Interview With Frankie Vinci (2003)

Mr Middle, Frank did the three songs for the first Sleepaway Camp including what has been considered from silly to sublime, "You're Just What I've Been Looking For" (Angela's Theme). Ever wonder what it's like to make disco music for an 80's slasher? We caught up when I put him through the SCF routine. "I never knew there were so much sequels", he says.
 

Sleepaway Camp Films: What's the story behind the songs?

Frankie Vinci: I wrote 3 songs for the movie... the other 2 were "Take a Chance" and the other one escapes my memory now... it was ages ago.. I lived in W. Hempstead, Long Island... which Robert Hiltzik got wrong on the commentary he did... he said Rockville Ctre. Long Island.. I didn't think that it would be a cult classic. I recorded it all with a 4trk Recorder and a Casio Keyboard and a beat up electric guitar I had...

SCF: Let me be VH1 for a sec and ask where are you now?

Vinci: I am now 49 and have had a successful career in songwriting and performing... my latest, Tim McGraw cut one of my tunes last record... "A Place in The Sun" CD... I had cut #4 "Somebody Must be Prayin' For Me"... check it out online... I also wrote the C.B.S. Football Game of The Week theme... running now almost 10 years and aired on 4 Superbowls...

SCF: What are your thoughts on the whole experience?

Vinci: As far as SC1 I was treated fairly... I was broke and out of work... so the $2000... (I think) was much appreciated.

SCF: We now have Angela's Theme on the Sleepaway Camp Soundtrack but do you have the others?

Vinci: The other 2 songs I do not have in my archives any more... shit... I couldn't even sing them to ya unless I heard them...

SCF: Tell me more about "Angela's Theme"...

Vinci: I used a cheap Casio Keyboard and a 4 track Teac recorder and a old Fender Strat guitar playing through my Dad's old reel to reel tape recorder... since we didn't have $$$ for an amp I got the distortion I needed that way. I wrote it and with just having the script but Robert left out the last page so I wouldn't know the end which I figured out anyway... except for the scary face and penis shot... I got direction but I did what I felt... scary/pop music...

SCF: You gotta admit "Angela's Theme" is pretty cheesy.

Vinci: I agree it was cheesy. But so is the movie, I guess I wrote the right song(s)... for the right project... but remember I was an amateur songwriter then... living at home... I got the gig by chance... try to follow this... my old girlfriend's brother in law's sister's neaighbor is Robert so he heard about me and came out to my house and meet with me and listen to some of my songs... and I got the gig...
 

I hope you enjoyed "Fast Five with Frankie". Also, Vinci's early band (why do I get a mental image of him wearing a puffy shirt?) Fotomaker from the early 80's is now on CD from Rhino Records.