Adam Schlesinger | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Schlesinger performing in 2009 | |
| Born | Adam Lyons Schlesinger (1967-10-31)October 31, 1967 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 1, 2020(2020-04-01) (aged 52)[a] Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Complications fromCOVID-19 |
| Education | Williams College |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1989–2020 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Jon Bernthal (cousin) Tom Bernthal (cousin) Murray Bernthal (grandfather) |
| Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics (2012, 2013, 2019) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
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| Formerly of | |
Musical artist | |
Adam Lyons Schlesinger (October 31, 1967 – April 1, 2020)[a] was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He was a founding member of the bandsFountains of Wayne,Ivy, andTinted Windows, and was also a member of the bandFever High. He also wrote songs for television and film, for which he won threeEmmy Awards, aGrammy Award, and the ASCAP Pop Music Award, and was nominated forAcademy,Tony, andGolden Globe Award.[3] He died of complications from COVID-19 at age 52.
Schlesinger was born in New York City on October 31, 1967,[7] to publicist Barbara (née Bernthal) and Stephen Schlesinger.[8] He was a cousin of actorJon Bernthal[9] and a grandson of musicianMurray Bernthal.[10] He was raised in asecular Jewish family[11][2] in theManhattan borough of New York City andMontclair, New Jersey, attendingMontclair High School in the latter.[12] He received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy fromWilliams College inWilliamstown, Massachusetts.[3]
In addition to writing and co-producing thetitle song toThat Thing You Do!, Schlesinger composed "Master of the Seas" forIce Age: Continental Drift, performed byJennifer Lopez,Peter Dinklage and others. He wrote and produced three songs forMusic and Lyrics,[13][14] and his music has also been featured in films such asShallow Hal (which he scored with Ivy);[15]Robots;[16]There's Something About Mary;[15]Me, Myself & Irene;[17]Josie and the Pussycats;[14]Scary Movie;[18]Art School Confidential;[19]Fever Pitch;[20]The Manchurian Candidate;[21]Because of Winn-Dixie;[22]Orange County;[23]Two Weeks Notice;[17] and others.
Schlesinger andThe Daily Show executive producerDavid Javerbaum co-wrote the songs for the musical theater adaptation of theJohn Waters filmCry-Baby.[24]Cry-Baby debuted at theLa Jolla Playhouse inLa Jolla, California in November 2007.[24] Previews for theBroadway run began at theMarquis Theatre on March 15, 2008. Its official opening night was April 24, 2008.[25]
Schlesinger and Javerbaum co-wrote the closing song "I Have Faith in You" for Javerbaum's playAn Act of God, which opened on Broadway on May 28, 2015. The song is performed byJim Parsons, Chris Fitzgerald, andTim Kazurinsky.
Schlesinger and Sarah Silverman collaborated on a musical titledThe Bedwetter, based on herbook of the same name.[26] The musical was set for previews to begin on May 9, 2020, at the Atlantic's Linda Gross Theater; opening night was scheduled for Wednesday, June 10, 2020.[27] The dates were later postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The musical ultimately premiered in previews in April 2022.[28] Prior to his death, Schlesinger had been working on the music for a stage adaption of the television seriesThe Nanny.[29]
Schlesinger and Javerbaum co-wrote the opening number of the 2011 Tony Awards ceremony "It's Not Just for Gays Anymore" as well as the opening and closing numbers of the 2012 Tony Awards, "What If Life Were More Like Theater" and "If I Had Time", all performed by Neil Patrick Harris. They wrote "TV Is a Vast Wonderland", the opening number of the 2011 Emmy Awards, performed byJane Lynch and "The Number in the Middle of the Show", performed at the 2013 Emmy Awards by Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman, andNathan Fillion.
Schlesinger's television composing work includes theme music, songs, and/or score forI Love You, America (Hulu),The Maya Rudolph Show (NBC),A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!, the 2011 and 2012Tony Awards, the 2011 and 2013Emmy Awards,Big Time Rush,T.U.F.F. Puppy (Nickelodeon),Good Luck Charlie (Disney Channel),The Fresh Beat Band (Nickelodeon),Kathy (Bravo),Crank Yankers,Wedding Band (TBS), theBillboard Music Awards,Bubble Guppies (Nick Jr.),The Howard Stern Show,Sesame Street, Comedy Central'sNight of Too Many Stars, Robert Smigel's cartoons forSaturday Night Live, TheDisney Parks Christmas Day Parade with Neil Patrick Harris, theComedy Awards (Comedy Central),American Dreams,Stephen King'sKingdom Hospital,The In-Laws,The Man Show,Supernoobs,Too Late with Adam Carolla,The Dana Carvey Show,John Leguizamo's House Of Buggin',My Kind of Town,Johnny Test, and others. His songs have been licensed for use on numerous television series, includingScrubs,The Hills,Gossip Girl,Melrose Place,Felicity,Roswell, and others.
