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Longtime 'Simpsons' Composer Fired After 27 Years On The Job
(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Alf Clausen, composer for The Simpsons for 27 years, has been fired from the show, reports Variety.
Clausen told Variety that he got the news in a phonecall with producer Richard Sakai, who told him that they were looking for “a different kind of music" (are Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross available?). According to Screen Rant, Clausen had been the show's sole composer since Season 2 back in 1990.
Clausen has won two Emmy awards for his work with The Simpsons, and was nominated another 21 times. Despite his long-standing association with the show, he wasn't responsible for the opening theme (it's composed by Danny Elfman), nor was he hired to do the score for The Simpsons Movie (the job went to Hans Zimmer). Clausen did, however, compose some of the show's most memorable tracks. As noted at Pitchfork, some of his more celebrated songs included “Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart" and “We Do (the Stonecutters’ Song).”
Sidenote: our favorite favorite discovery of the day is that Alf Clausen also did music for ALF.
As a longtime Simpsons fan, this writer is sad to see Clausen go. But really, the show is way past its prime by now. So maybe it's time to yank the plug on the whole thing. Here are a couple clips showcasing Clausen's work on the show. One includes a classic track that accompanies Homer's fantasy of being in a chocolate-covered world. Another includes a live performance (at the Hollywood Bowl) of another Clausen favorite:
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Correction: A previous photo that Getty Images erroneously described as depicting Alf Clausen has been changed.
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