But Why Are We Talking?! - Kay Hanley and Tom Polce interview

OPN Hosts Jesse and Cameron sat down with the composers and writers of the songs for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 9 "Subspace Rhapsody" to find out what it was like to write the first musical episode for the crew of the Enterprise!

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Transcript

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Tom Polce: 0:00

This is Tom Polce

Kay Hanley: 0:02

and I'm Kay Hanley and you are rocking out to open pike night.

Tom Polce: 0:07

It's a kind of magic

John T Bolds: 0:17

is this thing on? Hello Hello

Jesse: 0:35

Welcome to open pike night, the strange new worlds podcast where your am your host this week Jesse Bailey and with me in the studio, a man who always host of green shirt newbies trek through the next generation Cameron Harrison.

Cameron: 0:54

Choo choo. It's all that train-ing i do. Right? I got the Pun.

Jesse: 1:02

I believe you nailed it. That's, that's what they call that in the producer John T bolds is busy singing sea shanties this week. But thankfully, callers, who are all about that space. Our guests this week are the Kay Hanley the music of subspace Rhapsody, Kay And Tom, welcome to open pike night.

Kay Hanley: 1:33

I'm still I'm still reeling from we're all about that space. I'm

Tom Polce: 1:38

reeling from the meta Sea Shanty call out. That was good. That was pleasure to be here.

Cameron: 1:47

Yeah. We're really excited to get the people behind the songs of Star

Jesse: 1:52

yeah, this is, this is something that a lot of fans never expected to sure you're quite aware a lot of fans were like, "Excuse me?" And this discussion that we've had on open pike night all season, there were people on nobody that really seemed to hate this. And you know, maybe those people just isn't surprising, but we heard basically universal praise from our callers on it's that this music has become part of people's lives. And we are actually that. So before we get into our calls, we do have one very special guest who a singing to herself and I just we have to share this with you guys.

Unknown: 2:52

Okay. While we say no, then P is the singing muesli usually the hell Daddy, and daddy

Tom Polce: 3:30

I love him or her

Cameron: 3:31

all that is our listener Abby's five year old daughter just playing with

Kay Hanley: 3:39

So she's not even trying. Just like she knows

Cameron: 3:42

this is not it's isn't urged on this was not performing No. Yeah.

Tom Polce: 3:47

Worth it. Every.

Kay Hanley: 3:50

I mean, we can just quit the business now. Right?

Tom Polce: 3:55

All the feels just happened for me. That was very sweet. Very, very

Cameron: 4:01

Well, there's more because she sees another song. But we'll save that very end. That's right, exactly. Well, right. Well, let's let's leave Star Trek deep into subspace Rhapsody. But we do like to go back into your history. So because you're on the left on my screen. You know, when How did you get the music might be your life? Your Career? Wow, we're

Tom Polce: 4:29

going all the way there. Okay. Well, you know, it was very, very that thing where I was taking out pots and pans at three or four in making a think at the end of Christmas, around four or five I got this little fake ki- that night Christmas Eve I broke through all the heads and you know for I was heartbroken within five minutes. Because I destroyed the drum set. And then my that break, and started off playing drums. And then, you know, went to instruments. So I've been playing since I was a kid, I, you know, I knew this

Cameron: 5:20

All right, and like, when How did you? I mean, I'm sure was a long like, Oh, I made it. And this is I'm doing this as a profession now, like, I

Tom Polce: 5:31

Well, you know, there were several moments where you, you may fool quickly realize the hammer of life shows you that you That was all for naught. So made it, you know, but it hasn't happened yet. That's fair. Generally I feel like I have plenty to learn. I've plenty to do. And I am thankful and happened so far. But you know, the whole"made it" business, I mean, I make a generally speaking, no, I don't think like that.

Cameron: 6:12

You don't want to get too comfortable? No. 100% What about You

Kay Hanley: 6:19

Boy, well, I, you know, I It's funny I took I started taking my at about the age of six or seven. Because I was a pretty I was a good house. And my mom always wanted to be a person who could anyway, she made me whatsoever, I was classically trained by this very old man named Mr. Galilee. And no gift for it whatsoever. And I, I learned how to read just sort of through a war of attrition. I just it got in there. But, but that wasn't how I would learn the songs every week, I came to find out later, this was actually my piano the piece for me. And, and I was supposed to, you know, be reading along it, I would practice it every day and then come back and play it for him the melody of what he was playing. And I wouldn't read a note, I would just, I and it was in my head. And I would be able to learn it just by listening and have to bother with all the reading just took so much effort, you know. So I my mother at one point got like a folk group showed up to play at the noon Mass like three people in a guitar and they sang like Peter, Paul and Mary. And we obsessed. And she got a 12 string guitar and she learned how to play it. And I and I would say that's probably when I I didn't know that. You know, being a ever in my head. But I definitely, like harmonies and, and melodies and lyrics. I went to school to be a writer, I thought I would go to school to be a a band when I was like a senior in high school and it was like, Hey, you want to and like maths and stuff. So he was like, "Hey, do you want to come down be like, "Yeah, I want to come down and be the backup singer in your band." So I being the bass player was like, the singer Greg wrote all the songs. And and few years later, we showed up to rehearsal together, Greg and I and Greg going to show it to the band. He started playing the chords. And like he had some the page and as he's playing the chords, all of a sudden this like melody starts, making up a melody and I was like, What is what's that? And I was reading the over his chord progression. And I was like, oh, "Oh my god, I think I just, we end. I was just hooked on writing songs. So I've been doing it ever since. For I, know, we got our record deal, and Letters to Cleo, in like 95 So that was you know, the I did say to my mom, just last week, I was like, so I think I you're gonna have to find another job. This is 30 years. Tables. Yeah. I don't anymore. Ever. Yeah.

Cameron: 10:42

Well, who were some of your inspirations? Who are you listening to 20s?

Tom Polce: 10:48

Well, I would say so our early on, it was classic rock. You know, boy. So a lot of Italian songs, dinner table singing with the fam. And then, the metals happening, I start getting into that for a second. Then I sort of into jazz like bebop jazz, and really getting into that a lot. went to New Berkeley to play jazz. And then around 90-91 People my age started making music and started playing, you know, rock and roll again, playing original music for playing, you know, jazz and stuff. And that, you know, eventually turned into to Kay and to that whole family. And that's where we sort of came together

Cameron: 11:57

How 'bout you Kay?

Kay Hanley: 11:59

my the first album I ever bought was I heard this one's for you by radio and I was think I was like seven. And I was obsessed with that song. So I allowance to buy Barry Manilow live the double album that was the first record I like every Saturday was the Irish hour on W RR and I just knew every single got into you know, a super into disco, really into disco. And then I was

Tom Polce: 12:44

I'm learning a lot

Kay Hanley: 12:45

and then I'm I'm still into disco. It's like my favorite Music Aid Then I was really into we didn't have punk rock in my neighborhoods. But we breakdancer and like, listened to like all hip hop and Run DMC was I knew all Rakim EPMD and did a brief stop off at metal for a second. And then, but really A Mad God every song record just like

Tom Polce: 13:29

every song. We talked about this.

Kay Hanley: 13:33

I don't know. I can play all my I know. That would be so fun to

Tom Polce: 13:44

please.

Cameron: 13:45

You heard it here, folks.

Kay Hanley: 13:47

And then my sister who was it was really weird because like I was sister was like a science fair nerd and like, listen to all this cool. Like she neighborhood to like, turn everybody on to U2. And like the alarm, and she came by the Smiths and she played me How soon is now my head exploded. I got rid of lipstick and loves baby soft. bought a bunch of black clothes. And like six Nice. Yeah. Well, I

Cameron: 14:26

love I mean, I love the variety we just heard there which might explain Rhapsody and your careers which are very detailed and long and varied. And we you about each of your career. So we're going to kind of try to speed our way Rhapsody. So I'm just going to list some some things that popped out to me some just tell me the first thing whether it's a word a couple words, a sentence mean, I know I've been Letters to Cleo is huge, and I'm in I can make you boil just Dangerous Type from The Craft soundtrack, which I grew up on?

Kay Hanley: 15:07

Ah. Oh the Chris Applebaum directed the video for that. That's the so much fun.

