Shout along hooks, visually flamboyant, pop-tinged rock albums reigned supreme during the Reagan era. The hair boom of the eighties played an important role in music history, producing some of the best tunes ever across all genres. Talent that would inspire metalheads around the world from mainstream hard rockers to satanic black metal artists. Peacemaker, the new Suicide Squad spinoff series on HBO Max, debuted earlier this year. The series is loaded with sleaze rock and glam-med out needle drops. Music is a major factor in Peacemaker and the characters’ story. To match the musical energy of each James Gunn curated choice you have to have musicians up to the task to create a memorable score. Bigshinyrobot.com spoke to composer Kevin Kiner about the process of creating a soundscape to bang your head to.
Dagobot: I listened to the snippets of the score that were sent over and they were a lot of fun (sidenote- I am caught up on the show as well). What was it like working on Peacemaker?
Kevin Kiner: Mostly it was uproariously fun! I’m a guitarist and I love to play heavy guitar. I have a ton of amps that mostly sit unused. So to be able to turn it up to eleven and break some windows was like Christmas morning for me.
D: Is there a single moment—maybe seeing a concert as a kid—that made you say, “All right, that’s it, this is what I was meant to do”
KK: 1977, Westwood California where I was attending UCLA (I was pre-med, I have no musical education). I went to see Star Wars. I was enthralled by how John Williams elevated that film, and I set off on a mission to learn how to make that sound.
D: How did you figure out the tone of the show and what kind of sounds would fit within the Peacemaker universe?
KK: James Gunn had a lot to do with that. He chose the hair metal vibe.
D: What did you do to get into that mindset?
KK: James sent us a ton of playlists including songs that would be in the soundtrack of the show. So I listened to a lot of those. Also, Clint Mansell who I co-wrote the show with, had a lot of input. But mostly I just plugged in and rocked! It’s really a dream come true.
D: How did the collaboration with Clint Mansell come about?
KK: We met at a BMI awards dinner and really hit it off. We think quite alike.
D: How many hours of music did you compose for the series?
KK: I think over two hours total.
D: Do you have any other snippets or pieces of music saved just for a moment where it might work for a project?
KK: No. We left it all on the field, so to speak.
D: What has been your favorite thing about being involved in Peacemaker?
KK: Being able to rock unapologetically!
D: What was your favorite piece of music to compose for the series?
KK: The rock jam theme that is in the soundtrack being released Feb 18th.
D: Do you have any untold stories about scoring the music from Peacemaker?
KK: Yeah, but I can’t really tell them (laughs)
Peacemaker airs weekly on HBO Max. New episodes premiere every Thursday through February 17, 2022