On 4 July, Mark Snow, the famous American composer of the X-Files Theme and the figure behind the musical score of Urban Assault together with Sylvius Lack, has passed away in his home at the age of 78.
The majority of works and compositions of Mark Snow were primarily featured on theatrical films and televison series. But he had also worked on 3 video game titles, with one of them being Urban Assault.
Here is an archived interview with Mark Snow organised by the third-party game website Games.net (whose domain now redirects to PCWorld) back in 1998 regarding his participation in the development of Urban Assault, which also marked his first involvement in the production of a video game title.
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Interview: Mark Snow (Page 1/3)
by Joe McCloud - posted 3/13/1998
For those of you familiar with either the X-Files or Millennium, the name Mark Snow probably rings an eerie bell. If not, shame on you! Snow, who writes the shows' music, produces scores that excite and disturb us, absorbing millions of fans into the world of the supernatural. He's also an international chart-topper (with "Materia Primoris": The X-Files Theme) and a seven-time Emmy nominee for his work on the X-Files. Now, Snow is taking his expertise to a new medium by composing the musical score for Microsoft's upcoming action/strategy game Urban Assault.
After learning of Snow's involvement with the game, I jumped at the chance to interview him. In the following pages, he explains how and where he got started writing music, how he created the X-Files theme, and his thoughts on Urban Assault and writing music for today's videogames. Enjoy!
Interview: Mark Snow (Page 2/3)
by Joe McCloud - posted 3/13/1998
Games.net: I'll begin by asking where you studied music and what musical forms have influenced you in the journey to find your distinct sound. I'm no music expert, but I picked up a hint of Gregorian undertones in some of the tracks from your Truth and the Light CD. Was this intentional, or am I, as Scully would say, searching for false truths covered by the lies that support them?
Mark Snow: I was a student at the Juilliard School of Music from '64 to '68. My instruments were the oboe and percussion, and I played in many small orchestras in and out of New York City. I also put together a rock group called the New York Rock And Roll Ensemble, made up of Juilliard students including my then-roommate, Michael Kamen, now a well-known film composer. My main musical influences were early music--Medieval and Renaissance, and yes, Gregorian chants--as well as all of the Baroque and early Classical periods. Bach, Handel, Monteverdi, Vivaldi, and early Mozart were major influences. I sort of skipped the late Classical and Romantics to the modern composers. Major influences were Stravinsky, Bartok, Webern, Copland, Shostokovich, and Ravel, to name a few. Not to mention all pop and alternative groups that have come and gone through the years.
Games.net: Have you always had a passion for music? At what point did you say to yourself, "Yeah, this is what I want to do for a living"?
Mark Snow: All of this was taking place in New York City. After the band broke up, my wife forced me to move to California to pursue my dream of being a film and TV composer. Her sister, Tyne Daly [of Cagney & Lacy fame], was helpful in getting me to meet producers and directors.
Games.net: When Microsoft approached you to compose the music in Urban Assault, what was your initial reaction? Did you embrace the idea of producing a score for a PC game, or were you hesitant at first? Furthermore, because of your involvement on both the X-Files and Millennium, when did you even find the time to work on Urban Assault?
Mark Snow: For the last few years I've noticed that PC games have been really gaining respectability and becoming quite the cool thing! I also found that many serious film composers were involved in the bigger games, so when Sanford Ponder approached me, I was very receptive! I have great respect for Sanford and found his tastes were similar to mine, musically and aesthetically. So I jumped in and was able to fit Anarchy [the code name for Urban Assault] into my busy schedule. It was fun, and I hope to be able to do more work like this.
Interview: Mark Snow (Page 3/3)
by Joe McCloud - posted 3/13/1998
Games.net: How did you approach this project? Did you play the game and get ideas from what the look and feel of the title delivered, or did you simply read a description of Urban Assault and create something based on the game's vision?
Mark Snow: My approach was to treat the game's music as a film score and not a videogame score, and hopefully to give it a serious musical sound that would make it that much more compelling, rather than providing cheap, corny synthesizer rhythm tracks.
Games.net: Being a fairly dedicated X-Files fan myself, I was curious as to how it feels working with Chris Carter and the cast on such a phenomenal show. Have you ever had the opportunity to view a taping, and if so, are there any funny anecdotes you have from being on the set?
Mark Snow: In coming up with the theme [for the X-Files], at first CC [Chris Carter] sent over tons of his favorite music and said: "I like the guitar in this one, the drums in this one, the voice in this one, etc. etc.... So, now write a theme!" Yikes! I made four passes and they were all rejected--politely, of course. Then I said to him, "Let me try on my own and see what happens." And the rest is history--Emmy awards, hit records, etc. Actually, I never see the actors or go to the set in Vancouver.
Games.net: With the movie coming out this summer, you must be really excited. I've read that you've composed scores for a number of television shows and miniseries in the past, but will this mark the first time you've worked on a feature film?
Mark Snow: This isn't the first time I've worked on a feature film, but the other films I've done scores for are too unmemorable to talk about. Actually, I owe CC my life, since he's resurrected my career from Hart to Hart, T.J. Hooker, and Love Boat to X-Files and beyond! On April 14, a movie called The Day Lincoln Was Shot will air on the TNT network. I composed the score last summer, and Lance Henriksen from Millennium plays Lincoln. Very cool movie and soundtrack!
Games.net: One last question: Graphics have always been the driving force behind games, while music, for the most part, has always been stuck playing second fiddle (excuse the lame pun). Given, graphic quality may be the shiny factor behind why an individual purchases a game in the first place, but how essential do you think music is in helping deliver an overall immersive gaming experience?
Mark Snow: As I said before, I think the music I did for UA will give it a compelling sense of importance and realism to make it seem like you're interacting with a major feature film. Let's hope so. And maybe someday it WILL be a movie.
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Archived from 1998.