Cameron: 15:17

Nice. All right, Tom, Bob Dylan, who you worked with?

Tom Polce: 15:22

Oh man off describing my production with colors. That's it that manager. Yeah. So yeah, I've done a couple things with him. And they're all

Cameron: 15:43

wild and fun. I like it. Okay, okay. We may have to take a moment here Things I Hate About You.

Kay Hanley: 15:51

Oh, I mean, do you have an hour?

Cameron: 15:57

I've got one sentence. One sentence.

Kay Hanley: 15:59

Ah, I sat next to Heath Ledger in hair and makeup for two days the rooftop scene and he was freaking out. So excited to be in his first major

Cameron: 16:19

Wow. Sure. Australian accent thick at that point.

Kay Hanley: 16:22

Yes. Yeah.

Cameron: 16:23

You hadn't? Yeah.

Jesse: 16:25

Yeah. When? What Cameron is referring to is when I told my wife who lit up and asked if I was joking. She's like, are you serious? And I was like, she said, No, you said you were interviewing the songwriters from well, that I mean, that's who they are. She's like, No, honey. That's not who walked into the other room and immediately called her sister and she doing? And it was like, Oh, my God is a huge moment for this podcast in our

Cameron: 17:01

It was very it was like when you two just discovered that you had discovering about his wife. Yeah, amazing. She

Jesse: 17:08

was like, she's suddenly like, okay, maybe I'll watch that episode with the beginning of a new era. So yes, I I don't know what to say on her behalf on her daily playlist.

Kay Hanley: 17:23

That's awesome. I'm so happy to hear that. Thank you.

Cameron: 17:29

All right, Tom Bowling for Soup.

Tom Polce: 17:32

Bowling for Soup. It was fun mixing for them. In share it is a hoot.

Cameron: 17:44

I believe that. Kay Parks and Recreation

Kay Hanley: 17:49

was so shy to be on the set with Jeff Tweedy. And it took I saw him morning and it took me until 9pm To finally introduce or finally make from Wilco.

Cameron: 18:09

Tom Stephen Colbert presents tuning out the news.

Newman: 18:13

Yeah.

Tom Polce: 18:15

I got to write a theme song for that one. No, that was a blast.

Cameron: 18:20

That sounds like a blast. Yeah, yes. Yeah. Kate, Doc McStuffins.

Kay Hanley: 18:28

Doc is in and she'll fix you up. If you're a toy, then you're in really knows her stuff. Hey, that was my um, my first real job in animation as a have never looked back I've been doing it ever since.

Cameron: 18:55

I and as a father of a six year old girl I have to say thank you. I many they are all very catchy and enjoyable to listen to. Which is not the case. For

Kay Hanley: 19:07

Thank you. We do we write for the parents. I don't write

Cameron: 19:13

Well as we heard that many children enjoy the music the parents

Tom Polce: 19:20

NCIS I have been asked to write so many different songs and and genre. You're getting more than you asked for. You asked for a word than a paragraphs but they were you know if I recall correctly, that was one of the in earnest doing music for them. That wasn't score. It was like they needed several pieces of music with the actors for their soundtrack albums. So that was for television. You are picking out some rando things. But yeah, that was like an

Cameron: 20:08

you've got like 100 It says 132 episodes on IMDb. A couple two, three. bit about this game. I gotta say my favorite one. Vampirina

Kay Hanley: 20:19

Oh, wow. Well, we we thought we were a shoo in for series composer on in and like stole the job out from under us. It was same creator as Doc mean, I could not believe that we lost that gig. So it's diamond and kumin this York and I actually I know them now and I love them but oh my god, I was songs for Vamp marinas band the cool girls.

Cameron: 21:05

Don't you did? That's awesome. Yeah. Awesome. All right, kind of coming the Virgin?

Tom Polce: 21:14

Oh my god don't have sex Jane. There was so many. They had me write so many crazy songs for that one. believe I sung one of them. And I actually sung one of them in Spanish. or five or six seasons of them throwing at me every possible that you know, it characters on the show sang so I got to I got to write a lot of music for for Not quite as bonkers as a Star Trek musical. But bonkers nonetheless.

Cameron: 22:00

Good preparation. Yeah. All right. And then yeah, it came to finish mean, Star Trek was not the first giant IP you you walked into, and I will leave universe aside with the Things I Hate About You. But Archie Comics, Josie and when it came out. Love it now. What can you tell us about that?

Kay Hanley: 22:23

Oh, my God again, do you have an hour? The best that job conceivable way. I didn't I only co- I co wrote two of the songs on that. But I to be a singer, which has never happened before and not happened since. But um, in The Village Voice because you know, letters to Cleo didn't get like cool We are never liked the cool band. So like, Village Voice gave me my first And that was kind of cool.

Cameron: 23:15

Awesome. Well, we do have a listener question he wrote in for this podcast. asks, Will there? Have you ever or will there be a day when you get

Kay Hanley: 23:28

We did? Yes, we did a couple of years ago we and we did it at the Ace think it was the 10, 20 20 year anniversary of it was like right before And um, it was a screening of the movie and then a q&a with Rachael Leigh Cook Harry, the directors. And in between that we performed five songs from from nice, written by Adam Schlesinger. One of my favorite songwriters in the world, girlfriend, and we were playing that song and I was like, oh, I should call Adam was like really shy and like kind of like a little. Just not the kind of know, so I almost didn't call him because I thought he wouldn't want to do because it's the best people. It's just the fan favorite. So I called them and I thing? And he was like, oh my god, definitely and he like, came down played the show. And then you know, we he he died of COVID like very early. that I thought better of not calling him because I didn't want to bother him. I me to to ju- bother people dare to bother people because people want to be

Jesse: 25:25

Yeah, I was gonna say there's actually the open pike night promise we

Kay Hanley: 25:31

Okay, wow.

Cameron: 25:34

Well speaking of that, let's Jesse, why don't you take over and talk

Jesse: 25:39

Yeah. So this is a strange new worlds podcast. It's sometimes hard to section of the show, but I do have to ask, Did either view have a relationship start with you, Tom. And then we'll go to you Kay. Okay, so

Tom Polce: 25:58

my relationship with Star Trek is from very early kid until you original Star Trek dabbled in Picard a little bit. And then that was that but would always go back and watch reruns of the original Star Trek. Not so much there was just something about it. It's like one of those things like it's like when Grease comes on. If I if I'm playing channels, and it's there. I'm watch it. You know, it's one of those. So that was my relationship with it was some of that Canon and it certainly helped with strange new worlds being a you know, are in

Jesse: 26:52

very cool. Kay, how about you?

Kay Hanley: 26:55

So I my really, I'm not, I wasn't, I wasn't a Trekkie, when we experience was kind of limited to, you know, when it was on channel 38, WSBK in loved the original Star Trek. So I have like very fond memories of like having Star Trek with him. And, you know, I've seen the different iterations of the and my sister are like, I have Trekkies in my life. But, um, but I, you know, I knowledge, I didn't have any deep knowledge of canon. Just I knew the big

Jesse: 27:49

Very cool. That mirrors a lot of I know, that mirrors the story of a lot with Star Trek as a family activity. Yeah. Because you know, when you're a to watch my wife calls it grownups talking when she was like, why don't why you know, it's like, yeah, that's totally fair. But yeah, a lot of their family. So, with that, did you start having like, friends come out of found out you had this job?

Tom Polce: 28:22

Well, I certainly found out who they were, you know, DMs happened, now?" You know, it's so yes. And so a lot of them revealed themselves to me, affect them in the way that it did. So yeah, a lot

Cameron: 28:47

of the people we've talked to have had that experience for like, I had Trek until I was in it and then

Kay Hanley: 28:54

and we were we were not allowed to talk about it. So um, so we post on like social media or anything like that, that we were working on Star we were writing like in early days, you know, I definitely like was like calling Notes on you know, certain characters, certain vernacular and stuff like that. I was shocked by the people who, like were on my Instagram like saying, This worlds was their favorites, their favorite Trek series, and I couldn't The people who are Trekkies because I know all like the Star Wars fans in my secret. It's like you can't shut them up.

Newman: 29:53

On the DL, yes, yeah. Yeah.

Jesse: 29:56

They're more subtle about it. So it's making me so happy.

