few where they went

yeah, that's really good. The most difficult was easily hatful of dreams, the opener

I think openers are always difficult because you really want to nail your

colours to the mast and get it going in the right direction. And

I had a few full starts, but then when we got the idea

of with that tune, it's still, it just I kept working on it and working on it

and they kept saying, but it has to now do this and this

and we'd chop verses out and we'd stick them back together. For such a Frankenstein song

it actually sounds and works really well, you know? It's really beautiful

Like I said, it sets the whole tone of the film, which is what you really want

And when you have a director like Paul King, he's like, change it a little bit like this

do a little bit like this. And then you see it up there and you like it absolutely brilliant That a relief And if I think about it one of the few things that really sort of was retained all the way through was the rhythm you know

just kind of, because that was the thing that propelled it along. And, yeah, if that went, then I really just have to throw it all out and start again

Okay, you also went on to the set. Do you remember you were on the set for a big day

It was a big number. Was it Timothy Sholomew was on the set? Yeah, it was from, you've never had chocolate like this

the really sort of the big one in the middle of the movie. And it was just luck that I happened to turn up that day

And I felt like I was on the set of Oliver, you know

It was just mass ranks of people. in wonderful, fantastic, you know, wardrobe department

And there was Timmy being Willie in his hat. And I had my, I'd squirreled my daughter in as well

And even though she was 20 at the time, she was still kind of like a bit weak at the knees for old Timmy

and they got to meet and I'm now number one dad in the world

Now, did you record part of the score at Abbey Road? We recorded a lot of the score at Abbey Road

Yeah, we pretty much recorded bits of this and mixed bits of this in every studio in London

But the main orchestral sessions were in the big room at Abbey Road

and the band, you know, the combo sessions that we did prior to that

back in January were in Abbey Road. where the Beatles famously recorded their last

and Pink Floyd did the Dark Side of the Moon, and, you know. Yeah, there's a magic to those places, you know

and I think you can, you know, it was interesting. The real sort of turning point in the whole arc of the making of this film

happened after we started recording those sessions in Abu Ghra. It was, you know, truly amazing musicians

I mean, just the best musicians available. We managed it. We started really early in the new year

so nobody had really gone back to work because we thought it was our best chance of getting these guys. And we got our dream band

It was everybody we wanted. We had Randy Kerber on piano, who, you know, I worked with him in L.A.

but he subsequently moved to Paris. So I thought, well, that's not too far away

Let me see if we can get him over. And he came and did all the sessions. It's fantastic. What did you enjoy the most about working on Wanka

I just, I, hmm. it's a big question it is a big question because there were so many elements really

the best thing about me getting this job was that I think

I got to see how it all works at the very highest level

which I'd never experienced before and you know if I never get another film

you know I've done it at the highest level level and that's a you know it's like getting to the Olympics really so I'm pretty

proud of that so when you so when you see mom oh totally keep her on keep her on speaker

when you saw the film for the first time all done like what went through your mind

well the first time I saw it all the way through with properly with everything in was at the

premiere a few weeks ago. And the first thing that went through my mind was

hmm, the Royal Festival Hall doesn't have very good sound quality, does it

But once I got over that, it was just a joy. And the film is magnificent

I mean, and I'm not saying that just to big it up. It just, it's the sort of film that I personally enjoy

So, yeah. I've seen obviously a lot in, you know, along the way

And but I had a really amazing experience when I saw it like in its finished version with all the music put in there in this in this dubbing suite in in London It was just like the whole kind of cumulative effect of it like everything just landing exactly as we kind of intended it to

That when it gets to the you know that that very moving scene with his mother at the end, you know, I was really tearing up and then and you don't you don't tear up in something that you've been you know that involved with for that long

think you'd be immune to his charms by then. But no, not at all

So what did you enjoy the most about working on Wonka? Um, um

you know what? The thing I'm enjoying the most is actually listening back to what we did

You know, we worked so hard on it. And, you know, usually with a movie score

you know, you, and back at the end and you're like, it's great. I just wish we could have done this, this

And you know, that we never quite nailed that thing. You know, oh, there we ran out of time on that

But this, I can honestly say that there is nothing that I'm not 100% thrilled with

So although it doesn't say very romantic, the thing I'm enjoying the most is just, you know

the movie being out there seeing, you know, like talking to people who've been to see it

like kids demanding they hear the soundtrack album over breakfast for the 10th day running

And that's what I'm really loving. It feels like all that work we did, you know, is really kind of paid off

and that people are, you know, really, really loving this beautiful movie

So you're the funny little man who's been following me. Funny little now

How dare you? I will have you know that I am a perfectly respectable size for a Numpur

In number one now? In fact, in Lumpurland, I am regarded as something of a whopper

They call me lofty. Sorry. Ladies and gentlemen, greetings to you all

My name is Willy Wonka. You see, I'm something of a magician

Prepare to be amazed. Tape up. Inventor. May I present... Willie Wonka's wild and wonderful wishy-washy Wanka

Walker, please don't make me say that again. And chocolate maker. The best chocolate of the world

Ooh. He's good. Too good. And anyone can afford them. Even the..

The poor? He doesn't like it when people say poor. Send Wonka a message

Do not sell chocolate in this town! You're going to get more than a bonk on the head

I love a bonk on the head. What is with me today? You should stand up to those Buddhists

Give a meal one, two. I got an idea. Where do we start

Making chocolate, of course. Run away

Every good thing in this world started with a dream. So you hold all to yours

I guess it's time to change the world. Good night, so I am going to change the world

Good night, son, I am going flat. Huh. What is it? Nothing

Well, it's obviously something, because you said, huh. Forget it. Very well

Huh. You did it again. Tell me what it is, or I shall poke you quite viciously with a cocktail stick