In October 99 Meco Monardo was kind enough to respond to an exclusive interview for the Mecofan Page. So here it is... Thanks Meco!

Q: You are mainly referred to as a "music producer". Can you explain what that job is about?

A: We all know what a film director does. It's his/her responsibility to make all the creative decisions that would take a script from the printed page to the final product. The film director relies on a film producer to do business with the studio and to oversee the day to day budget of the film. The record producer's responsibility is the same as both the film director and producer.

A: I was always able to obtain the original scores for my records. My first record, of course, was Star Wars. I'll never forget calling the music library of 20th Century Fox to ask for John Williams' score. At first the lady there said she never heard of anything like what I was requesting, and further, she never heard of me. I sent her a dozen red roses and 2 days later I received John's score.

A: It was 1974 and I had just formed a production company with Tony Bongiovi. We just signed a new singer named Gloria Gaynor. When I suggested to Tony that we make Gloria's album with a big "broadway" -type orchestra, he suggested Harold, who at that time had arranged and was the piano player for a successful show on broadway. When Harold brought in his arrangement of "Never Can Say Goodbye", I fell madly in love with his talent. He did many arrangements for us over the next three years, all the while finetuning his concepts, as was I. When we sat down to work out the orchestrations for Star Wars, he was in "arrangers' heaven" when he heard me tell him that I wanted to use 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 4 french horns, 4 reeds, 30 strings, and a rhythm section consisting of 4 guitars, 2 keyboards, bass, percussion and 2 drummers. No one, including us, had ever utilized that big an orchestra for a pop instrumental record before. In one 2-hour meeting, we sketched out exactly how our now-famous 16 minute Star Wars Medley would move from section to section. I knew what and when I wanted to hear something, but it was Harold who gave it life in his own unique style. After we spent 3 days recording every note Harold wrote, he, Tony and I listened to the whole thing and made so many changes you would hardly recognize it. Just to name a few: We recorded 4 guitars - we erased all of them and had Lance Quinn re-record all new parts over the next 2 weeks. Harold re-recorded both keyboard parts. I played 4 trombone parts in addition to the original 4 trombone players.

A: I am a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, therefore my background is in classical and Jazz music. Tony and Lance are the two guys who would not let me be "too musical". Tony would say "It's not dumb enough - It's too good". Tony is a frustrated drummer and Lance is a guitar genius, so they would make sure the rhythm section was always "smoking" under the very sophisticated arrangements and concepts that Harold and I started with.

A: Yes.

A: No. Although I did not have a time problem with "The Wizard of Oz", I still recorded it in less than three weeks, which was the same schedule as all my other projects. All four of us thrived on the pressure of a quick delivery of the project.

A: I am the only person who absolutely knew it was a number-one record. As you may remember, the recording deal was made because I convinced Jimmy Ienner of Millennium Records and Neil Bogart of Casablanca Records that Star Wars was going to be the biggest movie of all time. This prediction was made only 2 weeks after the film opened. So I had a serious commitment to the film and my project. While we were working on it, my co-producers and musicians did not share my conviction. I can remember Lance saying one day, "You know, this thing really sounds great, but where's the melody??" Harold and Tony both thought it would do "okay". When Tony and I played the 16-minute final mix for the vice-president of Millennium, he said "That's good, but there's more you're going to do with it, right?" Tony was nervous because we did not have a single. He did not know how we could get a single from those 16 minutes. I told him to let me use an assistant engineer and I'll make one. It took me one hour of editing to make a single and when I played it back, all the hairs on my neck and arms went up and I knew it was a number-one record. From that point on, finally, everyone knew. A week after the single was released, Jimmy Ienner called me into his office and asked me, "Did you ever have a number-one record before?" I said I hadn't. He told me a small radio station in Texas had been playing my record for a week, and a hit record would ordinarily sell 20 to 50 copies there. We just sold 500 copies!!! The rest, as they say, is history.

A: Yes. All their names are listed under "Percussionists" in the credits, and Solomon Smith is the co-writer of the songs with Harold. With the writing royalties, I know that Solomon has paid his way through college.

A: That is semi-true. Since I was not an "Artist" in the sense that I sang or played an instrument, I wanted to not have any Identity, so I did not perform on TV, or in concert. Norby Walters, a booking agent for discos, asked me if it would be okay to form a group, call them Meco and perform in Discos and I agreed. They disbanded after 4 months. (click here to see pictures of the group)

A: After Star Wars and Close Encounters, I was unhappy with my record company as far as royalties and accounting was concerned. They wanted another record form me and I wanted money from them. We were at an impasse, so I got lost and let my lawyer work it out. After 3 weeks of golf, they paid me what I wanted and then asked me what movie was coming out that I could do. I was stuck. There was nothing on the horizon that looked like it would work for my style. A few nights later, I awoke in the middle of the night humming, "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, Which Old Witch, The Wicked Witch". The next morning I rented the film, and, sure enough, there were many, many great songs which could work for me, and the film was known and loved by everyone. I contacted the MGM library, they sent me the score, and in a meeting with Jimmy Ienner and Neil Bogart, I threw the score on the desk and said, "This is the next blockbuster film I'm going to do!!!!" They just laughed at me at first, but 10 minutes later I had them humming all those great songs that were tucked away in their memory banks. This would also be the one and only time I did a major TV appearance. It was on Dick Clark Wednesday Night Live on NBC. It turned out that Dick Clark loved that record so much that his wife told me he played it every night before going to bed. She said she bought him a special pillow with speakers in it so he could enjoy it while she slept.