Kay Hanley: 29:59

And by the way, no offense. Angie, if you're listening to this. I

Tom Polce: 30:04

did. She did.

Cameron: 30:06

Angie's one of our biggest listeners, actually. So hi, Angie. I on your nephew a lot for for help with the songwriting. Do he have to sign an Did he have to promise to keep it on the DL for a year?

Kay Hanley: 30:21

Oh, he, I mean, he didn't need to be told that he was so my nephew, Brendan was like, as I've said before, like after he got over the horrified that that they were letting auntie KayKay anywhere near Star Trek. protective of the fact that it was happening. He wasn't like he he he was and he was he had not been watching strange new worlds. So actually, this need to sign an NDA. He would never say he was so yeah, sure. He could keep a

Cameron: 31:20

So I know as professional musicians, it's it's your job to doing the first Star Trek musical, Was there extra pressure, different on this task? Yes. Knowing or maybe not knowing about the fan base? Well, I

Tom Polce: 31:39

think both of us knew, you know, the fan base situation and knew completest fans. And we took this very, very seriously. And I mean, I think when I found out that this was a potential thing. When we discussed the head exploded just like everybody's head exploded when they found that a musical of pause. It was like, pause button.

Newman: 32:19

Breathe.

Tom Polce: 32:20

Come back to it. So yeah, man. I mean, come on. It's such an come on. Yes. All the things. Yeah.

Cameron: 32:34

Was there any hesitation taking it on because of that? Or did you just be a part No, no,

Tom Polce: 32:41

the only hesitation was the initial acknowledgement of the cray you're going to do it, like you cannot, this has to be everything. Because it's task. And, you know, the My goal is going to be to, you know, convert some open to, you know, allow a musical to happen in that world. And, you know, we understand that there's some people who will never be converted. But that's short answer is, it made me it was an audacious thing. There was only to kill, we just had to kill this thing. So

Jesse: 33:32

that's, that's really cool. We heard, we heard from more than I'll say, episode covering this that went, you know, I'm not a musical fan. So I wasn't musical fan now. Or, you know, normally, I set a really high bar, and I was not I love it, and I've downloaded it. You have absolutely achieved that goal. And this story. Tom, it feels like you already answered our first listener play that question. And then we'll toss it to you, Kay and you can give us your

Zo from Back Look Cinema: 34:16

This is Zo Richardson, captain of the USS cinema podcast. I'm really glad that you were able to get Kay Hanley and Tom Polce. wonderful music and I don't know what questions to ask. I guess the main approached to write a musical for Star Trek, what was your reaction? Was it my reaction. And I just love all the music and the different styles of music the same time. It's is one of my favorite musicals. Now. I gotta tell really love that. And we was trying to find the anomaly that allowed that to musical dimension bleed out into our universe, we were trying to send an problem was that it was a death metal universe. And at the end of the day, blood, there were ritual sacrifices. And I had a stellar cartographer, bite the get out of there. But the crew got back, we all get back safely. Everything's guys. Great episode. Richardson out.

Tom Polce: 35:45

I feel like we just wow, we just we went somewhere. And there was with the head, the back,

Kay Hanley: 35:54

biting off the he always

Jesse: 35:55

creates this audio escape when he calls in does Captain Zo he's he's very

Kay Hanley: 36:01

I was mesmerized by that. And then all of a sudden, we were like that coming up. Okay, so the question, so that would it start, it starts with he always forgets to tell this part. So and I always have to cut them off. So is a staff composer at CBS television. And so he was in a position to Tom take

Tom Polce: 36:38

yes, I am a staff composer, staff producer for Paramount at this paramount. So basically, during COVID, I think this would be 22. January, I was with the showrunners. So I get to the zoom, they mentioned. Hey, you know, And yeah, as mentioned earlier, head explosion pause back in it. Okay. We logistically, what does that mean? How long does it take? You know, how do we how long do we need? So it was January, they were shooting in May, nothing was timeline, like, how long did I think it would take to write six songs? Of long would it take to record it and mix like all the things? And then as these know, started having some creative conversations about what the musical Hey, do you think of any songwriters that might fit the bill and I provided one of them. Kay and her team. And we continue talking in at one another know, be open to this? Could you give us some some of your music? If so, you And then, you know, shortly thereafter, like, we'd like you to do this, or would I'd be into it. And the Zoom call ended, I had a hot flash started sweating, because that was, you know, six songs was making me nuts. And you know, it it, I was to mix it. I was to do all of the things. And there was just there was things. It quickly I quickly realized I need some help with this thing. And called K back. I said, hey, they asked me to do this thing. I'm gonna do it. I And I'd give it to Kay That's what

Kay Hanley: 39:03

I said. Oh, my God. I mean, I was like, instantly like, yes. And actually do it. You know, it's not like it's not like, you can be like, yeah, then oh, what what how do you even do that? How do you how do you even do off. And and in between jobs, the timing was perfect. I also was having like an my house and and had to move into like this Airbnb like, up in the hills with road. I was like, see Seriously, like not okay. I was like really untethered psychological place to dive into this work, it turned out, and I literally the most, I've just lost myself in this project, I really, really did in a way losing myself in a project the way I did in this one. So

Tom Polce: 40:29

it was a lot,

Cameron: 40:30

it was a lot sounds like a

Tom Polce: 40:32

lot in a great way in an overwhelming way. In a in a beauty.

Kay Hanley: 40:36

It was really emotion. It was really, I mean, not technically, it there was a lot of research, like I don't usually do research for, for my sometimes I do

Jesse: 40:50

that leads perfectly actually leads perfectly into the next question. friend platty.

Platty: 40:57

Hey, open pike night Kay and Tom, this is plattym3 calling into off, thank you so much for doing justice to Star Trek songs. I grew up listening called Star Trekkin across the universe that I managed to tape off the radio as referenced to this day, 40 years later, thanks to you all though, my kids will youngest still asks Alexa to play him"I'm the Ex" a few times a weeks, his room, or put away laundry and he's gonna be in there for a bit. In fact, I he had any questions for you, and I'll pass them on. But they're kind of answer him as a dad, he is fascinated to know why nurse chapel broke up with she was so happy while singing the song where she did that. Out of the mouths of how much research did you all have to do on the backgrounds of all these on in strange new worlds? Or did you have like big meetings and raise your minor plot points and references that you needed to make? Sure, um, we're in that just nailed all the tiniest of flat points down for, you know, season's number ones, Gilbert and Sullivan admiration. Again, thank you so much for all these awesome songs into our strange world.

Kay Hanley: 42:22

plattyM3 with the awesome question. Tom, you want to take it?

Tom Polce: 42:27

Yeah, so I'll yeah, I'll start. Well, initially, let me start by that needed to be hit with all of these songs were as follows it first, the couldn't just be songs for the sake of songs, they needed to drive a story, their personalities, character development, it was really important with jazz hands. They it needed to be emotional. The show runners made it very sentence we want people to cry. That was the directive, like we want people to always a super easy thing to do. As a musician, you want to make people cry. happen to several times. So though, that was absolutely a thing. And then, you had some songs that from a thematic perspective, they were very universal. super in the weeds. For instance, status report and we are one status report, you said, Well, this is going to be called status report, they typically do Status so you know, I needed the nomenclature, we would need, you know, the proper what. And so that would come from the writers Dana and Bill, they would that was a little more on the nose in that like, this is what you say during a but then it gets a little deeper with the more emotional songs like Celia where we needed to hit lots of notes about her past Kay talk about that, on her a lot.

Kay Hanley: 44:28

Yeah, so with Celia's song, we knew that that was that and and the but like in two different ways. The Uhura song had to sort of cover this you this person that she is, and and how she found herself in this situation. And it facts about her life but also how To be incredibly emotional in that, and so, it to be like a very, you know, like a barn burning ballad kind of thing. But like we had to like, we had to tick a lot of boxes on this. And it turned out, information, I actually did have to go back and I got some of the facts wrong back. And also like the Hemmer peice, like, I got a little too literal with a

Tom Polce: 45:42

shards of light, it was,

Kay Hanley: 45:45

it was like, I watched him die. And so I was like, very literal. back on some of like, the factual stuff. And so, like, the notes that, and that process, too, is that the writers were so generous with could not have done it they were so like, they knew what they wanted, but they weren't, they didn't weren't inflexible, and they like they kind of like they, they kind of like a through these, this, the song briefs around us, like a, like a loose garment. know, they didn't like nail us down to, you know, we, we were able to come up can't, we we came up with that, because they really didn't, they just wanted to situation. And they did not give us much beyond that. And it allowed us to, like like, pert like that in a way that like only a songwriter could because we're song that he could never ever say. And, but still, like it has to be true to the wonderful collaboration with the writers. Yeah.

