Tanya Donelly: On Fables and Star Wars

[bonniegrrl]

Singer (and former member of Throwing Muses, The Breeders and Belly) Tanya Donelly understands how to spin a tale through lyrics. So when we chatted with the Grammy-nominated songwriter about the fables and myths that Star Wars represented we were all ears. Of course, her story about running from cars intrigued us as well.

What did you think of John Williams' music for the films? Why is the music soundtrack to a film so important?
I love the music. It's appropriately over-the-top. My daughter, who hasn't seen any of the movies yet, already knows the soundtrack somehow. She sings the Death Star theme whenever something weird or mysterious happens. Movie music obviously sets a tone, and it pushes our emotional buttons.

Why do you think sci-fi and fantasy films like Star Wars are so important -- especially as a creative muse?
We can work out our ethical and primal human issues well in that form -- what is right; what and who are we responsible for; what do we believe in and what are we willing to do to defend that; why are we here, etc. Plus, the bad guys in sci-fi often turn out to have qualities that are redemptive, and the good guys are complicated and sometimes even unlikable, and people respond to that.

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Tanya Donelly: On Fables and Star Wars