Interviews/Anne Bryant

This is a navigation hub for official and fan-run interviews for Anne Bryant.

## Fan-run

While we may never know who as the animation characters wrote which song for which band, we do know who the true songwriter is... Anne Bryant.

Let's have a music lesson with her today:

**1. Could you please introduce yourself in any way musically possible?**

COMPOSER, ARRANGER, ORCHESTRATOR, SYNTH-ARRANGER,MUSIC PRODUCER [LYRICIST-BUT NOT ON THE JEM SHOW]
EDUCATION: BA, MFA - CLASSICAL COMPOSITION, PhD MUSIC AND CONTEMPORARY MEDIA.
**2. Could you please in general terms define your contribution to the Jem animation series?**

COMPOSER, ARRANGER, MUSIC PRODUCER
**3. In a nutshell (general terms), which musical tracks were written by you, which by Ford Kinder, and which did you two collaborate together writing?**

I WROTE MORE JEM SONGS; FORD WROTE MORE MISFITS, I WROTE THE STINGERS SONGS. BUT IT'S HARD TO REMEMER ALL OF THAT. AND SOME OF THE BEST JEM SONGS LIKE "SHE'S GOT THE POWER" WERE WRITTEN BY FORD. SOME OF THE BEST MISFITS SONGS, LIKE UNIVERSAL APPEAL, WERE WRITTEN BY ME. OVERALL, WE EACH WROTE A VERSION OF EACH SONG AND THEY CHOSE ONE OR THE OTHER.
**4. Each of the three Jem episode segments featured a song. Were you instructed to write a song to match what was going to happen in the segment?**

IT WAS A THEATRICAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT. WE WROTE SONGS THAT ADVANCED THE STORY - VERY MUCH IN LINE WITH THE SCRIPT.
**5. Considering Jem and her friends were the good girls, was it much happier for you to write the songs the Holograms performed as opposed to the Misfits'?**

THEY WERE BOTH FUN TO WRITE FOR. I THINK THAT THEY WERE SO OPPOSITE MADE THE PROJECT SO INTERESTING TO US.
**6. There was an episode where someone announces that the Holograms focus on pop music while the Misfits were focusing on their harder edge. Was that a general pattern/rule for the tracks written?**

I DON'T REMEMBER THE EPISODE, BUT THAT WAS THE DIRECTION FROM THE START.
**7. Your plate was loaded... you've written songs for other series, including the Transformers theme. How did it feel to take on such a big project to write songs for an entire animation series?**

WE LIKED THE SHOW.IT WAS GREAT FUN TO WRITE THE MUSIC; HOWEVER, WE HAD A VERY BUSY JINGLE BUSINESS GOING ON AT THE SAME TIME, SO ADDING 2-3 DAYS OF WRITING AND PRODUCTION WAS HARD ON US. I DIDN'T HAVE A DAY OFF FOR TWO YEARS.
**8. Did you just write and submit the songs for the series, or did you work with Ellen Bernfeld, Britta Phillips, and the musicians in the studio?**

1.WE WROTE AND SUBMITTED THE SONGS IN THE FORM OF PIANO/VOCAL DEMOS, WHICH FORD SANG AND PLAYED. HE RECORDED A PIANO/VOCAL DEMO OF EACH OF OUR VERSIONS OF EACH SONG. I CAST BRITTA AND ELLENIN THE MAIN ROLES, AND LATER CAST GORDON GRODY FOR THE STINGERS.
2. I DID ALL OF THE ARRANGMENTS AND CONDUCTED/PRODUCED THEM IN THE STUDIO, SO I WORKED FIRST WITH THE BAND, THEN ADDED ANY SWEETENING AND THEN WE DID THE VOCALS -- THE SOLOS FIRST, THEN THE GROUP VOCALS. THEN WE MIXED THE TRACKS. THE STUDIO DAYS WERE FOR THREE SONGS, SO I GENERALLY HAD ONE 12 HOUR DAY AND ONE 10 HOUR DAY IN THE STUDO EACH WEEK FOR THE JEM SHOW.
**9. Did you know Ellen before Jem?**

I MET ELLEN IN THE JINLGE BUSINESS IN 1976.
**10. So how did you and Ellen maintain friendship after the series ended?**

WE OWN A MUSIC COMPANY TOGETHER AND HAVE CREATED ENTERTAINMENT PROPERTIES. WE ARE CURRENTLY ABOUT TO RELEASE A NEW VIDEO CALLED "MADOFF IN AMERICA -AN ORIGNAL RAP-DISCO DRAMA" WHCIH WE WILL POST ON YOUTUBE AND EVERYWHERE ELSE. ELLEN PERFORMS UNDER THE NAME OS "NORMA HUMAN."
**11. Speaking of which, how did you feel when the series ended? Sad, or possibly relieved to take a break from writing?**

BOTH.
**12. Let's throw The Stingers in- the group that shook things up for both the Holograms and Misfits. Did it feel unusual to approach song writing from three different angles, or was it just natural to write as the episode was fit?**

NO, I HAD TO COME UP WITH A MUSICAL STYLE -- A "BRAND" FOR THE STINGERS. BUT, I'M USED TO DOING THAT; THAT'S WHAT I DO AS AN ARRANGER ALL THE TIME. IT'S EVEN BETTER WHEN I'M THE COMPOSER [MORE HOLISTIC].
**13. If your agent called and said a new Jem episode series or movie was in production and they wanted you to write, would you resume your own role that you had two decades ago?**

