Music composer lands on Memphis station as DJ
By: Natalie Higdon
A & E Editor
Issue date: 10/26/06 Section: Entertainment
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After working as a record producer for the band Ween, film composer for movies such as "Psycho Beach Party," and composer of TV series like "That 70s Show," Ben Vaughn has landed a permanent DJ spot on local Memphis station WEVL 89.9 FM.
"I've never heard a station like WEVL," Vaughn said. "It's the best station I know of in America."
Vaughn produces his weekly WEVL segments from his own studio in Venice Beach, Calif., and the music is supplied by his own vast record collection.
Vaughn said if he likes a song then he'll try finding everything by that particular producer or songwriter, which "leads me to some very obscure and even some very bad records."
"My collection is massive, but it's a research library for me as a record producer when I'm making records and working with artists," he said. "I have listening sessions all the time and pretty much my WEVL radio show is one of those listening sessions."
After writing, recording and producing for 14 hours a day for 11 years while working on TV shows, Vaughn didn't have a lot of time left over for those listening sessions.
"I'm not currently doing any TV shows and I'm pretty happy about that," he said. "I've escaped the clutches of Hollywood and the studio system and I'm kind of back to the life I had before that. During that time, I didn't have a lot of time to explore my record collection."
Vaughn worked on the TV series "Third Rock from the Sun," before working as a composer on "That 70s Show" "from the very beginning to the very end" of its eight season-run.
When working on films, Vaughn said he waits until the film has reached its final cut before creating any music.
"I try to record as many things live as possible, so it sounds like music that was really made by a group of people as opposed to the world we live in of overdubbing," he said. "It's a great process because the reason I started scoring films is because I wanted to be working in genres I normally wouldn't work in myself."
"I've never heard a station like WEVL," Vaughn said. "It's the best station I know of in America."
Vaughn produces his weekly WEVL segments from his own studio in Venice Beach, Calif., and the music is supplied by his own vast record collection.
Vaughn said if he likes a song then he'll try finding everything by that particular producer or songwriter, which "leads me to some very obscure and even some very bad records."
"My collection is massive, but it's a research library for me as a record producer when I'm making records and working with artists," he said. "I have listening sessions all the time and pretty much my WEVL radio show is one of those listening sessions."
After writing, recording and producing for 14 hours a day for 11 years while working on TV shows, Vaughn didn't have a lot of time left over for those listening sessions.
"I'm not currently doing any TV shows and I'm pretty happy about that," he said. "I've escaped the clutches of Hollywood and the studio system and I'm kind of back to the life I had before that. During that time, I didn't have a lot of time to explore my record collection."
Vaughn worked on the TV series "Third Rock from the Sun," before working as a composer on "That 70s Show" "from the very beginning to the very end" of its eight season-run.
When working on films, Vaughn said he waits until the film has reached its final cut before creating any music.
"I try to record as many things live as possible, so it sounds like music that was really made by a group of people as opposed to the world we live in of overdubbing," he said. "It's a great process because the reason I started scoring films is because I wanted to be working in genres I normally wouldn't work in myself."