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Máni Svavarsson (23/10/2010)
Thanks to diesal11 ;) And to Máni of course.
--
Me:
Lazytown started out as a series of books yeah? but you weren't really involved until the first play yeah?
Mani:
That´s true. I had made music for his aerobic routines before that - but my first Lazytown involvement was with the first play.
Noooo .. hold it. Actually - we made a cd that was attached to one of the Lazytown books with simple musical games.
Me:
kind of like the superhero moves CD?
Mani:
Hmm .. well .. yes and no. It was more like Magnus telling a story - and the music followed the story.
Me:
ahh ok, so when did magnus talk to you about making it into a play? and what did you think?
Mani:
Honetsly - I don´t relly remember. The books were really popular and it was just logical I guess.
But I remember thinking he was a little bit mad - because I wasn´t that much into "children" at that time .. if you know what I mean. I didn´t have any kids and wasn´t thinking about kids.
yeah i sorta get what you mean, so ive never actually seen a copy of the first play, a few pics and the album but not much, basically you wrote a song for each character?
Yes - that´s correct.
Along with a few other songs.
and the play was based on the book yeah? with a few rewrites here and there?
Yep - you´re right. He got help from an Icelandic director called Baltasar Kormakur - who just directed his first "Hollywood" film called "Inhale".
ahh ok, and so was it right after you decided to do a second play? or when was that decided?
No - the first show ran for a year or so I think ... and then the second show came 2 years later .. circa.
hmm ok, i know alot of the current lazytown songs seem to be based on ones from the second play (eg bing bang and gizmo guy) was there anything in particular that made you go back to these?
I think it was one of my mottos: If it aint broken - don´t fix it.
I haven´t changed tha backing track of Bing Bang from the original recording in 1999!!
yeah i noticed that! actually while i remember, was there any particular reason you remixed bing bang? and which version do you think is better?
I didn´t do the remix (Time to dance). And I prefer the original.
oh really? who did?
Honestly - I don´t know his name. Some guy in the UK.
hmm ok, so back to the plays, did any of you think lazytown would get to where it is at this stage (around the second play)
I don´t think so. I never thought we would move it out of the country. Maybe Magnus was the only one that was 100% certain it could be done.
yeah, magnus seems to be the kind of guy when their mind is set, noting seems to stop them haha.
so how long after the second play did you decide to make it into the TV show it is today?
I think it was ca. 2 years. Maybe Magnus decided it earlier - but I remember starting to work on it pretty heavily in 2001/2002.
working on that pilot episode?
or just general composing?
Well - working on the short pilot and other things.
No composing at that time. Didn´t really start that until we moved in to the studio in 2004.
so just redesigning the show yeah?
What do you mean - redesigning what show?
I remember spending alot of time trying to come up with the "rules" of LZT and the "storymachine" behind it.
yeah thats what i mean, like re....creating it sort of, so it was during this you dropped characters and re made old ones, you filmed the pilot then magnus went to sell it all yeah? or was the contract with nick already done at the time?
No the contract with Nick wasn´t ready. We worked on restructering the town/characters - then made the "pilot" - and then Maggi went on the road to sell it.
thats the word i was looking for before restructering, anyway, so by now did you think you would sell it and get as worldwide as you have?
or did you still all think just iceland?
hmm, ok, so when you started production it went on for a while, filming and you writing a song a week on average yeah?
Sorry - had to run away.
np
I believed that Magnus could sell it.
I was writing one song a week - on average.
insane! where did you usually get ideas for your songs?
Well - the best ones (in my mind) came when I was driving home late at night from work to my house (about 15 minute drive.)
I started to hum something - and when I came home, I recorded the melody into my mobile - and worked from that the morning after.
ahh ok, which songs are the best ones in your mind?
Hmmm .. You are a pirate - ALways a way - Cooking by the book - Step by step - Spooky song .. to name a few from S1
tbh, i would have said the same, except i would have put twenty times time in there too haha. so lately you haven't been doing much songwriting yeah? except for go step go?
True - unfortunately. Go Step Go was the last song I wrote for LZT.
(You´re right .. 20 times should be there also)
honestly i think most could go in that list, their all great! is there any plans for a new soundtrack soon? or will we probably not hear any new songs until the movie?
Hard to say - we all want to make more material one way or the other. Not sure what the future holds ...
yeah like you said, not cheap so the future for LZT is.....not secure? not in a it could die way, but more whats actually going to happen?
Guess you´re right. Nothing has been decided so to speak.
hmm so what's actually been happening these past few years? just reusing material?
Well - we´ve been going into new markets and making contacts in those markets.
We´ve been working alot in S-America, Spain and Portugal and so on. Greece is a strong market at the moment - and Eastern Europe has also been strong.
ahh, so selling LZT in countries that haven't seen it yet basically?
