And for his latest effort, he got to tackle a dream gig: writinga new Spider-Man theme song.
PATRICK STUMP: Well it was an opportunity, it wasn’t a guarantee.
So I kind of expected that.
But even just getting to do it is crazy, you know?
How do you set about actually writing a Spider-Man theme song?
There’s obviously one hugely iconic version out there and then a number of other ones too.
Image via Disney Junior
STUMP: That was kind of my thinking.
I was thinking about Spider-Man from every angle, and the Spider-Man universe from every angle.
It’s a big deal.
Image via Disney Junior
Spider-Man is one of my favorite things.
So I wanted to kind of pay homage to all of the different versions of Spidey music.
STUMP: It’s more brassy and just very 70s and 80s.
Image via Disney
I wanted to put all those things in a blender in this hyper-caffeinated two-minute explosion of Spidey.
I was going to ask about that.
My wife is expecting our first child and
STUMP: Oh, awesome.
Oh, thank you.
You get to introduce them to it.
STUMP: It’s a little scary at first.
I’m like, “I don’t know, how am I going to navigate that?”
But then ultimately you just do your best because it’s just awesome to get to do.
So worst case scenario, you spent a good couple of hours writing something you enjoy.
In television, I really haven’t done anything yet.
So I wasn’t really prepared for that.
I know how this goes.
I’ve done it, I’m an old salt at this point."
But I hadn’t really done a show and the delivery schedule isa lotmore.
There’s so much to the show, and they’re not playing around either.
(laughs) So it’s been eat, breathe, sleep, live Spidey.
I’m pretty deep in it right now.
STUMP: Yeah, and it’s weird too.
It’s not that kind of thing.
It’s always such a challenge it’s such a not-cynical show, you know?
I did want to ask about your other scoring work.
It feels like a progression or like you guys evolve with each outing.
STUMP: Oh yeah.
Fall Out Boy primed me for it really well.
It’s actually like a perfect fit.
For starters, I think I was already kind of interpreting somebody else’s story.
Usually that’s not the singer, usually that’s some background guy that does that.
But it’s the opposite in our band.
So I’ve always been interpreting Pete’s lyrics and kind of putting that to music.
He’s got the Burt Bacharach record and he’s got the Brodsky Quartet record.
Just from that kind of stuff.
And Pete was like, “Don’t take a stab at do different stuff.
Just do what you do and eventually your individuality will come out.”
I thought that was pretty good advice for a 20-year-old or whatever he was at the time.
But yeah, then you listen to those records and you’re like, “This is crazy.
(laughs) But that’s the thing.
If I’m lucky enough to still score.
I hope you will be.
I really like your stuff.
STUMP: Me too.
I really hope I get to.
I love doing it so much.
Youve obviously been writing and producing and performing music for a long time.
But when you’re an artist, you are expected to always be in the character of yourself.
So every idea, every note, you are expected to be performing from an earnest place.
It’s kind of exhausting sometimes, because no one’s going to [love everything they do].
Whereas when you’re the second viola player, you have to love how you’re performing.
You have to perform it the best you’re able to.
But your personal taste doesn’t really come into it; that’s not the job.
And sometimes as a composer, that’s been really fun.
and they say, “Yes.”
And you’re like, “Okay.
I’ll find a way to do that.”
You’re part of a team.
When you’re a composer, you’re part of the team.
You don’t get to be like, “Well, this is what it is.
This is what I’m giving you.
It’s kind of freeing in a weird way.
I mean, even just the capacity to write something silly because a character is doing something silly.
You’d never write something silly in a band, because youve got to be cool all the time.
He wrote one score forThe Villagethat was entirely tossed out.
So even if you think to yourself, “Oh, well I don’t like this.”
It’s still through the prism of your experience of how you think and how you write.
So down to the chords, down to the rhythms.
Your version of dumb is your version of dumb.
So there’s still expression in there even if you want to resist it and be angry at it.
Which I haven’t really had to do.
Again, I am enjoying myself a lot doing this.
I feel like I have the right temperament for it, because I’m not that precious with it.
Sia said something to me once.
And then I leave it and I never think about it again.”
And I was like, “Oh.”
And I’m like, “Oh, that’s how you do it.”
It’s really that kind of thing.
I couldn’t do it with pop music (laughs).
Pop music you care too much about.
It’s hard to lay yourself out there and then walk away.
You don’t like it?
I got another one.”
Yeah, it sounds like fun.
Well, I’ll put it out there.
I would love to hear you score a Marvel movie.
STUMP: Yeah, that would be the dream.
Maybe I’ll get a chance.
Blade 3or something like that.
STUMP: (Laughs) Yeah, exactly.
STUMP: Nothing to speak of there.
It’s been really hard to be a band in a pandemic.
I know you’re able to do it by Zoom, but it’s like, really?
(laughs)
Yeah, it’s not the same.
STUMP: Not the same.
But yeah, it’ll be really cool.
I’m kind of nervous.
I’m kind of anxious about the first night.
So it’ll be interesting to see if I still got it.
(laughs)
Listen to Stump’s theme song forMarvel’sSpidey and His Amazing Friendsbelow.