Tom Polce: 47:10

And they did other wonderful things where, you know, they would they draft of a song. Were on at least two songs, you know, keep us connected, being the other where this the idea of a twist of what the you know, initially, keeping secrets. It was it saved her and it protected her and, you know, towards wish I wasn't so fucking good at keeping secrets because I'm just this I'm all which, you know, you know how she is solo all the time. But that turns into the very end Yeah, they wouldn't do they guided us into those places. And then just traipsed into like magic land. Like I'm not gonna lie the whole the whole me from listening to fans talk about on the X where they would just say some that's the moment you know, for for chapel song when she breaks up with him. we all knew like he had both of these sides and that heartbreak just shut it mistake again. And you know that's you know that song his song is that

Kay Hanley: 48:37

know that we mentioned the

Cameron: 48:42

moment and TV's most iconic

Tom Polce: 48:45

but you know like I was like wow, we did that and then some things we you know trying our best to figure out how to express Spock in a mathematical why you know, but you know those things I mean for product real

Cameron: 49:04

quick on that are producer John is not here would kill us if we didn't also one of my favorite I mean, did you start with did you go like, Oh, this is like was it iterations? How did you get to one of the most clever lyrics of

Kay Hanley: 49:21

Oh my god. Oh my God say that again!

Cameron: 49:29

One of the most clever, cleverest. I don't know lyrics of music probably my favorite. So Well, we,

Kay Hanley: 49:37

you know, we I think Tom knew from having spoken with Ethan that kind of like, references were that you wanted it to be kind of like a dark kind Tom came to our session that day, And we had the pages, we knew what it was going you know, we kind of, you know, there's gonna be a was a response to chapel dirty. And so he starts playing and I just started singing. "This news really we're doing. We're doing magic, you guys. And then it ended up being a just kind of like he started playing. I started singing and it was just like, oh Division version of I'm

Tom Polce: 50:38

ready. Yes, percent. That's 100%. Correct. And, you know, you that was those, those last two lyrically were bonkers in there were just the We were like, like, back and forth. We're just like, trying to get that wanted,

Kay Hanley: 51:00

I wanted to get like really into setting up the equation and like, sea of pain. And I was like, No. And we like, we were like, text fighting and sort of, like, disagreements about Yeah,

Tom Polce: 51:19

we were. And then ultimately, we ended up saying, you know, being I've got the texts to prove it back and forth, until we landed it. And we were

Kay Hanley: 51:31

well, we always had I'm the Ex, like, we always say, I'm the x, but

Tom Polce: 51:31

really hard. I have to. I have to mention, though, Ethan because it to be, you know, like, searching for y or, you know, we wanted to have, yeah, really hard to set, it was really hard to set it up in a way that people that hard, right? Even though we tried really hard, we tried initially I had to fly out there and meet everybody and figure out who could sets were, but even was one of those guys that came in initially. And the I'm not a singer. You know, like he's like, okay, so you know, I'm sitting his influences, what is he like to listen to? And we start seeing, he just this luscious, like, black velvet thing of a voice? It just starts going is that

Cameron: 52:38

Are there. I mean, he was he was my big surprise to the episode, but

Tom Polce: 52:42

when I wrote when I reported back, you know, so, you know, I had met know, it was for Kay and I sent, you know, to one day, you know, just get the I'm happy to say and I'm sure you can tell, everybody was having a blast at whether somebody considered themselves a singer or not a singer, everybody was there wasn't any hand wringing, or any of that it was we're going to do this, right. So, you know, when when I came back, and you know, we would start a meetings with the actress, or the actor and and to listen to their instrument, do? What do they like to listen to? And that's, you know, how we sort of gauged right? And we got lucky. Like, even with the keys we chose, we didn't have to believe it. It was crazy like that. Yes. Total total luck.

Kay Hanley: 53:46

The whole thing was very divine. Yeah,

Cameron: 53:48

that way. Yeah. Yeah. Or we're gonna get more into that later. I do So you both come on to the project. Like how long from then to having a script in

Kay Hanley: 54:02

I think we have like a treatment more than a did you? I don't script

Tom Polce: 54:08

you had. So after

Kay Hanley: 54:10

I came back, it was very rough, like that first draft? Yeah, I

Tom Polce: 54:14

mean, it was when I returned from the fact finding mission and told sing who wants to sing, what their ranges are, they then came back with, are the people that are going to sing it. That's that. And then, if the very rough draft of what it was going to be, at which point by the time we got the meeting, to write the songs and we wrote them in order as it went. I had to start on board because contracts, business, blah, all of those things. So I began scratch at what was the first one we did it was we dealt with that field. How

Kay Hanley: 55:07

how would that feel? Not for nothing, but if it weren't for me, Tom a week. Like he would have stayed up for a week straight and written the whole was only because of me that I took five weeks.

Jesse: 55:26

Yeah, that leads right into our next caller question. Magically. You like you've done it before. But let's hear from our friend Jack.

Jack 2MT: 55:36

Hello, open pipe is me Jack from two minute trek again. I'm back. Rhapsody. Great, great music. Great, great episode. Great, great story. And I I've got a question for you, if you don't mind. I'm wondering roughly how because they I think they all fit in really well with story. And they all working with the cast of strange New worlds and their vocal range of what did a really good job. And I hope that you enjoyed it. And I hope that you thanks for having me. And I'll see you next time.

Kay Hanley: 56:25

Well, thanks, Jack. It took us five weeks, five weeks, is that

Tom Polce: 56:30

Tom? From beginning to from the very beginning to having everything and approved.

Kay Hanley: 56:37

And I'm like driving up the mountain to so we had, we had a letters And we were trying to finish the finale. And it was like it was killing

Tom Polce: 56:48

us. It was killing us killing we knew great in the finale and do all

Kay Hanley: 56:56

oh my god, it was like it was it was such a bear. And this was couldn't have conversations with people I couldn't like I just was constantly puzzle in my head at all times and trying to figure out so we had a letter the top like an hour north of Denver, low oxygen situation low oxygen, we were altitude sickness. And we were like we were two days. On the top of this literal Blizzard at the bottom of a ski slope. And, and it was amazing. It was just like I have Tom's just like the pieces of what Tom has done with no just trying to put together the lyric. And I said to Tom in the van or texted like, "Hey, do you want to get together? And like figure and figure this out"? really like I which I really respect. Because like boundaries, boundaries, to stop and then start again. But I couldn't tell you keep collaborations finally just like put the whole thing together in my head. And when we left to Tom got it?

Tom Polce: 58:28

Yeah, got it. She was like angry, joyous all at the same time. I the mouth or something. It was amazing. It was amazing.

Kay Hanley: 58:37

I was I wasn't even human that that was nothing.

Cameron: 58:41

For either of us. We were we were as clean.

Kay Hanley: 58:43

Just depleted entirely in every possible way. So um, yeah. So five singing. Yeah. Now I do. I don't know if we're, this is just part of the process songwriting job where someone else is going to be singing, like I usually sing it was like we had these because Tom had gone and clocked the actor's abilities you know, samples of their voices. And, and you know, especially with Celia and stage voices, like I was never going to be able to write the songs for them that demos, because I just don't have that instrument that they have. So we had Sarah Mann and Brianna, Brianna, Brianna Gibbs, who did our demos for the actors to rely on my own voice for these songs because I could never sing the way the sing these melodies. And I have the voice memos to prove it.

Tom Polce: 1:00:05

Yeah. We've got all these songs and not just voice memos. Like our

Cameron: 1:00:13

one of those box sets with the old. Yeah. Yeah. I want it all.