Yep.
Also - because our target group is 3-5 years old - we get a new group of audience pretty fast.
yeah, thats what the ABC's idea is
when showed it 3-4 years ago
now their reshowing it with a new audience
Yeps. And hopefully they have better show bibles - and more knowledge of the audience etc.
yeah, so i also should ask. live shows, is there usually any new material for tham ever? or do you just reuse songs/dances from the show in it?
No new songs - maybe a re-arrangement or something - but the kids want to hear songs that they know.
yeah, that reminds me of a video i saw when magnus and juli did go step go live at that UK play center, and no kids knew what it was. then you saw steph dance to bing bang and the kids were dancing along too. so yeah i see what you mean there.
oh of course! stephan karl recently said he wouldn't be playing Robbie anymore, has anything been decided on a new actor?
I´ve never seen Stefan making that statement!!
"12 years ago I met with Robbie Rotten for the first time. Now, when I say goodbye to my very good friend I will say this; I will miss you Robbie. "
on his wall
you have to go back abit
Well good for him - and bad from us. He is one of a kind.
WHoops ... bad FOR us .. of course.
hmm, thats abit awkward haha, yeah he is one of a kind, but it's like everyone discussing magnus not playing sportacus because of his age, or julianna not playing stephanie one day, it's eventully going to come around, hopefully whoever replaces him will be just as good.
I agree. I actually think that if we would go into another production - we should change all 3 of them.
relaunch it again sort of? like sportacus 11? ect ect
We have to .. basically. It´s obvious that Magnus and Julianna are too old. Stefan could pull it off - but I think it would be best to cast all 3 of them.
Yes - I guess.
New Sportacus with a new number. New "Stephanie" with a new name.
Her sister .. Isabella (thinking out loud here.)
yeah, magnus wont be able to do those stunts forever and juli is just not pulling off an 8 year old anymore, mabye the movie is the last we will see of these 2, who knows
Agree .. who knows. (By the way - Magnus does not do any stunts. He does the split-jump. That´s about it.
O.O Really!? oh....thats kinda killed me abit haaha
Well I thought everybody knew. His main stunt guy is called Joe Eigo - they´re all credited in the show I think.
honestly, with magnus's background most people would presume he did those stunts
He could do some of them - but being the professional he is - he wanted them to be perfect, so he brought in gym champions and stunt guys with experience.
ahh, that makes sense.
Thanks to diesal11 ;) And to Máni of course.
--
Me:
Lazytown started out as a series of books yeah? but you weren't really involved until the first play yeah?
Mani:
That´s true. I had made music for his aerobic routines before that - but my first Lazytown involvement was with the first play.
Noooo .. hold it. Actually - we made a cd that was attached to one of the Lazytown books with simple musical games.
Me:
kind of like the superhero moves CD?
Mani:
Hmm .. well .. yes and no. It was more like Magnus telling a story - and the music followed the story.
Me:
ahh ok, so when did magnus talk to you about making it into a play? and what did you think?
Mani:
Honetsly - I don´t relly remember. The books were really popular and it was just logical I guess.
But I remember thinking he was a little bit mad - because I wasn´t that much into "children" at that time .. if you know what I mean. I didn´t have any kids and wasn´t thinking about kids.
yeah i sorta get what you mean, so ive never actually seen a copy of the first play, a few pics and the album but not much, basically you wrote a song for each character?
Yes - that´s correct.
Along with a few other songs.
and the play was based on the book yeah? with a few rewrites here and there?
Yep - you´re right. He got help from an Icelandic director called Baltasar Kormakur - who just directed his first "Hollywood" film called "Inhale".
ahh ok, and so was it right after you decided to do a second play? or when was that decided?
No - the first show ran for a year or so I think ... and then the second show came 2 years later .. circa.
hmm ok, i know alot of the current lazytown songs seem to be based on ones from the second play (eg bing bang and gizmo guy) was there anything in particular that made you go back to these?
I think it was one of my mottos: If it aint broken - don´t fix it.
I haven´t changed tha backing track of Bing Bang from the original recording in 1999!!
yeah i noticed that! actually while i remember, was there any particular reason you remixed bing bang? and which version do you think is better?
I didn´t do the remix (Time to dance). And I prefer the original.
oh really? who did?
Honestly - I don´t know his name. Some guy in the UK.
hmm ok, so back to the plays, did any of you think lazytown would get to where it is at this stage (around the second play)
I don´t think so. I never thought we would move it out of the country. Maybe Magnus was the only one that was 100% certain it could be done.
yeah, magnus seems to be the kind of guy when their mind is set, noting seems to stop them haha.
so how long after the second play did you decide to make it into the TV show it is today?