He wrote songs for and was executive music producer of the scripted comedyCrazy Ex-Girlfriend on The CW.
As a record producer and mixer, he worked withthe Monkees,Fever High,Dashboard Confessional,Swirl 360,Tahiti 80,Motion City Soundtrack,[30]Verve Pipe,[18]Robert Plant,America,[31]the Sounds,They Might Be Giants,[32]Fastball, and many other artists, as well as producing or co-producing five Fountains of Wayne albums and six Ivy albums.
Schlesinger was also in a side project band calledTinted Windows formed by guitaristJames Iha, previously ofThe Smashing Pumpkins andA Perfect Circle, singerTaylor Hanson ofHanson, andBun E. Carlos ofCheap Trick, and recorded and toured with them in 2009 and 2010. He also contributed to Iha's second solo album,Look to the Sky (2012).
He was the main composer and producer for Brooklyn-based synth-pop duoFever High.
Schlesinger was nominated for anAcademy Award[33] and aGolden Globe Award[34] in 1997 for writing the title track of theTom Hanks film,That Thing You Do!,[35] also contributing two other songs for the film.
Fountains of Wayne was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2003 forBest New Artist andBest Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Stacy's Mom".[36]
Schlesinger andDavid Javerbaum received two Tony nominations in 2008Best Musical andBest Original Score for the musicalCry-Baby.[37] They also received a 2009 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for their song "Much Worse Things", performed byElvis Costello andStephen Colbert on the television special and albumA Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! The album, co-written by Schlesinger and Javerbaum, and co-produced by Schlesinger and Steven M. Gold, won the 2009Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.
Schlesinger received a 2013 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Original Song for his "Elmo the Musical" theme forSesame Street. He and Molly Boylan received a 2011Daytime Emmy nomination for the song "I Wonder" fromSesame Street.
Schlesinger and Javerbaum received a 2012Emmy Award forOutstanding Music And Lyrics for their song "It's Not Just for Gays Anymore", performed byNeil Patrick Harris as the opening number of the65th Tony Awards telecast; and a 2013 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music And Lyrics for their song "If I Had Time", performed by Neil Patrick Harris as the closing number of the66th Tony Awards telecast.
Schlesinger received two 2016 Emmy nominations for his work on the CW seriesCrazy Ex-Girlfriend: Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for "Settle for Me" (co-written withRachel Bloom and Jack Dolgen), andOutstanding Main Title Theme (co-written with Rachel Bloom).
He received a 2017 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for "We Tapped That Ass" (co-written with Rachel Bloom and Jack Dolgen) from the CW seriesCrazy Ex-Girlfriend.
He won the 2019 Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for "Antidepressants Are So Not a Big Deal" and was nominated for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music for "Meet Rebecca" (Season 4 Theme) fromCrazy Ex-Girlfriend (both co-written with Rachel Bloom and Jack Dolgen).
On January 30, 1999, Schlesinger married Katherine Michel, a graphic designer andYale graduate. They met in 1996 at WXOU Radio Bar,[7] a bar that Schlesinger used to frequent with Fountains of Wayne co-founderChris Collingwood when they were starting the band.[38] They divorced in 2013. Schlesinger and Michel had two daughters.[39]
On April 1, 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States, it was announced that Schlesinger died of complications from COVID-19 at a hospital inPoughkeepsie, New York at the age of 52, having been on aventilator for over a week before his death.[40][a]
On June 16, 2020, thetribute albumSaving for a Custom Van was released in Schlesinger's memory onFather/Daughter Records. The title is a reference to the Fountains of Wayne song "Utopia Parkway". The 31-track album features covers of songs Schlesinger wrote or performed by artists such asKay Hanley,Ben Lee, andPrince Daddy & the Hyena. His collaboratorRachel Bloom and his Fountains of Wayne bandmateJody Porter also participated. All proceeds from the album were donated to theMusiCares COVID-19 relief fund.[41]
Schlesinger's former bandmates in Tinted Windows briefly re-united in May 2021 to perform a livestream event in his memory.[42]
An Indianapolis-based Fountains of Wayne tribute band, Utopia Parkway, performed two sets in 2021 in honor of Schlesinger.
Rachel Bloom, who was a close friend and worked with Schlesinger onCrazy Ex-Girlfriend, addressed his death and how the loss affected her in her 2024 Netflix special,Death, Let Me Do My Show.[43]
