Matthew Weiner Shares Three Favorite Songs And Talks 'Are You Here'

Many know Matthew Weiner as the creator of critically acclaimed AMC drama Mad Men, the groundbreaking show which is currently in the middle of its seventh and final season. But Weiner is now dipping his toe into unfamiliar waters, the big screen, with his film directorial debut, Are You Here. The film, which comes out Friday, Aug. 22, stars big names such as Owen Wilson, Amy Poehler, and Zach Galifianakis, and follows the story of a womanizing local weatherman who joins his best friend on a trip to their childhood hometown after the death of his friend's father.

Aside from creating incredible television and film, Weiner is an avid music lover known for having a keen ear which has translated into songs playing a key role in specific scenes on Mad Men. Still, because of limited television budgets, Weiner says there are major between working music in television and in film.

"You can have more than one song in a movie," Weiner explains in a conversation with Soundcheck host John Schaefer. "Usually we have financial concerns on the show and we can never really have more than one cue that's not a composer or what we call a library cue. But I had some of these songs that are in the movie in the script." 

Weiner explains that music is a factor from the very beginning. Not only does he listen to music when he writes, but many times has specific songs, genres, or eras in mind for scenes while still very early on in the conception of a story.

"There's always intention," he says. "You always want to think about what words are playing, the period you're using, what references people have to it in other parts of their life, what references the characters have to it." 

Weiner talks about Are You Here, as well as a few songs chosen for Mad Men, and shares three favorite songs he finds emotionally moving.

Matthew Weiner on the music of Mad Men:

Sonny & Cher, "I Got You Babe"

"You have to take all the layers that come with the song. We used 'I Got You Babe' on Mad Men at the end of the season... we play it, and the first thing that comes to everyone's mind is Groundhog Day. And of course I worship that movie, but I'm from an era where that joke was for me! I knew that song! I didn't hate it. So you have to take into account all of the layers... I was a little bit surprised that that was a bigger reference than the song itself." 

Frank Sinatra, "My Way"

"The last season on the show we used 'My Way.' I never knew i was going to get a chance to even go that far int of the sixties to even use it, but it was an instant reality check for people's perception of the sixties to understand that that was a No. 1 song in 1969. Not just Jefferson Airplane or whatever they think it is... Frank Sinatra had five or six of his biggest hits in the late '60s. And its not this bifurcation of the culture... its not like young people are like, 'sigh!'... He cuts through, and the culture always had both of those things."

Matthew Weiner's Pick Three

The Bee Gees, "How Deep Is Your Love" from Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack (1977)

"I love Saturday Night Fever. This was my favorite song of all the songs. Its got a great moment in the film. I certainly never would've gone out and bought that album. I saw the movie with my grandmother by the way, which is really embarrassing because its really dirty and I was 14. My grandma took us to the movies, and she loved it! She's from New York and I guess she had that edge on her. There's a moment I remember pretty clearly: I think its a morning song. There's a dissolve into a train ride, and its in a montage, and I just love his voice and...  I still get a lot of feeling when I hear that song. I know its probably got a big cheese factor, but it has a lot of feeling to it." 

David Bowie, "Soul Love" from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

"I love anytime anyone can tell a story. I like songs that create characters. Sometimes if the persona of the singer is strong enough you think its happening to them. And sometimes they play different characters and they disappear into it. Any kind of communication that is emotional, I'm susceptible to."

Aimee Mann, "Susan" from Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo

"Her music has been used in movies a lot, and it has a great cinematic quality to it. She's a storyteller. Her songs tell stories. And she has a character that she puts on for each song, different voices. I've gotten to the point in my life after listening to so much music and being the age that I am where I actually think there's a biological resonance of the sound of certain peoples voices. And for me, her voice goes right there."