Back in the '80s, Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman were featured members of Prince and the Revolution, living in the world of rock star royalty, platinum records and sold-out concerts.
Those days -- as well as the gartered stockings and revealing blouses they wore on stage -- are a distant memory. Instead of facing a stadium of screaming fans, they're scoring a TV show, NBC's "Crossing Jordan."
Also making the jump from tour bus to tube is Mark Mothersbaugh, singer and songwriter of the group Devo, which achieved new wave prominence in the 1980s with the hit "Whip It." Mothersbaugh now concentrates on film and television scores, including the "Rugrats" series on Nickelodeon and movies.
Talk about crossover acts. Melvoin, Coleman and Mothersbaugh are among the more noteworthy pop-rock writer-musicians who have largely traded in the hope of recapturing the rock star life for the steady income -- and the more rigid structure -- of writing scores for TV comedies and dramas.
Producers are increasingly using songs by rockers and other contemporary artists to heighten the appeal of shows for younger viewers. "Crossing Jordan," as well as numerous other series such as "Dawson's Creek," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Gilmore Girls," have released soundtracks just like their film counterparts.
These staff musicians now play in solitude, isolated in cramped studios with keyboards, editing equipment and timers. In most cases, the music will never be heard in its pure form, subordinated to sound effects and dialogue. The TV composers do not share the status enjoyed by other rockers, such as former Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman or Randy Newman, who work in the more glamorous world of film scoring.
Said Mothersbaugh, "When you're in a popular band, there's the rush of a sold-out crowd at the Forum, singing along with lyrics you wrote six months ago. The closest that gets in this job is when you're on a sound stage with an orchestra. That's the most exciting it gets. Other than you and the musicians, no one will hear the music the way you wrote it."
One of the hardest transitions to make for all the rockers-turned-scorers is to channel their personal creativity into another artist's vision.
"The show is God," Coleman said. "We all must have the same goal -- to make the scene work."
