Perfect Place

Multitasker Mike Patton On The Many Projects Currently Keeping Him Busy

For those keeping score, Mike Patton is currently involved in half a dozen bands, not counting solo projects… and then there’s his voiceover work and the record label he co-owns.

Arguably best known for his work in the alt rock bands Faith No More and Mr. Bungle, Patton is one of the most-respected alternative musicians recording today, having worked with everyone from Bjork to Norah Jones. In the late 1990s he also co-founded Ipecac Records, an indie label that has put out records by everyone from The Melvins to Isys.

Never one to be tied down to one particular project at a time, Patton has also spent most of his post-Faith No More years lending his voice to numerous characters from video games including The Darkness and Portal.  Destined to be a sci-fi trivia question any day now, he also provided the voice for the monsters in the Will Smith movie I Am Legend. And as if he weren’t busy enough, Patton just finished writing the score for the 2008 film “A Perfect Place.”

Patton took a few minutes recently to answer some questions from us.  

How did you get involved with writing the music for “A Perfect Place?”

A friend of mine wrote/directed and produced the film. He knew that I had been wanting to try my hand at scoring and it seemed like the perfect chance to get my feet wet.

How different was scoring a film vs. writing music for a traditional album?

Quite a bit different. The film is a map to give you directions on where the music needs to go. An album is open ended and sometimes with me goes in directions I never expected or intended it to go. On this one I had the director tell me what he was looking for in each scene. I know some people just watch the film, but I did not see the short until I was pretty much done with the music. It is a matter of taking direction instead of calling the shots.

Do you have plans to write more soundtracks?

Yes. I would like to score more films for sure. Not just doing soundtracks. I actually have some things in the works. Nothing is official yet but should know in a couple weeks. I love film, always have, so would really like to pursue the combination of two things I love. I’ve been meeting with TV and film people recently.

I have to admit, despite being a fan of your music, I have lost track of all of the bands you are currently working with. Can you give me a run down?

Is this a trick question? Not sure how to define currently working with? The bands that are not
dead.... yet are: Mondo Cane, Peeping Tom, Crudo, Fantômas, Tomahawk, Lovage and several collaborations.

What other projects are you working on?

Working on my Mondo Cane project. It is a collection of Italian pop songs that I recorded with an orchestra last year. I'm whipping that into an album, or two. I'm also working on a new project with Dan the Automator called Crudo. We played a couple of shows to debut it last week and we have the record half done. Playing around with tunes for the next Peeping Tom; just finished doing the voice of the main character in the videogame remake of Bionic Commando and got a couple other secret things I can't announce yet.

Are there any new bands or musicians you are particularly impressed with?

Yes, always. Ipecac has new records coming from the Melvins, Mugison, Zach Hill (Hella), Farmer's Market, Tipsy, Bohren under Club of Gore, Tanya Tagaq, Rahzel, Zu and Dälek. Check ‘em out at www.ipecac.com .