Episode 223 - Clerks: Music from the Motion Picture

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Your favourite dynamic duo return for the second week in a row as we chat about the soundtrack for Kevin Smith’s debut film, Clerks.

This idea came to Chris at about a day’s notice, but it did give us at least enough time to think of a through line for this episode: the Clerks soundtrack is something of an anomaly. Whilst the film itself cost just over $27k to make, the licencing for the soundtrack actually cost more, coming in at $28k. Some of the music on this is used in the movie - Alice in Chains, The Jesus Lizard - and some was even commissioned for the film.

For Gen Xers, this soundtrack is about authentic as it gets. Others tried and failed to capture some of the same energy that this one did (Empire Records springs to mind), and one could probably argue that the fact a Gen Xer has brought this Gen X soundtrack to the table, chatting about how it’s very authentically Gen X and “legit” is perhaps the most Gen X thing in the world.

Or you could just argue that there’s actually something to be said for how this film, and indeed soundtrack, managed to capture a moment in the way that underground bands sometimes are able to capture the zeitgeist. Or in fact create their own movement out of nothing.

What do you think? Defining moment in indie film soundtrack history?