WIT NEWS ITEM | FIST Interview: Clean Cuts Music

FIST INTERVIEW: CLEAN CUTS MUSIC

POSTED 3.11.08

WIT decided to go the extra mile for this year's Tournament of the FIST and called on the fine folks at Clean Cuts Music to come up with a theme song for the competition. The end result is the now-notorious "A FIST Will Rise (Return of the FIST)", which kicks off every FIST event and can be downloaded here.

Not only did Clean Cuts deliver the goods and then some, but they volunteered their time to do it. A very grateful WIT.com sat down with Rich Isaac and Chris Kennedy from to learn more about the making of this rock epic...


Hello, Clean Cuts! Thanks a lot for putting this track together. You guys wanna introduce yourselves? Tell us who you are and what you do...

Rich: My name is Rich Isaac and I'm the engineer that recorded and mixed "Return of the FIST".

Chris: I'm Chris Kennedy, a composer at Clean Cuts. I basically wrote the music for this diddy and played guitar, bass, and keys.

So how did this whole FIST anthem come about?

Rich: Well, we received some very creative lyrics and direction from our friend Tyler Korba and were told to have fun with it... and we certainly did. It was a blast!

Chris: Tyler called us and asked us to write it. They already had lyrics, so the rest was easy.

What did you think when the idea first came up?

Chris: Awesome.

Rich: Honestly, I thought, "This is going to be great if we get away with it." So many of these ideas, that seem a little over the top to begin with, end up getting a little watered down by the end of the process. But not this one!

Was it hard for you to channel the 80's when you were working on the song, or was this kind of thing right up your alley?

Rich: Absolutely not! I remember those days vividly. We had to go no further than memory lane for inspiration.

Chris: I have never had a perm or worn leather pants onstage, though I think Rich has. But, I did play in a band in high school (Son of Spam) that mocked 80s hair bands from time to time. So I guess this project was right up my alley.

It sounds like- and I mean this in the best possible way- you pulled out every rock anthem cliche you could get your hands on. Is there anything you wanted to do that you didn't get the chance to try?

Rich: No, I don't think there's anything left.

Chris: Musically I think we hit everything we wanted, although we almost forgot about the cowbell. There also was not nearly enough (or any) alcohol involved in the process to be truly authentic.

Where does this rank among the original compositions Clean Cuts has put together in the past?

Chris: Either somewhere near the top, or somewhere near the bottom. It's a subtle difference.

Rich: It's in a class by itself!

Survivor had a huge hit in 1982 with Rocky III's "Eye of the Tiger". Three years later, they had another hit with Rocky IV's "Burning Heart". Will there be a follow up smash hit to "Return of the FIST"?

Rich: Man that would be great.... I could be cool again! I would be a hero to everyone in my post-Nirvana support group!

Chris: There may be a follow up... but I cant say if it will be "smash hit".

Everyone loves the track... it really is something special. Is there anything else you'd like to say before we wrap things up?

Chris: Just thanks for the opportunity. It really was one of the most enjoyable projects I've worked on while at Clean Cuts.

Rich: Thanks for letting us be a part of it. It's not often that we get to really stretch out and have this much fun working on something.

Thanks so much for putting together the song and taking the time to talk, guys. Welcome to the FIST family!

Rich: Thank You!


Haven't heard this year's FIST anthem yet? Click here to download the track now! Or click here to learn more about Clean Cuts Music. The tournament continues at Flashpoint until April 12th, so get your tickets now and check it out!

WANT MORE FIST INTERVIEWS?

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Click here to see what happens when WIT co-workers face off in battle!