The producer of the Melania Trump documentary insists some big-name music "heroes" wanted their songs used in the film — but he won't share their names.
Marc Beckman spoke at length with Variety about music licensing for the Amazon MGM film he produced, and he expressed disappointment that Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood wanted the music he composed for director Paul Thomas Anderson's 2017 film "Phantom Thread" removed to avoid association with President Donald Trump.
"I think that’s just part of the unfortunate time we’re living in," Beckman said. "We went out and created a nice film that doesn’t get into any kind of political policy or anything like that. The music at that moment is so perfect, honestly, I was so thrilled to be able to use it.
"... We spent top dollars for all that music, and we’re thrilled to have that song included in the film. If they’re trying to distance themselves from us, for political reasons, that’s just unfortunate. But, honestly, I’ll still remain a fan and listen to their music every single day."
Producers did manage to license songs from Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and the Rolling Stones.
"Mick Jagger was actually involved," Beckman said. "He gave us his blessing, and we were thrilled about that one. We worked very close with them on that. That wasn’t something that we just pulled out. And that wasn’t a political thing. With the Stones, they were just like, 'Oh, you’re making a nice movie.' They were like able to get over the hurdle: It’s not politics — it’s just some story about some woman that is going from being a civilian back into the White House."
Beckman claimed the Rolling Stones were "impressed" when they saw the film, but representatives for the rock legends did not comment directly on any element of his account and reiterated that record company ABKCO owns the song used in the documentary.
"We found a lot of the classic rock artists that were true freedom fighters in the ‘60s, who we never thought would go for it, came out and said that they were huge Trump fans," Beckman said, "and then we would get blocked by the company that might have the ownership rights of that artist’s music. So, at least on a personal level, it was kind of surprising to hear some of these artists say, 'Oh, I actually really like him. You don’t have to come and show me the film or anything. I would be happy to do it.' But then, as you know, these guys are selling their catalogs, and the rights holders are like, 'Not a chance.'"
"At some point, I would love to tell the full story," Beckman added. "Some of the old artists that are my heroes said yes, and then we couldn’t get it done because of the rights holders. But it was shocking. Some of the artists you would never think would say yes jumped on it right away. I was like, 'Wow, I love this person even more now.'"
Beckman was asked whether there were any unexpected allies whose names he would reveal, but he demurred.
"I don’t want to, because I promised those people that I wouldn’t hurt them," he said. "You could put this on the record. Some of them are afraid that because their fan base is so liberal, progressive, that they would lose their fans, and there’s no reason for me to hurt anyone. I respect their work and that they’re also trying to earn money and take care of their families, so I’d prefer to leave it like this."