Jesse: 1:00:17

Yeah, if you if there's anything you guys feel comfortable sharing as far send it to the email you've been corresponding with because our fans be eternally grateful as well. Oh, man, we've

Tom Polce: 1:00:34

saved that for who knows? Right? Sure. A tease. Just give us a

Cameron: 1:00:39

make people want them? Well,

Tom Polce: 1:00:40

I'll give you one one, you know, interesting thing, as it relates didn't make it didn't make the cut. But you know, so the Klingon moment, you Klingons were going to do some singing and it was Hail the Klingons Uhura, favorite line that he had sung on that, on that, I think he also delivered my which was the Starship Enterprise feels electrified. I mean, you could not sell couldn't possibly sell that line any better than he sold it, he crushed that. happen. I we were, you know, our twice a week, we would get together to write the where we have to figure out what the hell that's going to be, you know, so, you know, Klingon opera's a thing, maybe we should do Klingon opera. And we're staring at our Lacroix's and looking out the window. It's just like cages, like, thing with them? And nothing is just dead silence and then it explodes. I'm Like she mentioned, by the time we got to this song, we're nuts. Man, it's a short amount of time. And also couple that with us being a little more the songs were landing the showrunners were digging them, or the writers were well together. So we felt they made us feel comfortable opening up, right? And you don't want to open up too hard at the beginning, you know, towards the some Kpop she shows me some kid some Kpop stuff like something, you know, in that sounds great. You're gonna sell it to them. So we have our zoom meeting. weekly Zoom meeting to do you know, talk about progress of this. Yeah.

Kay Hanley: 1:03:00

So we were we would play them whatever, we whatever was the particular day, and usually Tom leads the meeting, because, you know, Tom's good leader. And so on this particular day, Tom's like, Kay has something to sound crazy, but we think that the Klingons that you need to make sure that don't know if you remember this time, they were kind of like maybe hedging it. Yeah, that's right. Like they weren't kind of like is this trying to know? And so we were like,

Cameron: 1:03:43

Was it their idea to have the Klingons in it?

Kay Hanley: 1:03:45

Well, it was their idea to have the Klingons in it, but they were

Tom Polce: 1:03:49

think there was a hail the Klingons who who right TBD what that

Kay Hanley: 1:03:57

So there was sort of like, you know, and then the opera, you know, know, it was still being bounced around. So, Tom, so I was like, Tom and I think have to have to have the Klingons singing and then it should be this and I my favorite K Pop Video and we were like, here are your Klingons and they definitely. Definitely yeah.

Tom Polce: 1:04:27

Which is you know, in this is a testament to all of them. I mean, I couldn't have asked for a more creative, wonderful sandbox to create stuff in you know, better leaders guiding us with definitive direction, but not holding on ourselves but you know, guiding it gently so that we could feel comfortable

Kay Hanley: 1:04:56

using Klingons via Kpop

Tom Polce: 1:04:59

you Yeah, which is bonkers. So you know, we did it, and we loved it. a couple weeks later when everybody else heard it. Little scary little scary.

Kay Hanley: 1:05:16

little nervous. And in the middle buyer's remorse

Tom Polce: 1:05:19

a bit. Yeah. So, you know, we it came back to us that it was like that you want to go to art school, and they're like, Well, you can do art, you a degree in business, please? You know, so the degree in business was please do an opera version as a just in case. So that school was fuck it, Kpop. Right. So we did both in the upper version is, you really cool. And and they filmed it. Yeah. And Bruce Horak, I believe is the fantastic. He crushed that too. And it was shot. So God, that was a long way to believe that that will be unearthed at some point in time for everybody. Tom,

Cameron: 1:06:09

if that is not on the blu ray. I'm emailing you personally to get it choice. Kay Thank you. Yeah.

Tom Polce: 1:06:18

Thank you. Kay, I

Cameron: 1:06:19

also want to hear the opera.

Jesse: 1:06:21

And I cannot wait to play some of you guys comments for Bill Wolkoff. When our favorite subjects to speak with.

Tom Polce: 1:06:30

We can't wait we got to celebrate his birthday with a little on Dana was there Henry was there?

Kay Hanley: 1:06:42

Or was there not there in spirit Dylan was there.

Tom Polce: 1:06:46

It was amazing. We love them. We love them couldn't happen without

Jesse: 1:06:52

to just waltz directly into the next question, which has a little bit to

Kay Hanley: 1:06:59

All right. Hey,

Newman: 1:07:00

open pike night. Another musical episode. Well, goodness gracious. What I say? But I'm not the postman. For Seinfeld, just use a vulcan mind milkman I'm newman. That's right, friends. Your second favorite space hippie from the movies we're doing another musical episode very quickly. Because I loved it so much. In where one episode we suddenly do a musical I feel like the pressure is to of have a bunch of songs, each one of them are of a certain style. Did that Or did that just make it more fun? Because there was more variety and you of musical style that defined the show. And next question, is there any songs just wasn't room for? Are there chunks of songs that got written or even cutting room floor? I think we all are wondering, is there more to the Klingon space it'd be out.

Kay Hanley: 1:08:25

Thanks, Newman, the space hippie. That was, that was quite a what like a Weird Al Yankovic kind of right.

Tom Polce: 1:08:35

That's right. Like his own

Kay Hanley: 1:08:36

Seinfeld words. On the X. Yeah. So the first question is about funny, because we didn't, you know, Tom, you and I just wrote, right, we, you is, you know, in, in the script we had, we knew if something, you know, we never know, figure out what

Tom Polce: 1:09:06

parts of it, which was completely except for right, but other

Kay Hanley: 1:09:09

no, 100% Yeah. Or like, Yeah, I mean, we took a couple of crazy Chant on Keep us Connected Yeah. So, but for the most part, like, Tom, you know, since we were in our 20s. And, you know, and we've been playing, writing, so how we write and they came out the way they come out. I mean, Tom had, I mean, Tom kind of had like a roadmap for like, a couple of the songs, but for the most part and like, like a, you know, just like a little bit. Yeah, like, as Tom like, in like a little melodic bit. And I would like, and then we would just go

Tom Polce: 1:10:08

and make sure all the things Yeah,

Kay Hanley: 1:10:11

yep, sing and we would we would get together every time, you know, minutes. Yeah, that's it better after that relook Freud's a piece and and and like the skeleton the sketch of what the song was going to be

Tom Polce: 1:10:32

every time we didn't have a clunker which is unusual, well maybe it could have not have been that easy. Every time we set to write a song, by a song, you know, it wasn't arranged out but like we had a verse, we had a things, and we would, you know, have some lyrics that then needed to be know, as it relates to styles, you know, there are a couple things stylistically, ensemble number, we are one as an ensemble number, we knew it had to do know, those two things are modern musicals, whatever that means to us. be. But it's a modern, two, you know, 2000s musical, right? The only one that connect to your truth, which, you know, she's got that Gilbert and Sullivan opportunity for me to show my love to, you know, the 30s 40s 50s 60s musicals, stylistic perspective. So that's sort of like a little, you know, just a little that, you know, we'd love this kids. I mean, I had, you know, played in pits as know, jazz, the jazz repertoire, a lot of the times is improvising over musical the songs were from musical. So that was a moment for me to to stretch that from the other stuff. What did they came with their pop like chapel

Kay Hanley: 1:12:17

song? On like, Tom knew it. He wanted it to be like, I can bring on

Tom Polce: 1:12:24

Yeah, that kind of number. Yeah.

Kay Hanley: 1:12:27

And yeah. And, and, and, and Jess Bush the, the actor, her her range a very simple melody, that she could like, really just like, chew it up. And actually a song. At the another question was about any deleted songs or lyrics. were goes on. All killer. No filler. Yes. Let's let's be honest. Okay. So but song. Like when we were writing it, we were like, you know, we could really f like, No, that's me. And let's not do that. So when somebody like we like nicer ending thing. She didn't cut them off or didn't follow. She didn't. She just kind of like she's just thinking. It's hard, but didn't step on it. I and Dana, they were like, can you really actually f we were like, Oh my God. Yes.

Tom Polce: 1:13:43

Yes, we can on the spot. On the spot. As a matter of fact, it's

Kay Hanley: 1:13:47

So we went back to that, yeah, um, the keeping secrets is up on the soundtrack. They cut out the second verse on the show, which was a need to get to that twist in the show. But you can hear the longer version of other big changes?