A: I knew I wanted "Encounters" to be my next record, but after seeing the film, I concluded there weren't enough themes to work with to warrant my recording 15 or 16 minutes of music like I did with Star Wars. That's when I came up with the time machine concept. After I determined where I wanted the time machine to stop, I described what I wanted to Harold and he composed music for each stop. I also asked him to compose something to describe the time machine itself.

A: I had no contact prior to 1980 with George Lucas. I made the deal with RSO Records with Al Coury, President of the label and one of the true gentleman in the business, for Empire. Al already had 3 other artists doing Empire music, so he only comitted to a 10" EP. After the film and my record came out and were doing very well is when I got the concept for a Christmas Star Wars album. I wrote George Lucas a 10-page proposal in which I outlined not only how his characters could be used in a Christmas setting, but also how this music would not be what I was known for, "Disco". George gave the go-ahead to RSO records, and in my one and only personal contact with him, we talked on the phone for 2 hours one day, fine-tuning what I could and could not do with the characters. RSO pressed 150,000 copies initially which had the credit: Album Concept by Meco Monardo. George like the record so much that he asked if I wouldn't mind if his name could be added to the concept credit. The next 100,000 copies read: Album Concept by George Lucas and Meco Monardo. I had many of those records, but not any more, so if anyone has a record with George's name next to mine, I would love to have it.

A: I am a mediocre composer, so I believe that soundtracks to movies and TV should be composed by anyone but me.

A: It's something that is still in the works. I'll let you know if anything comes of it.

A: There have been only 2 that got away from me. The first is "Miami Vice". I was signed to Arista Records at the time and the first time I heard the theme on TV, I had them check on it's availability. Here's something you probably don't know about rights to songs. The composer has the right, naturally, to the first commercial release of his composition. After that, anyone can record that song, and the original composer would get the songwriting royalties and the airplay royalties. Even though the Miami Vice TV theme was being played on TV, the composer, Jan Hammer, still held the rights to who could be the first to record and release a record. After inquiring, it turned out that Jan Hammer had plans on releasing an album himself. He did, and the Theme From Miami Vice became a number-one record for him in 1985. The other missed opportunity was ET. I think the theme from ET is the best of John Williams themes, and I am convinced I would have gone to number-one with it if I had the chance to record it. The reason I couldn't record it was simple - I was enjoying the succes of my Pop Goes The Movies and Swingtime's Greatest Hits albums and it come along at the wrong time.

A: Despite the success I had, I had to sue Polygram which bought Casablanca, for my Star Wars royalties. I was unsuccessful with my lawsuit and became very discouraged with the music business, so after hanging around New York for two years without a production deal, I left.

A: I have lost track of Tony Bongiovi, but I know he sold his studio, Power Station, a couple of years ago. Lance Quinn is a computer designer with the Walt Disney Corporation and has his own extensive studio in his home where he works on various projects including Bonjovi. Harold Wheeler is as active as ever as an arranger. He currently works and resides in California and interestingly, worked closely with John Williams as his arranger for the Olympics music.

A: I know you won't believe this, but I never listen to music. I am aware of most music eventually, but I don't purposely buy something to listen to. When a film director gets home, he more than likely won't play a movie while relaxing. He'll probably play music. Conversely, I've always watched movies instead of listening to music.

A: Unfortunately, Lance and I worked as co-producers on only one song and Harold and I worked on two others, so the "team" never got together like the old days. Maybe some day.....

Q: We know that you're a big Star Wars fan, but is the release of Episode I the only reason for coming back as MECO?

A: Yes.

A: There are two more Star Wars films coming. I'll be here.........

A: When I saw it, I hated the first 30 minutes. I thought it was too fast-paced and nothing interested me. Then it slowed down and started to tell the story, and I liked it very much from that point. I saw it with Lance who did'nt think it would do well. He thought it would not do as well as the original three. I told him if we get to do a record, it will outgross "Titanic"'s 600 million domestic box-office. If we don't do a record, it will still gross 425 million. As of this writing, the film has grossed 426 million. I know it sounds like I'm bragging but I have always had the ability to know what the potential of a movie was. Over the years, many film producers, directors and composers have approached me about their films. The films I said no to, are too numerous to mention.

A: In my opinion there is no evolution in the Star Wars music. As long as John Williams is the composer, the films will all sound essentially the same. That is, they will be performed by huge symphony orchestras, lovingly conducted by John himself, playing the most thrilling themes that are in the heart and soul of the greatest film composer of all time.