SURE.
**14. Could you still write music in the style of Jem's series?**

OF COURSE.
**15. Can you write just about anything 80's style?**
YES [CHECK OUT THE MADOFF VIDEO LATER THIS WEEK. WE DELIBERATELY DID ITLIKE A PIZZAZZ SONG]

**16. Let's talk about now. You are the chairman of Gloryvision. In a small nutshell, may I ask how you and Ellen work together?**

. SHE WRITES, I WRITE, SHE SINGS/DANCES/PERFORMS, I ARRANGE AND CREATE/CUT THE VIDEOS. WE ARGUE A LOT; ALL COLLABORATORS DO.
**17. You have two different soundtracks, one for dogs, the other cats. How is the sound different?**

DIFFERENT AS DOGS AND CATS. DOGS ARE FUNNIER/SILLIER. CATS ARE MORE ALOOF/ MORE COOL. BOTH ARE FU TO WRITE ABOUT.
**18. Personally, how do dogs differ from cats to you as animals?**

AS ABOVE
**19. What are your plans for future works?**

MOSTLY MUSIC VIDEO, BUT ALSO A SEQUEL OF DOGS AND CATS. AND, WE ARE CURRENTLY DEVELOPING THE NORMA HUMAN CHARACTER.
**20. What instruments do you play?**

NONE WELL. BUT I CNA STILL PLAY A LITTLE PIANO. I KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW I CAN WRITE FOR AN ORCHESTRA WITHOUT PLAYING ALL THE INSTRUMENTS, BUT I HEAR THEM IN MY HEAD AND I WRITE IT ALL DOWN.
**21. Jem was mostly, if not all, focused on electric instruments. What is your opinion of acoustic in general (doesn't have to be compared strictly to Jem tunes?)**

NO. JEM WAS PRIMARILY AN ACOUSTIC SOUND- LIVE INSTRUMENTS LIKE HORNS, WOODWINDS AND STRINGS, AND LIVE RHYTHM. WE ADDED SOME ELECTRONICS HERE AND THERE.
PIZZAZZ WAS ALL ELECTRONIC TRACKS [NEW, BACK THEN] AND GUITARS.
I HAVE ALWAYS SAID THAT THOSE VERY EXHAUSTING DAYS IN THE 70'S AND 80'S WHEN I WROTE FOR ORCHESTRAS EVERY DAY WERE MY FAVORITE TIMES. I LOVED WORKING WITH NY'S FINEST MUSICIANS [AND PEOPLE].
AS THE TIMES DICTATED, HOWEVER, I WAS COMPELLED TO MASTER ELECTRONIC PRODUCTION-AND I DID. BUT MACHINES ISOLATE US FROM OTHERS. I STILL MISS THE PEOPLE.
**22. What has the entire Jem series soundtrack songwriting project meant to you personally as a part of your life?**

ON THE BIRGHT SIDE; I HAVE ENJOYED HEARING FROM AND MEETING MANY NICE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPRESSED THEIR APPRECIATION AND FONDNESS FOR THE SHOW, ESPECIALLY THE MUSIC. AND I STILL LIKE THE MUSIC WE CREATED. IT STANDS UP JUST FINE TODAY.
ON THE DARK SIDE OF THIS: UNFORTUNATELY, WE [COMPOSERS] HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY ROYALTIES [AS AGREED] FOR THE SHOW SINCE 1992, AND THE SINGERS HAVE NOT BEEN PAID SINCE THEN, AS WELL --SO, THIS MEANS LITIGATION, WHICH IS A LONG, DRAWN OUT, PAINFUL EXERCISE.
**23. Do you keep in touch with any other of the Jem staff, regardless of what their role was in the series?**

I SPEAK WITH BRITTA UPON OCCASION. I SEE HER FATHER, PETER [OUR PIANIST] MORE FREQUENTLY. AND ELLEN AND I WORK TOGETHER REGULARLY. FORD AND I SPEAK OCCASIONALLY.
**24. Could you please compliment something positive on Ellen Bernfeld, Bill Sanders, the creator of the doll concept, and Christy Marx, the creator and writer of the animation series?**

I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HOW GIFTED A PERFORMER AND SINGER ELLEN IS. I DIDN'T KNOW BILL SANDERS AT ALL. CHRISTY MARX WAS MY FAVORITE WRITER ON THE SHOW. I LOVED WORKING WITH HER SCRIPTS.
**25. Any final words to say to Jem fans coming from the viewpoint of 1985 and beyond?**

I HOPE THE SHOW GOES BACK IN SOME KIND OF CIRCULATION BECAUSE IT WAS A VERY GOOD AND HUMANE SHOW ABOUT GOOD THINGS: PERSONAL CHALLENGES, VALUES, MORAL CONFLICTS, ETC. I TOUGHT IT WAS AN ALTOGETHER BRILLIANT EFFORT BY EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO IT. AND THE JEM SHOW, EVEN CONSIDERING THE ENDLESS GRIND OF WROK IT PRESENTED TO ALL OF US, WAS TRULY A LOVE-CHILD.
THANKS FOR WATCHING AD REMEMBERING. I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE KIDS AND WILL PUSH FOR THE SHOW TO BE AVAILABLE TO THEM.
SINCERELY,
ANNE