Tom Polce: 1:14:17

Well, I don't what about the on Jess's song? Oh, I'm ready. Yeah, I'm there was no, there almost wasn't a dance fit. The dance would happen as of through the channels again,

Kay Hanley: 1:14:36

like I want to dance break,

Tom Polce: 1:14:38

but only only after clicking past Grease.

Kay Hanley: 1:14:43

Tom demanded it.

Tom Polce: 1:14:45

I was clicking past Greece amidst this writing on a weekend and watched the whole thing, because I'm that guy. And it occurred to me I was dance number in this thing. And I think we pitched it at our next meeting. I was just do it. And I mean, that was, there was nothing wrong about that idea. would we do that? Let's do that. And that's what we do. Yeah,

Jesse: 1:15:15

she's in a white jumpsuit, it's Greece. Just make it.

Cameron: 1:15:21

So if you stumbled across Sweeney Todd, it would have ended very

Kay Hanley: 1:15:26

What I love about that scene is that they don't have anybody like have any like, real, like choreography. Like they all dance kind of like nerds authentic, because none of them is going to be out there. Like. There's like

Jesse: 1:15:47

So again, speaking of authenticity to your characters, who are Hear from our good friend, Abby.

Abby from First Flight: 1:15:56

Hey, open Pike, and Kay and, Tom. First of all, thank could possibly be my two young daughters favorite episode of Star Trek that I've talent is immense. And I'm so glad that I got introduced to that. And I hope have a million questions I could ask you, but I trust that the guys and the them. So I'm just gonna go with Can you talk a little bit about balancing, furthering the plot or the story of the musical while you're creating the songs? and hardest part about this with characters that have so much history and might have been easy to find their voice in song or difficult. So I'm really all singing hope you and yours are. We'll talk soon.

Kay Hanley: 1:16:51

Abby, what

Cameron: 1:16:51

That is the mother of the child you heard earlier

Kay Hanley: 1:16:54

Oh, my gosh, well, Abby, your daughter is absolutely adorable. all day. And that is an amazing question. So as Tom said earlier, we characters and Star Trek Are you know, the the canon of the show is so rich, knew how much we didn't know, coming into this. So we needed to find out, you character like Spock, you have to you know, I called Bre-, you know, Brendan had some lights. Yeah, we had we called the lifeline very regularly. It was, you when we didn't know and

Tom Polce: 1:17:53

Bill and Dana were, you know, Bill and Dana were amazing, as well as

Kay Hanley: 1:17:59

Yeah. When it came to, well, I always come back to the hoorah song coming. And it needed to accomplish a couple of some, it needed to accomplish also needed to be incredibly emotional. And that's not something you can just make people cry. At least I can't you know, like, I'm not, you

Tom Polce: 1:18:29

can't manufacture Inspirato, no, you can't as Jack Black would say

Kay Hanley: 1:18:34

we have all like the raw material for it. Like, you know, her whatever, we give her the same, she's just gonna (crush) murder it. And like, the backstory, and that they really want to make sure that we get in there. So write this, like, I, you know, I didn't want to say anything to Tom. But I was intimidated,

Tom Polce: 1:19:00

but not so intimidated that she wouldn't open up the writing session open this song up with a Gregorian chant. So, you know, she wasn't that know, the typical situation was I come in, she hands me a LaCroix I take the to get us started on a song like a little to show her, but she wouldn't. just like, ah, ya know, like, Listen, I

Kay Hanley: 1:19:29

want to I

Tom Polce: 1:19:30

think your eyes are closed. And she's she's just sort of bobbing her thing with a Gregorian chant. And it was just another one of those moments dead back in what does that mean? And instead of talking it through, she just goes and words he's like, hum. Brown but on another dead pause because I have no I'm one song away from We Are One. So we are just, we are skeletons of ourselves at trying to figure out what that is. And we work it out in you know, another Hanley. And so

Kay Hanley: 1:20:19

it just happened to work with Tom has this like arpeggiated just works going right perfectly with the Gregorian Chant bit. And then we're you had that the data the data you had that you came into

Tom Polce: 1:20:43

a little soup starter? Yes. little nug, little nug,

Kay Hanley: 1:20:48

it was a little nug. Yeah. And, and this song, near like, this we are one, this song took me to a place where I like, I literally have never that, that we wrote that I was just sobbing for days writing the song, and it wasn't just, it was I was writing it for like me and my sisters. And, you personal to me. And like, it was a song that, you know, without the, you know, song that like I would have written Yeah, that we would have that Tom and I

Tom Polce: 1:21:43

universitari. It's all universal. We are one you it's a universal vibe, feeling that I'm always solo, but I'm taking care of everybody other things. So, you know, to get back to Abby's question, you know, it was it perspective, it was incredibly important in it was absolutely part of the plan to emotional, but that they exposed and enhanced what we knew about these was character development. And I feel like we really achieved that. And I'm

Cameron: 1:22:26

Did when you met with the actors? Did they offer any suggestions

Kay Hanley: 1:22:33

they did. Christina did. Christina just jumped right in. She was them sounds like, what is it? Just this one? Yeah. And I was like,

Tom Polce: 1:22:48

Well, her so when I was so when I met her as I mentioned, you know, a catalyst for the musical episode. I know Akiva was thinking about it. I some rumblings about it. But Christina was really pushing for it. And when I course we have no, we have no idea of what that's going to be about. We knew just trying to figure out who sings and who wants to sing and what their ranges like, I want a really sexy dance number. That was what she wanted. So you know, that to her. Because that's just not how the story arc went on. And of course, it gave

Kay Hanley: 1:23:33

her we gave her she could shoot she we gave her something to chew

Cameron: 1:23:38

you get under the sheets with Jim Kirk Yeah, so yeah. I mean, what I own musical career now so certainly springboarded by this episode, she's

Tom Polce: 1:23:51

even before Yeah, she's

Kay Hanley: 1:23:52

Yeah, I heard that. Like she took this someone told us recently that to kind of further her music career. Yeah, so

Tom Polce: 1:24:03

Well, at the very least she she takes both equally as serious and before an actress I don't really know that you're gonna have to ask her.

Jesse: 1:24:13

Yeah, when when we spoke with her, she said that she had initially found out that the dancers don't really, you know, get the spotlight or get to well, maybe I want to be a singer and TV just it's really strange with this cast incredibly beautiful people and like half of them were like, yeah, just sort it's become something huge and it's, it's really cool to hear

Kay Hanley: 1:24:42

that's why it doesn't feel as theatrical. That's it's interesting feel theatrical. Like it looks cinematic. Yeah, yeah. The look of the actors there's like a realness to them that that earn those actual They realize

Jesse: 1:25:03

yeah. I think the short answer to every question from all of our callers have had so far has been, it's a kind of magic that has happened with this mean, like, just the way you describe it is I'm getting goosebumps just listening And that's, that's intense

Cameron: 1:25:26

sounds so, like a really fun writing room.

Tom Polce: 1:25:30

It was Thank you.

Kay Hanley: 1:25:32

It was the job of a lifetime Tom and I just like, had the best time grateful for the opportunity. And, and, yeah,

Tom Polce: 1:25:45

and for all the ways that could have gone wrong. It

Jesse: 1:25:49

didn't, but it did. Yeah, it's i You guys are batting 1000. Seriously, we promise. We'll get through these pretty quickly. Our next one up is from our

Mariah: 1:26:01

Hello, open pike night. It's Mariah. And I apologize for the sound of quietest place for me to record. And it's not quiet today. Anyway. Hello excited to have you on the show. I have two very specific compliments. And then specific compliment number one is the trumpets at the end of keep us who are similarly obsessed with the music and this episode. And so we'll exclamation point. And like, we'll know what we're talking about. It's great. Sensational Ovational aisle we're the boldly explorational crew of the this. And it's just such a Broadway moment, where it's this big finish, and have to make it rhyme. Okay, perfect question is how did you approach writing cast actors? versus getting to do a songwriting gig from more of a blank easier, harder, just different in your approach, given that you were literal actors singing voices for what you could create? And? Yeah, how was live long and prosper. Ah,

Tom Polce: 1:27:37

that was very sweet. And I love how you got into the weeds with the I'll start, there's something in those parts of those questions. We definitely get specific with just a quickie with the trumpet thing at the end of keep us concertos, and that is Penny Lane. That's what that's what, you know, was just, it just seemed like a no brainer. So that was that. And, and as characters and stories, as opposed to starting from scratch. Well, can you write for ourselves, you know, in in Clio versus writing for other voices.

