Richard Baratta – An Xperience Interview

Richard Baratta – An Xperience Interview – by Liam Sweeny.

In the creative arts, talent often doesn’t care where your energy gets applied. Great musicians can be great film producers or location managers. And in the case of Richard Baratta, his music and his film projects have become a part of the American cultural canon, with accomplishments in films from “Desperately Seeking Susan” to “The Wolf of Wall Street” and the Spiderman movies.

He’s playing at Caffe Lena on January 2^nd.

RRX: You were playing jazz in New York City in the ‘70s, and the fiction writer in me is just enthralled with the whole vibe of that era. How would you explain that time and place to someone who knows the place, but not the time?

RB: Firstly, I’d like to thank you in advance for this interview prior to my performance with my Gotham City Sextet at Caffe Lena on Friday night, January 2nd. A nice way to kick off the new year.

Great question. Well, it certainly was a different time and place. Mid-’70s NYC was near bankruptcy, there was a lot of crime, it was dirty, and generally on the downswing. Having said that, it was great! It wasn’t so expensive. The loft scene was thriving, apartments could be found, and at a reasonable rent, and artists were arriving in droves. Manhattan was affordable, so was the Lower East Side, Soho, West Village, Washington Heights. Basically, most every neighborhood was a bastion of art in all its forms. Don’t get me wrong, it was gritty; you had to be alert, but it was hopping with creativity and enthusiasm. The music took on that cultural vibe. There was still rebellion in the air and an edge from the ‘60s and the Vietnam War, etc., but things were looser, people were taking chances, there was no formula that had to be followed. There was also an anger, an aggressiveness, and a message to be delivered. You saw like-minded people on the streets, in the parks, in the clubs; it was a great camaraderie of artists. And, there were less people. You could move. Cinema-wise, it was a gritty explosion. John Cassavetes, Scorsese, Woody Allen, William Friedkin, Coppola, Mario Van Peebles, etc. I could go on forever.

Suffice to say, NYC was a tale of two cities, yin and yang. Bring it back!

RRX: You’ve worked on the set of movies that are by every measure bastions of the American cultural landscape, starting with “Desperately Seeking Susan” in 1984 and including “Joker,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” all the Spiderman movies, “The Taking of Pelham 123,” and too many to list. What makes an iconic movie when you’re seeing it behind the scenes?

RB: The million-dollar question, or should I say, the million-dollar answer. If I knew that answer, I’d be a very, very wealthy person. I’ve worked on movies where I thought the scripts were average at best, and they’ve been critically acclaimed. And I’ve read some great scripts, and the movie turned out lousy. Here’s the thing: we must define what iconic is. Is it about making boatloads of money, or a movie that is universally and critically acclaimed, let’s say the top 100 or 200 movies of all time? If I’m on a set that has a great story, a great director, and great actors, I’d say there’s a good chance the movie will be worthy. But, ya truly never know. 

RRX: In music, you’ve played with pretty much everybody, and you’ve worked on so many films, I think of Forrest Gump, a man running through history. Do you often get caught up with things you see or hear that you were a part of all that time ago?

RB: Well, first of all, I’ve played music with a lot of great musicians, but certainly not everybody, and that’s for damn sure. I’ve also worked on a lot of great movies, and worked with many, many great directors and actors, and two things I have in common with Forrest Gump are that “life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get” and “stupid is as stupid does.” I don’t get that caught up with the past, although it’s sometimes fun to reminisce. But I am proud of and appreciative of some of the things I have accomplished. Trust me, they didn’t come easy, and they required a lot of hard work, but a good producer friend of mine used to say, “If it was easy, anybody could do it.” Now, if we subscribe to that axiom, then life has more value.

RRX: I think that jazz is many things, but if you hit a bad note, you can be redeemed with the next note. Are the mistakes a bug or a feature?

RB: Interesting. I was just having this conversation with pianist Bill O’Connell. Firstly, more a bug than a feature. Ya know, musically, we all make mistakes, but I think Herbie Hancock said, it’s how you respond to those mistakes. Playing a wrong note or wrong chord, or turning the time around, might stand out to an audience, but if the other musicians respond to that mistake with a creative solution, then the mistakes can become a beautiful thing. You certainly don’t want to make a habit of making errors, I mean, get your sh** together or get out, but the occasional mistake is tolerable, and sometimes fun to see where it takes you. Of course, whoever commits that transgression usually feels bad.

RRX: What do you see in a film pitch that makes you open your wallet, so to speak? How much does the pitch-person’s presentation impact the reception of their idea?

RB: It’s so hard to get a movie made. There are so many great stories and great ideas being shopped around, and sometimes I wonder why the studios or backers choose some of the mediocre stories they do. Presentation is huge! You have to get your message across very quickly. People have such short attention spans that if you don’t grab them right away, they move on. It’s really sad. Movies over two hours, sorry. Songs over four minutes, sorry. What happened to patience and development? Sorry for the short rant. Truth is, it’s good to know someone high up in the food chain, but even then, there are no assurances. I guess we’re back to, “if it was easy, anybody could do it.” 

RRX: If you could take any role in the credits and make it bigger in the beginning, what role would it be? What’s most unsung?

RB: Well, as Mel Brooks said, “It’s good to be the King!” I would love to be first up, but that could come with pitfalls. No matter what role or function you have in a movie, from director, to editor, producer, costume designer, designer, key grip, DP, caterer, craft service, actor, parking PAs or just PAs, and on and on, in almost all cases, you’re working really hard and busting your ass. Making a movie is an arduous task with long hours, and everyone wants and deserves to be recognized. You just built this house, this structure, this story, and you want the recognition of your labor. Getting a credit on the big screen is exciting, and it lives on in perpetuity, but keep it in perspective. It’s not brain surgery or curing cancer. It’s nice to see your name on the big screen, but at the end of the day, you still have to come home and take out your garbage and change your kid’s diaper.

Oh, the question. I’d be happy with Producer or Executive Producer, and no title is unsung. Everyone makes their contribution.

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