Interview with Bret McKenzie, Muppets Music Man

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While we were in LA, we spoke with a lot of the folks behind the Muppets Most Wanted movie.  One of which was songwriter Bret McKenzie, who was pretty cool to listen to.  He even took a few seconds to answer a phone call from his wife- she called twice in a row, back to back- because he was worried something could be wrong.  Nice guy, good dad to make sure all was well and not just leave a phone on silent.  Gotta respect that.  Also, he was really funny, poking fun at himself, the making of the movie, and the people in the room in a lighthearted way.

Here is a snippet of our interview-

You won an Oscar for your song “Man or Muppet.” While working on the music for Muppets Most Wanted did you feel pressure to meet that kind of standard again?

BRET MCKENZIE: Yeah there was a lot of pressure because of the Oscar, but really what could I do? I had to get on with the job and just, you know, forget about that. I didn’t work on the last Muppet film to win awards. 

While working on the music for this film did you have any pressure to try to meet that kind of standard again?

BRET MCKENZIE:  Yeah I was, obviously yeah there was a lot of pressure because of the Oscar and, um, but really what could I do? It was, there’s always gonna be downhill, so, uh, I just had to, you know, I mean I was appreciative but then I had to get on with the job and just, you know, forget about that. ‘Cause I didn’t, I didn’t work on the last muppet film to win awards, you know. Yeah. That’s all we got? Okay, let’s go.You have a t-shirt as well, oh my God. This is like the Muppet Club.

What is your general creative process like?

BRETT: They send me a script with the idea of a song and it’s usually quite a loose idea. For example, the ballad. It was originally called “Love Ain’t Easy,” and it was a Piggy ballad. And first of all I was nervous because Piggy is a great comedic character, but not a great singer. I was worried about her carrying an emotional ballad because there’s only so much of her voice that the audience wants to hear.

Thirty seconds is great; but a couple of minutes really starts being a bit painful. So I suggested we try and get a singer to help her and we were really excited when Celine Dion agreed. I’m hoping that these two divas will get like a Las Vegas Celine Dion/Piggy Diva Night. That’s my dream. Anyway so then I would write the song and adapt it for the characters.

Sometimes you get someone like Tina Fey who’s got the role of a prison guard and I always wanted to do this doo wop song. I started working with her and I adjusted the song to suit her voice because it was the wrong pitch. We worked together to find her strengths, where her voice sits. And that’s one of the benefits of being the songwriter and producer of the songs as well. If it’s not working, I can just change the song.

If you could be a Muppet, which Muppet would you be?

BRET: I would probably be one of the two old guys, because they get a lot of the best jokes. It’s between them and Animal for me. Yeah. Animal’s great. And Swedish Chef is a guaranteed laugh at home. [IMITATES SWEDISH CHEF] Snoop du beshdabeers. [LAUGHS] Everyone can do a Swedish Chef, And the kids just love that character. He’s pretty fun.

Whose idea was it  to re-use an old Muppets song for the last musical number in Muppets Most Wanted?

BRET: “Together Again.” That was James’s idea and it’s a reprise of an original Muppet song [from Muppets Take Manhattan], A lot of the audience won’t know that, but it’s one of the classic Muppet songs “Together Again.” But of course, it’s “Together Again, Again.”

Check out this video of Bret McKenzie performing “I’ll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu)” from the new film MUPPETS MOST WANTED on “Funny or Die”.  I think funny.  (Hey, it’s been voted on by thousands- it’s funny!  Not die- but you can vote yourself.)

Make sure you head to theaters and check out Muppets Most Wanted soon. Join The Muppets Most Wanted conversation on Facebook, Twitter @TheMuppets, or @RealMissPiggy, on Instagram,and  Tumblr. You can also follow The Muppets on Pinterest.

You can pick up the soundtrack to the movie by clicking here as well.

Disclosure- This was an all expense paid press trip from Disney. I  was not monetarily compensated for this post, all opinions are honest and my own. Airfare, hotel accommodations, food, and transportation were all provided by Disney.