Michael Z. Gordon
Michael Z. Gordon (b. April 4, 1941)[1] is an American screenwriter, producer, musician and composer.
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[edit] Early life
Gordon was born in Minneapolis, MN and grew up in Rapid City, SD. He has two sisters. He and his family moved to Glendale, CA in 1957, and moved to Los Angeles, CA shortly thereafter. He graduated from Fairfax High School in 1958.[2]
As a child, Gordon worked in his father’s clothing store, and enjoyed music, particularly jazz drummers and Elvis Presley. He started writing music in high school, and continued to write and record immediately after graduation. He spent 13 months in the US Navy. While on leave in 1959, Gordon heard about the Winter Dance Party Tour, featuring Buddy Holly and the Crickets. He drove with some friends to the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, IA, where they attended what would be Buddy Holly’s last performance before the famous plane crash that claimed his life.[3]
Gordon was largely a self-taught musician. He developed most of his guitar skills while on the road with his first band, the Marketts. At the same time, he taught himself to play piano by studying a book of piano chords.[4]
[edit] Early Career
Gordon formed his first rock band, the Marketts (originally spelled “Mar-Kets”) in 1961.[5] Recognizing the start of a new musical “surfing craze,” Gordon wrote and co-produced the band’s first hit song, “Surfer’s Stomp,” shortly after the group was formed. In 1963 the band signed with co-producer Joe Saraceno under the Warner Bros. label.[6]
Gordon formed his second band, the Routers, in 1962. The Routers and the Marketts were contemporaries and Gordon worked with both groups over the same time period. The Routers are best known for their 1962 hit, “Let’s Go (Pony).”
While on tour with the Routers, Gordon wrote the Marketts’ first release on the Warner Bros. label, “Outer Limits” (later changed to “Out of Limits” for legal reasons[7]). The song sold over a million copies, topped the charts on stations nationwide[8], and earned Gordon a BMI award.[9] “Out of Limits” is a popular choice for TV and film soundtracks; it can be heard in Pulp Fiction (1994), Slayground (1983)[10], The Outsiders (1983) and Mafioso: The Father, the Son, (2004).[11] The Marketts’ music is also credited on "Saturday Night Live," The Name of the Game is Kill (1968)[12], A Killing on Brighton Beach (2009)[13], and Dirty Little Trick (2011)[14], among others.[15]
Following his touring career with the Marketts and the Routers, Gordon returned to Hollywood in 1966 and teamed up with Jimmy Griffin. Together they wrote more than sixty songs, with 51 of them being recorded by hit artists of the 1960’s. These songs included “Love Machine” and Ed Ames’ “Apologize,” which earned Gordon his second BMI award.[16]
Gordon is credited on 179 songs in the BMI catalogue.[17] His songs have been recorded by artists such Cher, The Standells, Lesley Gore, Gary Lewis, and Brian Highland.[18] Gordon’s songs – particularly “Surfer’s Stomp,” “Love Machine” and “Out of Limits” – have appeared in a variety of television shows and movies, including The Outsiders, “Full House,” Pulp Fiction, and “Everybody Loves Raymond,” among others.[19]
[edit] Film Career
In addition to songwriting and performance, Gordon is also known for his work in film and television. He has credits as producer, composer, musical producer, and screenwriter.
Gordon has stated that his desire to make movies began on the set of “Pulp Fiction,” where he was involved with music production.[20] With respect to project selection, Gordon remarks, “I think that it is important for the industry to know that I just don’t do any film that comes along. I try to do meaningful films that may not be financially successful, but receive critical acclaim."[21] Gordon notes, “Not every project is going to be a big success. But if people walk away and say ‘that was a well-made movie,’ then I’m happy.”[22]
Gordon’s film and TV music composition and music production credits include, among others, "Saturday Night Live" (1975), The Outsiders (1983), ["[21 Jump Street]]" (1987), "The Wonder Years" (1988), "Ally McBeal" (1997), the Tom Hanks HBO series, "From the Earth to the Moon" (1998), "Futurama" (2001), and Mafioso: The Father, The Son (2004).[23]
Screenwriting credits include Mafiosa (TV series, 2006), Slaughter Creek (2011) and Dirty Little Trick (2011)[24], as well as several projects due out in 2012 and 2013. Production credits include “Married with Children” (1987); Angels in the Endzone (1997); Narc (2002), starring Ray Liotta and Jason Patric; In Enemy Hands, (2004) starring William Macy and Lauren Holly; Shortcut to Happiness (2004), starring Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Dan Akroyd; Mafioso: The Father, The Son (2004)[25]; Silent Partner (2005)[26], starring Tara Reid and Nick Moran; Shattered! (2008)[27]; and Jack and Jill vs. the World (2008), starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Taryn Manning and Peter Stebbings.[28]
Presently Gordon has several projects in pre- and post-production, including several of his own original screenplays.[29]
[edit] References
- ^ Stewart, Dick. “Up Close With Michael Z. Gordon Of The Marketts.”, The Lance Monthly, May 15, 2005. Accessed February 17, 2012.
- ^ Stewart, Dick. “Up Close With Michael Z. Gordon Of The Marketts”. The Lance Monthly, May 15, 2005. Accessed February 17, 2012.
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Burke, David. “The Marketts.”, Ace Records. Accessed February 17, 2012.
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Stewart, Dick. “Up Close With Michael Z. Gordon Of The Marketts”. The Lance Monthly, May 15, 2005. Accessed February 17, 2012.
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ BMI Repertoire, "Out of Limits". Accessed February 17, 2012.
- ^ IMDB, "Slayground" (1983)
- ^ IMDB, "Mafioso: The Father, The Son" (2004)
- ^ IMDB, "The Name of the Game is Kill" (1968)
- ^ IMDB, "A Killing on Brighton Beach" (2009)
- ^ IMDB, "Dirty Little Trick" (2011)
- ^ IMDB filmography, "The Marketts". Accessed February 17, 2012.
- ^ Stewart, Dick. “Up Close With Michael Z. Gordon Of The Marketts”. The Lance Monthly, May 15, 2005. Accessed February 17, 2012.
- ^ BMI repertoire catalogue, "Gordon, Michael Zane}. Accessed February 17, 2012.
- ^ Amazon.com track listings, "The Many Songs of Michael Z. Gordon” and “More! Of the Many Great Songs from Michael Z. Gordon”. Accessed February 17, 2012.
- ^ IMBD filmography, "Michael Z. Gordon". Accessed February 17, 2012.
- ^ Tucker, Betty Jo. “An Interview with Producer Michael Z. Gordon”. ReelTalk. Accessed February 17, 2012.
- ^ Faye, Pamela. "Movie Producer Michael Z. Gordon Chases Worst Enemy". May 14, 2006. Accessed February 17, 2012.
- ^ Tucker, Betty Jo. “An Interview with Producer Michael Z. Gordon”. ReelTalk. Accessed February 17, 2012.
- ^ IMBD filmography, "Michael Z. Gordon". Accessed February 17, 2012.
- ^ IMDB, "Dirty Little Trick" (2011)
- ^ IMDB, "Mafioso: The Father, The Son" (2004)
- ^ IMDB, "Silent Partner" (2005)
- ^ IMDB, "Shattered!" (2008)
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Ibid.
