I made my way on to a grey list, a black list even. That’s something I’m very proud of, actually.

Victor Young had been hired to write the score for the dances of The Ten Commandments but he became very ill. You were then hired to write the score. But at the same time you’d written The Man with the Golden Arm score.

There’s no way I can compete with someone who can write rap or rock and roll. Nor do I wish to. But I’ve always kept up to date with music changes. I worked very hard not to type myself.

All of a sudden I found myself doing things like ‘Robot Monster’ and ‘Cat-Women of the Moon,’ and I didn’t know what the devil was going on. But if you’re going to do areally bad movie, at least you do one that is at the top of the all-time bad-movie list.

I’m generally pessimistic about the dumbing down of America – especially with summer movies.

All of a sudden I found myself doing things like 'Robot Monster' and 'Cat-Women of the Moon,' and I didn't know what the devil was going on. But if you're going to do areally bad movie, at least you do one that is at the top of the all-time bad-movie list.

Jerry Goldsmith is the #1 composer working now. He's open to new ideas and always inventing.

You wouldn't think it would but my parents were really balanced about that. When it came time for me to be out of the house and out on my own they were very supportive.

Victor Young had been hired to write the score for the dances of The Ten Commandments but he became very ill. You were then hired to write the score. But at the same time you'd written The Man with the Golden Arm score.

One of the things that happens in the business is that success is a very strange thing in that if you are involved in something very successful the next person wants you to repeat it.