Soundtrack Saturday

In 1981 the film Escape From New York depicted a nightmare dystopia where Manhattan had been turned into a maximum security prison for the USA's most dangerous criminals. The film was set in the future- 1997 to be exact. Air Force One had been hijacked by anti- governments fighters and crashed the presidential jet into the borough taking the president down with them. Former special forces agent and current felon Snake Plisken is recruited and promised a pardon if he would go into Manhattan and rescue the president in just 24 hours. 

At one point Plisken, played by Kurt Russell, when bargaining about the terms of the deal snarls, 'I don't give a fuck about... your president'. Which, you know, is how many of us feel today. John Carpenter wrote and directed the film,a  reaction  in some ways to the 1970s and Watergate, a criminal president in the White House and trust in leaders at a low. And well, you know, again, that is how many of us feel today. 

The soundtrack was also composed and performed by Carpenter along with Alan Howarth using ARP and Prophet- 5 synths and a Linn drum, as well as more traditional instruments, to get what was in 1981 a futuristic sounding score to go with the visuals and all star cast (not just Kurt Russell but also Ernest Borgnine, Lee van Cleef, Donald Pleasance, Isaac Hayes and Harry Dean Stanton). It gets regular late night repeat showings and I always enjoy it, it stands up well, good fun, gritty and anarchic despite looking a little dated. The soundtrack is early 80s synth heaven. 

Escape From New York Main Title

In 2014 Maurice and Charles released a 12" called I, Carpenter, which made liberal use of the vocal samples from the film set to a ALFOS friendly eight minute chug with guitar that sounds like it's come directly from one of Talking Heads early 80s albums- a funky dystopic joy. 

I, Carpenter