Kay Hanley: 1:28:22

Writing for like, writing with a blank slate is I'm done with hard. Because the in this so I, I've been you know, Tom and I both have made television. So I write for animation. And he, you know, does all of his magic absolutely love having a script in front of me, where it's like, words, words, story, story story. And then right here, here's the song. Here's where the song it needs to move the story from this part to this part, go. And like, and expression. Because it has I'm working in the service of somebody else's whatsoever. Because it's not about me. I don't have to worry about what I'm character. And so for that is the I just I love writing to script. It's, it's, my most fearless, my most expressive, my most creative. And then I get really because then all of a sudden, I'm afraid of like saying too much or saying it the

Tom Polce: 1:29:52

Yeah, yeah. And to echo that, you know, it also allows us to write know, right otherwise, you know, when somebody when a showrunner or a writer vision with words, and they articulate what it is they want, it's our job to especially, I love it when they read, if they can speak music, I actually love know, I want these vibes and this sort of thing. And, you know, it's almost thing that I've never done before. In to say these things I've never said before. it's very different from scoring something which is a similar thing, but abstract, you know, to do it without words in doing solely with with air, in that you end up doing stuff that you would never do, because you've got too personality when you're writing your own stuff. And that's what makes a great either lay into all that bullshit and throw it all out there. Or they can just care. I'm just gonna go do the thing.

Jesse: 1:31:10

Hey, this is for somebody else. Yeah. Yeah, I feel like awesome. I feel line for this interview like we've we've had a good combination of our own The freedom to put that aside at some times as well,

Kay Hanley: 1:31:26

you guys have been a maximum love and service to this Congress.

Tom Polce: 1:31:30

Absolutely. Sounds very sweet.

Cameron: 1:31:32

I do. I mean, I gotta do my job as a podcast host for the podcast t shirt with that exact lines from unshakable and probable unstoppable Yeah, crew of dinner.

Tom Polce: 1:31:49

Can we give a shout out to Bill and Dana with that? So you know, we

Kay Hanley: 1:31:55

Unbreakable, unshakable on blockable unstoppable. And they were

Tom Polce: 1:32:00

And we're initially just like, really? in there like, Oh, really?

Kay Hanley: 1:32:04

Oh, that's a matter of boldly exploration. And I was like, oh So yeah. Oh, facial.

Tom Polce: 1:32:16

Singing it is now.

Jesse: 1:32:20

Is that your favorite note from theirs? Or do you have a suggestion of

Tom Polce: 1:32:26

that's a funny note. But you know, I mentioned earlier like, their a twist to what a lion needs or what a song you know, they they were catalysts

Cameron: 1:32:39

And then did you have any suggestions that maybe informed the to

Tom Polce: 1:32:44

ask them I mean, I can only assume that we were all just sort of things you know, they would latch on to things more once a song happened but you obviously, we certainly were we had to be we were following their direction and giving us these little grocery bags of of vocab and you know things that they certainly helped us

Jesse: 1:33:13

you're a professional art our good friend Grayson called in next and that exact kind of thing here is Grayson

Grayson: 1:33:23

Never Gonna Give You Whoa, never gonna let you down Never gonna run you guys. So if there was ever an opportunity to Rick Roll, open pipe shot. Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak to these incredibly did such a great job with LeBrons character, especially she did so much know, in how would that feel and keeping secrets. It's also a huge horror show. sings what I think is probably the hero song you guys can tell me but keep ready because it is such a huge party in the bar. And if I wasn't already moves during that song, I am a Dan Genet, Stan for life. My big question play in your creative process? Star Trek is known for technobabble and you chose the show, the intermix chamber and contain men feel stable. And then later And let's table the dampers versus dampeners debate right now. But impulse that Tech Talk is in there. And it's not what you normally hear in a song. So intend to give nerds like me? Something to latch on to right away? Thanks so

Tom Polce: 1:34:52

Okay, first, thank you. That's a killer question. That was a appreciate that. You sound amazing. Before I get into the question, I have No, no, it's not Kirk. It's his brand, Sam. So but you're doing a great job.

Kay Hanley: 1:35:16

he's rockin out he's even

Tom Polce: 1:35:17

better during the cleaning on moment. Yeah. And the Kleenex moment whatever. Genius decided to put them into focus. And he is just bopping with goosies Oh, like it's, it's one of my favorite

Kay Hanley: 1:35:37

thing.

Tom Polce: 1:35:38

He Oh my God. You know what, let's just take a minute just to the fourth song, we were getting a little more comfortable with the funny that's one of the things that makes this iteration of Star Trek work, at least didn't lose the funny I feel like a lot of sci fi franchises post the initial serious for quite some time and they lost all the funny then guardians of funny was there and I think everybody clock is like, that's why that's what back in this in the Star Wars shows that that happened. And consequently, you has the funny and I think that's so important, which is a long way to say include those moments of levity. You know, we got moving moments of Lodi with singing or the, you know,

Kay Hanley: 1:36:42

wait prime direct I was I was determined to get Prime Directive. anywhere we put. We put it in any way but made it a joke. So that Spock would

Tom Polce: 1:36:57

Yeah, so you know, we we felt comfortable doing that stuff. Okay, so now back to the initial, like the songs like status report. And we are one when doing not emotional things necessarily, although we are one has an emotional right things for the right character. And that's when Bill and Dana, you know, simply no way it could have been done without them. You know, they would quite This is you know what he's talking about, and just go down the line. And those words, figuring out how to ramp rhyme those crazy ass words, and then the apologies, which, you know, it needed to be something that a scientist not in there. Also, they're not pants on fire about oh, my god, we're saying, you clocking it. They're assessing it in real time that you know it all of these without billing. Dana just is an impossibility.

Jesse: 1:38:13

Man. I'm gonna go watch this episode, as soon as we're done here

Kay Hanley: 1:38:17

So I just wanted to say something quickly about the Klingons. going to learn cling on to, to for that. I mean, we could

Tom Polce: 1:38:30

we asked if they wanted to we

Kay Hanley: 1:38:33

we did offer. Yeah, we offered we because we definitely would have to go and research the like, the weapons, the violent imagery and in this? Yeah, we've found them Macbeth was their weapon of choice. And, you know, was like, the most fun thing because I didn't really get it. But now I do make Yeah.

Cameron: 1:39:11

Now I want a Josie and the Pussycats translate into album. Oh,

Kay Hanley: 1:39:17

I bet someone can do that on board. You know what? This is a job for?

Tom Polce: 1:39:24

Yes, if ever there was a thing, it's good. The only thing

Kay Hanley: 1:39:29

only thing it would be good for. It's the first time I've ever said

Tom Polce: 1:39:34

And the last time you'll ever say that? Yes.

Jesse: 1:39:36

Yeah, it's the opposite of this is a job for a superhero. Speaking of callers that are superheroes for our show. They call in every single time we the magic to their calls. And of course, you know, I'm talking about Michelle

Michelle from Crusher Convo: 1:39:56

Hey, open pike night. As you know from my comments the music is on repeat for me. I absolutely adored the different genres the stories and completed character arcs. So thank you so much to those who making that happen. It seems like the season was really well planned out episode nine with these character arcs. So it's a well thought out season that I justice to and bringing those things to kind of a crescendo, if you will. And as it was just a joy for me. So thank you for all the hard work you put in you Which song was the most difficult for you to compose or put together and I'm because that's one of my favorites but all that tech talk and the way that you wonderful. But I also think of a horror song keep us connected because that song lot of who was character arc and the music and it was just wonderful music is will media and this just perfectly told the story. So thank you for that. And connection. And I'm just gonna say keep us connected. Also kind of reminded me you're a fan of Beverly Crusher, we'd love to hear what you think of that. I one. Thanks for coming on. Live long and prosper.

Kay Hanley: 1:41:32

Tom, let's answer that What song was the hardest to pull off? We'll

Tom Polce: 1:41:40

We are one no question about it. And I'll give you a quick little. give you a little quickie. First song was written that I had to write this was song before Kay was on board. The clock was ticking. We had just a few weeks.

