“I WANT TO WRITE SONGS, SCORE MOVIES, DO THEATRE. I WANT TO BE FAMOUS. I WANT TO BE A STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD SQUARES. I WANT TO BE THE GAY MARVIN HAMLISCH.” — Marc Shaiman in our first meeting (1989).
Based on a recommendation by contractor Sandy Decresent I agreed to meet with the guy who had just done arrangements for WHEN HARRY MET SALLY.
When he first walked into my office I quickly took note of the physical similarities between us (though him being tinier).
“You look like my pregnant wife’s unborn fetus,” I cracked to Marc.
It was a risky outburst. An instinctual gamble that I knew my audience.
Fortunately, he laughed.
“So, what are you about?” I inquired bluntly.
Marc then launched into his description of wanting to be the gay Marvin Hamlisch.
In that very moment, I was hooked.
Marc painted a clear picture of who he was, what made him unique, and where he was heading.
I asked to hear some of his original score music.
He didn’t have any.
Hmmmm…
“So, what do you have?”
He then shared one delightful story after another.
He spoke of leaving home as a teenager to pursue a life in NY’s cabaret scene where he ended up working with his idol, Bette Midler. He told tales of work on SNL. He talked about acting as the news jingle writer in BROADCAST NEWS (“Big Finish!”). He ran through a list of folks he had worked with including Martin Short and Billy Crystal. He explained how he found the song, “Wind Beneath My Wings” for BEACHES and appeared in the film as Midler’s accompanist.
It was all fascinating to me. Here was a fellow 20-something musical nerd spinning so many great showbiz yarns.
I really wanted to sign him, but I hadn’t heard one note of anything he had composed (as opposed to adapted, arranged or produced).
“Don’t you have anything you’ve written out there?”
He said he did have a song of his once performed on Saturday Night Live about finding God in a Greek coffee shop.
I remembered it. I remembered it being delightful.
So, what was I going to do? I was 28 years old working at a big talent agency (ICM) with just two clients, Danny Elfman and Jerry Goldsmith.
I knew and loved endless hours of Elfman and Goldsmith’s music.
With Shaiman, I had a distant-yet-fond memory of just 3 minutes of his original work.
There was no question in my mind.
If nothing else, I wanted to spend my time hanging out with this clever, impish charmer who longed to be famous.
I knew, if nothing else, it would be fun.
27 years later so many of those dreams have come true.
Shaiman has scored so many beloved films including CITY SLICKERS, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, SISTER ACT, MISERY, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE, THE FIRST WIVES CLUB, AMERICAN PRESIDENT, SOUTH PARK, A FEW GOOD MEN and the film version of his hit Broadway show, HAIRSPRAY.
He has been nominated for five Oscars, won the Tony, an Emmy and a Grammy.
He’s been a Producer for his own musical TV series, SMASH and acted on Broadway where he flashed his naked ass to theatre goers night after night.
He has been honored at Carnegie Hall (where he did not flash his ass. to my knowledge.)
He is currently working on his Broadway musical CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, launching HAIRSPRAY LIVE for TV, scored Rob Reiner’s upcoming film, LBJ and is writing songs and scoring Disney’s MARY POPPINS sequel.
So many things Shaiman said he wanted have manifested themselves.
Except he never got to star on THE HOLLYWOOD SQUARES.
Yet.
