🎧 The Duo Behind 'Only Murders' Irresistible EarwormsI talk to Benj Pasek and Justin Paul about the song that could make them EGOT winners. Plus: Who's got the juice in the fall film fest lineups
Subscribe on Apple PodcastsI was excited to talk to songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul on this week’s podcast for all the reasons you might expect. They’re behind some of the most irresistible earworms of the past decade, from the Oscar-winning La La Land song “City of Stars” to the Greatest Showman juggernaut “This Is Me,” which remains an unbeatable song for a Peloton ride, by the way. They’re also a rare example of young people running full bore into the old-fashioned business of Broadway, where they got their start shortly after graduating from the Michigan School of Music. Showtunes are corny and incredibly difficult to make good, so when talents like Pasek and Paul emerge on the scene, it’s a reason for everyone to celebrate.
That might be why it was possible for them to recruit some of the best songwriters in the business — the competition, yes, but also their colleagues — to work with them on the third season of Only Murders in the Building. In our conversation, Pasek and Paul explained to me how they got the idea to create a writers room for songs, and why songwriters like Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman and Sara Bareilles were eager to join them. As Pasek put it, “Getting to dangle the carrot of, hey, there's this television show that we all love, and the promise of getting to work with Martin Short and Steve Martin and this season Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd — we thought, oh wow, what an opportunity to get to collaborate with some of the folks that we've always wanted to be in a room with and work with.” There’s one more reason I was thrilled to talk to Pasek and Paul: Their songs for the criminally underseen 2022 film Lyle Lyle Crocodile remain some of the most-played songs in my household, and I felt compelled to thank them for the first musical that my children truly love. In return they gave me a small scoop about the future of Lyle — but you’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear that one. The episode also includes a conversation between me and This Had Oscar Buzz’s Chris Feil about the huge number of fall festival premieres that have been announced in recent weeks, from new films from Pedro Almodóvar, Mike Leigh and Luca Guadagnino to the incredible intrigue of one film starring Angelina Jolie and another film directed by her. We also go deep on the source material for one of those films, Guadagnino’s Queer, which is adapted from William S. Burroughs’ early novel of the same name. It’s not exactly ideal summer reading, but will make you very intrigued about what Daniel Craig might do in the lead role. Can fall movie season just go ahead and get here already? Follow us: X | Facebook | Instagram | Threads ICYMI
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🎧 The Duo Behind 'Only Murders' Irresistible Earworms
July 30, 2024
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