Kay Hanley: 1:42:00

Just I had the temerity to call a lawyer.

Tom Polce: 1:42:03

That's right.

Kay Hanley: 1:42:06

Track. Have a contract.

Tom Polce: 1:42:08

There you girl. So I had I had to go. So this was is right here get to it was not hard. It. It just sort of came to like I said Bill and Dana what their a status report might be from these folks. And that one just came out. nightmare.

Cameron: 1:42:40

Satisfying ly tying up whole ships full of emotions gone. Rampant was if you say so.

Jesse: 1:42:51

Now, our last caller has a question to ask. But we did tell him we he did have some of your music because it sets

Cameron: 1:43:04

up our Discord. And he's on Twitter. Yeah. So

Jesse: 1:43:08

he has been going the extra mile at least

Cameron: 1:43:12

so put together a little medley

Captain Idle: 1:43:23

right Did she just shine a light? In a most feelings? Like it's no

Tom Polce: 1:43:44

That's my favorite.

Kay Hanley: 1:43:45

Right. That makes a major one. Yeah. Amazing. That's so crazy how

Tom Polce: 1:43:57

that was the one where I think we both commented on that one. whatever it was. I mean, like I said, Man, you managed to put a smile on that

Kay Hanley: 1:44:10

And you're like, thanks. I think I paid.

Tom Polce: 1:44:14

My friend, Rob. All right. Well, let's

Jesse: 1:44:17

hear directly from the man himself.

Captain Idle: 1:44:19

Hello, Captain idle here from track time. I just want to say a for producing an amazing soundtrack for This amazing stranger worlds episode. for bastardizing your works with those reggae remixes I made, but it has That doesn't mean I'm going to stop. I'm going to make more. But I hope you've making them. And I can't wait to see what you guys will do next. And I'm lot more of your past works as well. But my question is, if you could write songs Star Trek show, what would you call the musical? And what would some of the number between Picard and Crusher called engage my heart, maybe a small saxophone whisperer. Anyway, keep doing what you're doing. love every minute of it. can't wait to hear what you're going to do next. Your breaking free

Kay Hanley: 1:45:37

I mean, first Star Trek. I mean, I think Picard is screaming for a Patrick Stewart probably has the most beautiful singing voice. I bet. So to actor. Oh my god. That would be amazing. Answer. That's, but like, I mean, I know if I can be clever or like obscure, because I just I can't get past Patrick

Tom Polce: 1:46:12

Yeah, I can improvise on the spot like it, but I wouldn't say You iterations but I think, you know, some musical numbers for lower decks just crazier from a genre perspective. Go even more current and even more Puffin. strange new worlds is the beautiful score that Nami creates is this huge we were all in, you know, the discussions were such that it was and breadth sonically so that that's why we chose to sort of orchestrate and songs with with a full with this big orchestra, but we did lower decks, man,

Kay Hanley: 1:47:10

oh my god, already be instantly.

Tom Polce: 1:47:13

Absolutely.

Cameron: 1:47:16

Nice. Yeah, I kind of I wanted to lower it except so that's just like Oh, no one took now. Oh, my gosh, oh, that's

Tom Polce: 1:47:26

a concept, isn't it?

Cameron: 1:47:27

I'm just throwing it out there. Feel free to kill a row.

Jesse: 1:47:33

I will gladly give you any of Cameron's ideas royalty.

Cameron: 1:47:38

No problem. I'm gonna take a note from K and call my lawyer.

Kay Hanley: 1:47:41

They say in songwriting, write a word take a third.

Jesse: 1:47:46

I like that. Now, actually, that kind of rolls on into the hardest part see if I can channel producer John. Tom Pollachi and K. Hanley open pike night you bring with you a joke to tell our audience let's start with UK?

Kay Hanley: 1:48:10

Yes, I did. This is my joke. What did the bras say to the hat at the

Cameron: 1:48:19

What did the bras say to the hat at the end of a party?

Kay Hanley: 1:48:23

You go on ahead and I'll give these to a lift.

Cameron: 1:48:26

Oh. I like

Tom Polce: 1:48:30

That's great. Like you were gonna go filthy and it didn't go

Kay Hanley: 1:48:37

Joke.

Cameron: 1:48:39

It was actually a deleted line from the Doc McStuffins theme.

Jesse: 1:48:44

No pressure, man.

Tom Polce: 1:48:45

Yeah. Okay. So I'm going to just do a musician's joke because I'm a back to cowboys descend back into a valley. And they're chatting with each Comanche drums blazing in one looks, one call by looks at the other cowboy. He's those drums in from the distance a chief yells, he's not a regular drummer.

Jesse: 1:49:25

I gotta be honest, I feel like you too, may have put in the most effort guests.

Kay Hanley: 1:49:33

Were from New England. Were rule followers. It's like if you tell us

Jesse: 1:49:41

I am very grateful. Tom Kay, this has been so much fun for us. I gotta listeners. Thank you both so much for spending some time with us. We would be bit of space here to talk about what you have coming up next in your careers or promote. This is your time to do that. Tom, let's start with you.

Tom Polce: 1:50:03

Well, I can't really talk about the things that are coming down wink. And we have to wait for the sort of time of Jingle Bells to happen but for something holidays yeah,

Jesse: 1:50:29

you heard it here first folks.

Kay Hanley: 1:50:33

thing but I couldn't help it.

Jesse: 1:50:36

Okay, what have you got coming up? What should people know about in the

Kay Hanley: 1:50:40

Um, well, I've my first my writing my team, my writing partners and be debuting next we're like in the middle of production right now. And it's musical and it will be out on Disney Jr. Next August, and letters to Cleo shows Boston.

Cameron: 1:51:11

Not Portland, Oregon, huh?

Kay Hanley: 1:51:13

No. I do love Portland,

Jesse: 1:51:16

not this tour camp.

Cameron: 1:51:19

Well, thank you again, so much. Thank

Tom Polce: 1:51:21

you for having us. And yeah, I

Cameron: 1:51:22

knew this was gonna be a good conversation and it blew expectations

Kay Hanley: 1:51:27

Thanks. Well, you guys ask great questions,

Tom Polce: 1:51:30

and your listeners asked great questions. And also have we I do

Jesse: 1:51:34

Yes. Oh, guys, our episode for the musical episode. Over half of the most you inspired so much singing on the show. And I am so excited to have an episode of this podcast. What are we in camera one that my wife is gonna listen to. I am so excited to be able to offer that

Kay Hanley: 1:51:59

Oh, five hours of it. Seriously,

Jesse: 1:52:02

we're gonna cut some stuff, but it's not going to be much. Let's hear

Abby from First Flight: 1:52:08

plank for unshakable and talk about unstoppable, School lesson guys,

Tom Polce: 1:52:28

I'm cheering up. Oh my

Kay Hanley: 1:52:30

god, are you kidding me?

Tom Polce: 1:52:33

Like thank you for sharing that Lila. And you also have a great that was wonderful. Lila. Thank you. You sing so hard.

Jesse: 1:52:46

I am gonna go watch this episode right now. You guys like it's just, it's I need another viewing. Thank you once again to Kay Hanley and Tom poachy for night do it and giving us some good insight into the processes behind want to get a hold of you, when you are not on the open pipe night stage, what

Cameron: 1:53:11

Yeah, they want to come listen to me and John, some others talking now DNS nine. You can listen to us over at green shirt and newbies trek to the shirt watching T and G for the first time. Good stuff, go listen to us over

Jesse: 1:53:27

And if you need to get a hold of open pipe night, the easiest way to do Everything you need is all in one place. And of course you can follow the show on platform that you can think of at open Pike, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, blue us and listen to us,

Cameron: 1:53:50

Jesse. They're killing Google. Podcasts, Google pods. G pods are I'm so and they're taking it away.

Jesse: 1:54:00

I use I think it's called podcast addict. It's pretty fun. It lets me an Apple account, for example. But yeah, definitely whatever your new podcast open pike night

Cameron: 1:54:15

all to say I hope everything just transfer seamlessly to to whatever we'll make sure were there. Once it happens.

Jesse: 1:54:25

Fingers crossed. Well, it's been a long night and the OPN Duette has gig after yourself. Tip your servers. You can go anywhere you want. But you can't