Special episode of MORE SCORE on SCORE: THE PODCAST! (For year-round interviews like this one, and 49 bonus interviews to date, subscribe to our bonus show MORE SCORE using any of the links below.

IN THIS EPISODE OF MORE SCORE: Dave Porter, the prolific composer of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, reflects on 15 years making what some (including Matt) consider to be the best television shows ever made. The bumps along the road, the phrases Dave hears in his head still from creator Vince Gilligan, whether the Breaking Bad universe is really over, and how his career’s future is in the hands of his TV family built over the last two decades. Interview by Kenny Holmes and Matt Schrader.

MORE SCORE is a fan-supported show available on Patreon, Apple Podcast and Spotify. To support for $10/month and get full episodes from inside the film score world, use the links below:

Apple (iOS 15+): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/score-the-podcast/id1357882784

Spotify (via Anchor): http://anchor.fm/score/subscribe

Patreon: http://Patreon.com/MoreScore

Composer Rè Olunuga talks about composing in Lagos, Nigeria, and how that helped to inform the sound of the Disney+ film RISE, a biopic about NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpos.

Olunuga talks about working to find the sound of RISE, his four rules of composing for film, and how one opportunity leads to the next. Interview by Kenny Holmes and Robert Kraft, only on MORE SCORE.

MORE SCORE is a fan-supported show available on Patreon, Apple Podcast and Spotify. To support for $10/month and get full episodes from inside the film score world, use the links below:

Apple (iOS 15 or later): http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/...

Spotify (via Anchor): http://anchor.fm/score/subscribe

Patreon: http://Patreon.com/MoreScore

Composer Dave Palmer breaks down his Dallas-based recording artist career journey that culminated in his home studio in Ojai, California, and meeting Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Farrelly to score THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER starring Zac Efron. Dave talks about the key to a piano cue packing a heart-wrenching punch, meshing original score with songs of the Vietnam War era, and why this film feels different tonally than any other you’ve seen before. Interview by Kenny Holmes and Matt Schrader.

Composer Siddhartha Khosla on his massive hit that is ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING (now midway through Season 2), where those incredibly catchy melodies came from and why he loves to write them. The thematic reason why Sidd says the show needed an orchestra — and how SCORE: THE PODCAST’s own Carol Kuswanto ended up playing piano for the score! (She joins to break it down.)

We also chat with Sidd about whether discovering true-crime podcasts in between seasons changed the tone of his music, working with top-notch editors, and the hidden clues in season 1’s score. Interview by Robert Kraft and Matt Schrader, with Carol Kuswanto, only on MORE SCORE.

The composer behind the hit miniseries THE DROPOUT talks about her upbringing, recording electronic and orchestral music for film, and how she overcame not being able to “hook” the music until she discovered Elizabeth’s theme in theme. Plus, what Robert learned from Jim Henson about bringing kids into the workplace and a dream TV series Robert plans to do with Anne!

Theodore Shapiro is one of the emerging superstars of film and television composing, with a background in comedies and recent breakout hits such as Apple TV+’s SEVERANCE, directed by Ben Stiller. Teddy talks about getting started on another breakout hit YELLOWJACKETS before handing off the series to his friends Craig Wedren and Anna Waronker. Then, we dive into the intensely cinematic, deeply intimate and isolated music for SEVERANCE. Plus, how Teddy and Ben Stiller found their groove during pandemic lockdowns. Interview by Kenny Holmes and Matt Schrader on MORE SCORE.

Icelandic composer Herdís Stefánsdóttir talks about crafting a modern score for the Victorian-era THE ESSEX SERPENT on AppleTV+, alongside co-composer Dustin O’Halloran, and her score to Y: THE LAST MAN on FX. How her path from law-school dropout to writing music for dance students worried her parents. Plus, how Herdís ended up working with the late Jóhann Jóhannsson (ARRIVAL, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING) and meeting Hildur Guðnadóttir (JOKER) in Reykjavik — and what its like scoring films and television with Icelandic musicians. Interview by Matt Schrader on MORE SCORE.

Anna talks about her hit show Yellowjackets, her father Lenny’s legacy in music and at Warner Bros., Randy Newman’s generous coaching of her early music, and making music that you are passionate about. Interview by Robert Kraft on More Score!

Composer Natalie Holt talks about her theremin-infused score for Marvel’s LOKI, her first love of film music (John Williams’ E.T.), and how incredible it was to be able to utilize a new theme from John Williams for OBI-WAN KENOBI. Plus, how her pop string quartet helped pay the bills and led her into film composing — and why she threw an egg at Simon Cowell on Britain’s Got Talent in 2013. Interview by Matt Schrader on MORE SCORE.

Composer Mac Quayle (AMERICAN HORROR STORY, MR. ROBOT, GASLIT, AMERICAN CRIME STORY: IMPEACHMENT) talks about how he scaled up his music team to be able to take on multiple shows he loves. What he thought about Danny Elfman's Coachella performance and what it means for composers. Plus, how getting stoned in a college music theory class — he flunked the assignment — helped him discover the value of experimental music (with his NY-based band Fibre.) Interview with Matt Schrader and Kenny Holmes on MORE SCORE!