Image alt text: Craig Wedren, musician and composer, poses in a black and white photo with a focused and artistic expression, highlighting his role in music creation for film and television.
Craig Wedren, the creative force behind the upbeat and catchy song “No Estoy Triste” from the film How to be a Latin Lover, offers a fascinating peek into his creative process. Wedren’s journey, starting from his hardcore punk roots with Shudder To Think to composing for diverse projects like Wet Hot American Summer, School of Rock, and Velvet Goldmine, showcases a unique approach to music and scoring. Here, we explore Wedren’s artistic world, uncovering how he translates cinematic visions into memorable musical experiences, and how his background paved the way for his success in film and television.
Image alt text: Black and white portrait of Craig Wedren looking directly at the camera, providing a close-up view of the artist and composer discussed in the article about his creative process.
From Rock Star Dreams to Film Scores: The Musical Genesis of Craig Wedren
Wedren’s musical aspirations ignited early in his life. “When I was nine, I decided I wanted to be a rock star,” he recounts. His early musical landscape was a vibrant mix, from Elton John and Kiss to the Sex Pistols and The Clash, illustrating a wide range of influences that shaped his eclectic musical sensibility. Alongside music, film held a powerful allure for Wedren.
His journey into band life commenced at age 12, culminating in the formation of Shudder To Think during his senior year of high school in Washington, D.C. This band became his defining creative outlet throughout his twenties. Wedren and his bandmates, all avid movie enthusiasts, naturally gravitated towards film projects. Early collaborations with filmmaker friends led to opportunities to contribute music to their projects. This organic progression began with Shudder To Think’s involvement with The State on MTV, where Wedren crafted the theme song and occasional skit scores. By the late 1990s, this evolved into a full-fledged film scoring career as Shudder To Think’s trajectory shifted. Movies like First Love, Last Rites, and Lisa Cholodenko’s High Art marked this transition, setting the stage for his subsequent work.
“No Estoy Triste”: Composing the Sound of Latin Love and Family
The opportunity to write music for How To Be A Latin Lover arose through Wedren’s long-standing friendship with Ken Marino, a fellow member of The State. Marino, who directed the film, and Wedren envisioned a celebratory end-credits song that encapsulated the movie’s themes of family and love.
Wedren’s songwriting process for “No Estoy Triste” was uniquely inspired. He composed the music during the early hours, as his nine-year-old child prepared for school, embedding the creative process into his daily family life. The lyrical inspiration stemmed from “El Triste,” a classic Mexican song featured in the film, aiming to create an antithetical musical response. Marino’s recordings of his children discussing family and love further guided the emotional core of the song.
Wedren drew inspiration from universally joyful songs like Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.” For the production, he aimed for the energetic, almost chaotic happiness found in The Specials’ “Rudy (a Message To You),” seeking to replicate the feeling of a large group of musicians playing together. The trombone solo, envisioned as a tipsy nod to the solo in Frank Sinatra’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” was brought to life by the band Jungle Fire.
Capturing Upbeat Emotion: The Vibe of “No Estoy Triste”
Wedren and Marino’s shared vision for “No Estoy Triste” was clear: to create an overwhelmingly positive and celebratory song. They wanted the music to resonate with audiences, leaving them with smiles, tapping feet, and humming the tune as they left the theater. The song was intended to serve as a definitive, joyful conclusion to the film.
Wedren notes the refreshing nature of this project: “I’m rarely asked to write something overtly ‘happy’, for kids -as well as adults, so the writing ‘No Estoy Triste’ was a joyous assignment.” This departure from his typical projects allowed him to explore and express unbridled musical happiness.
Image alt text: Craig Wedren in a contemplative pose, sitting with a guitar, showcasing his thoughtful approach to songwriting and musical composition for various media.
Inside the Creative Process: From Director’s Vision to Musical Reality
Wedren’s approach to composing, whether for songs or instrumental scores, is deeply collaborative. He prioritizes understanding the director’s musical preferences and any sonic ideas they have for the project. He then synthesizes this with his own musical instincts, inspired by the characters, relationships, or the overall narrative of the film or show.
Shudder To Think’s Legacy: Building Blocks for a Scoring Career
“My early musical career fronting Shudder To Think in many ways paved the way for the film and TV work I do now,” Wedren reflects. He sees his composing team, Pink Ape, as an evolved form of a band, “a composing band (but hopefully more mature).” His role within Pink Ape mirrors his frontman persona, realizing a mature version of what he envisioned for Shudder To Think.
Crucially, his formative years were instrumental in building lasting creative partnerships with directors and writers. Relationships forged with figures like David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer) and Stuart Blumberg (Thanks For Sharing) during his early career and college years (with Ken Marino at NYU) have become invaluable. These enduring relationships form his creative family, underpinning his professional journey.
Rock Ballads and Kid’s Magic: Scoring “School of Rock”
Wedren describes his experience with School of Rock as “a dream.” Music supervisor Randy Poster enlisted him to write a “Creed-like” hard rock ballad for the band No Vacancy, resulting in the song “Heal Me, I’m Heartsick,” which he jokingly calls “Ridiculous (I say with pride).” His involvement expanded to include instrumental scoring and rehearsing with the child actors, further immersing him in the project. Wedren attributes the film’s success to a sense of “magic from the word ‘go.”
“Adult Desire”: A Solo Exploration of Midlife Themes
Wedren’s solo album, “Adult Desire,” delves into themes of “age, sex, and family.” He playfully describes it as “the least boring midlife crisis record ever.” Musically, the album balances direct melodies with experimental arrangements and production, creating a “Domestic Surrealism” aesthetic. The album’s origins trace back to musical ideas initially conceived for Stuart Blumberg’s Thanks For Sharing and Jill Soloway’s Afternoon Delight, showcasing how film music can evolve into personal artistic expressions.
Current and Future Projects: From Meditative Choirs to Shudder Feature
Wedren’s recent endeavors include “Sabbath Sessions,” live, improvisational choral meditation music created using looping pedals and microphones. He plans to expand this project in the future. Pink Ape’s recent work includes scores for GLOW, Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later, Permanent, and William, alongside ongoing work on Fresh Off The Boat. Excitingly, Wedren is also nurturing new ideas for a Shudder To Think feature film, hinting at a potential return to his band’s creative roots in a cinematic format.
~Craig Wedren
For more information, visit: CraigWedren.com
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In collaboration with/produced by Jeff Gorra
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