I think it was ca. 2 years. Maybe Magnus decided it earlier - but I remember starting to work on it pretty heavily in 2001/2002.
working on that pilot episode?
or just general composing?
Well - working on the short pilot and other things.
No composing at that time. Didn´t really start that until we moved in to the studio in 2004.
so just redesigning the show yeah?
What do you mean - redesigning what show?
I remember spending alot of time trying to come up with the "rules" of LZT and the "storymachine" behind it.
yeah thats what i mean, like re....creating it sort of, so it was during this you dropped characters and re made old ones, you filmed the pilot then magnus went to sell it all yeah? or was the contract with nick already done at the time?
No the contract with Nick wasn´t ready. We worked on restructering the town/characters - then made the "pilot" - and then Maggi went on the road to sell it.
thats the word i was looking for before restructering, anyway, so by now did you think you would sell it and get as worldwide as you have?
or did you still all think just iceland?
hmm, ok, so when you started production it went on for a while, filming and you writing a song a week on average yeah?
Sorry - had to run away.
np
I believed that Magnus could sell it.
I was writing one song a week - on average.
insane! where did you usually get ideas for your songs?
Well - the best ones (in my mind) came when I was driving home late at night from work to my house (about 15 minute drive.)
I started to hum something - and when I came home, I recorded the melody into my mobile - and worked from that the morning after.
ahh ok, which songs are the best ones in your mind?
Hmmm .. You are a pirate - ALways a way - Cooking by the book - Step by step - Spooky song .. to name a few from S1
tbh, i would have said the same, except i would have put twenty times time in there too haha. so lately you haven't been doing much songwriting yeah? except for go step go?
True - unfortunately. Go Step Go was the last song I wrote for LZT.
(You´re right .. 20 times should be there also)
honestly i think most could go in that list, their all great! is there any plans for a new soundtrack soon? or will we probably not hear any new songs until the movie?
Hard to say - we all want to make more material one way or the other. Not sure what the future holds ...
yeah like you said, not cheap so the future for LZT is.....not secure? not in a it could die way, but more whats actually going to happen?
Guess you´re right. Nothing has been decided so to speak.
hmm so what's actually been happening these past few years? just reusing material?
Well - we´ve been going into new markets and making contacts in those markets.
We´ve been working alot in S-America, Spain and Portugal and so on. Greece is a strong market at the moment - and Eastern Europe has also been strong.
ahh, so selling LZT in countries that haven't seen it yet basically?
Yep.
Also - because our target group is 3-5 years old - we get a new group of audience pretty fast.
yeah, thats what the ABC's idea is
when showed it 3-4 years ago
now their reshowing it with a new audience
Yeps. And hopefully they have better show bibles - and more knowledge of the audience etc.
yeah, so i also should ask. live shows, is there usually any new material for tham ever? or do you just reuse songs/dances from the show in it?
No new songs - maybe a re-arrangement or something - but the kids want to hear songs that they know.
yeah, that reminds me of a video i saw when magnus and juli did go step go live at that UK play center, and no kids knew what it was. then you saw steph dance to bing bang and the kids were dancing along too. so yeah i see what you mean there.
oh of course! stephan karl recently said he wouldn't be playing Robbie anymore, has anything been decided on a new actor?
I´ve never seen Stefan making that statement!!
"12 years ago I met with Robbie Rotten for the first time. Now, when I say goodbye to my very good friend I will say this; I will miss you Robbie. "
on his wall
you have to go back abit
Well good for him - and bad from us. He is one of a kind.
WHoops ... bad FOR us .. of course.
hmm, thats abit awkward haha, yeah he is one of a kind, but it's like everyone discussing magnus not playing sportacus because of his age, or julianna not playing stephanie one day, it's eventully going to come around, hopefully whoever replaces him will be just as good.
I agree. I actually think that if we would go into another production - we should change all 3 of them.
relaunch it again sort of? like sportacus 11? ect ect
We have to .. basically. It´s obvious that Magnus and Julianna are too old. Stefan could pull it off - but I think it would be best to cast all 3 of them.
Yes - I guess.
New Sportacus with a new number. New "Stephanie" with a new name.
Her sister .. Isabella (thinking out loud here.)
yeah, magnus wont be able to do those stunts forever and juli is just not pulling off an 8 year old anymore, mabye the movie is the last we will see of these 2, who knows
Agree .. who knows. (By the way - Magnus does not do any stunts. He does the split-jump. That´s about it.
O.O Really!? oh....thats kinda killed me abit haaha
Well I thought everybody knew. His main stunt guy is called Joe Eigo - they´re all credited in the show I think.
honestly, with magnus's background most people would presume he did those stunts
He could do some of them - but being the professional he is - he wanted them to be perfect, so he brought in gym champions and stunt guys with experience.
ahh, that makes sense.
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