Ben Golomb and Allee Willis, 2019 – Picture by Ernie Trinidad
Trendy Time Machines’ Ben Golomb on Collaborating with Legendary Songwriter Allee Willis
“Decorative” (out 9/2) was the ultimate observe co-written by Songwriting Corridor-of-Famer
Aug 31, 2025
Net Unique
The Washington Put up as soon as described Allee Willis as “probably the most fascinating girl on this planet who nobody has ever heard of.” However even when her identify doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve little doubt heard her work, because it was all over the place — not simply on the radio, however in most of the greatest films and tv exhibits of an period that encompassed a number of a long time and many various types.
Within the late ‘70s she landed her first smash hits because the co-writer of Earth, Wind & Fireplace’s chart-topping “September” and “Boogie Wonderland.” As her skills grew in more and more excessive demand, she could be employed to put in writing single after single for artists resembling Herbie Hancock, Sister Sledge, the Pet Store Boys, Aretha Franklin, Al Jarreau, Dionne Warwick, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Preston and plenty of others. As she conquered the R&B and pop charts, Hollywood got here calling. A number of of her best-known songs have been written for a few the Nineteen Eighties’ greatest films: her credit embody Joe Esposito’s “You’re the Greatest” from The Karate Child in addition to Patti LaBelle’s Grammy-winning “Stir It Up” and the Pointer Sisters’ “Neutron Dance,” each heard in Beverly Hils Cop. (She additionally contributed undeniably catchy tunes to a few of the last decade’s extra fascinating flops: Howard the Duck, Mac & Me, and D.C. Cab.)
After which got here the Nineteen Nineties:
“So nobody instructed you life was gonna be this wayyyyyy…”
You may hear it now: the guitar riff, the handclaps. Willis co-wrote the theme music for Associates (The Rembrandts’ “I’ll Be There For You”), which gained her an Emmy and ensured that in case you’re prepared to flip forwards and backwards between cable channels, you’ll be capable of hear an Allee Willis unique each half-hour from now till the tip of eternity. (She would later obtain a Tony nomination for writing lyrics for the Broadway adaptation of The Coloration Purple, including one other feather to the cap of an illustrious profession.)
As a songwriter who primarily handed off their compositions to different artists, it’s not remarkable for a wizard of Willis’ stature to vanish behind the curtains. Whereas she appeared to embrace being referred to as “probably the most fascinating girl on this planet who nobody has ever heard of,” those that knew her, or at the very least of her, may really feel that her outgoing, convivial character drastically contrasted with the relative anonymity afforded to her by her craft. She would host legendary events in her North Hollywood dwelling: a spot usually referred to as “Willis Wonderland,” colorfully embellished from flooring to ceiling together with her artwork and large assortment of popular culture ephemera. Late in her life Willis curated a web-based “Museum of Kitsch,” the place her means to seek out magnificence and pleasure the place others might need seen tackiness was on vibrant show.
Allee Willis handed away unexpectedly on the tail finish of 2019. A documentary about her life and profession, The World In accordance with Allee Willis, was launched final yr, and helped to shine a brighter gentle on her refreshing views and spectacular achievements. This September, the world will hear the ultimate music she had a hand in writing. Co-written with Ben Golomb of the LA shoegaze band Trendy Time Machines, “Decorative” is the tip product of an uncommon assembly that sparked an instantaneous friendship – and led to 1 unforgettable songwriting session.
“I grew up as a giant fan of the very bizarre, but oddly satisfying 1986 movie Howard The Duck. I’m of the so-bad-it’s-good mindset. I didn’t see it within the theater, however should’ve watched it on cable a half dozen occasions once I was a child. Allee co-wrote all of the rock songs within the movie together with Thomas Dolby and George Clinton,” says Ben Golomb, explaining the sudden path which introduced them collectively. “In truth, I met Allee particularly as a consequence of Howard The Duck: my pal, Ernie Trinidad, is directing a Howard The Duck documentary referred to as Howard The Doc: Or How I Realized to Begin Quacking and Love The Bomb, and Allee was gracious sufficient to movie an interview for that.”
Concerned within the documentary as its rating composer and infrequently a movie crew member, Golomb tagged alongside to the interview shoot in 2019. As a fellow fan of all issues retro (as evidenced in Trendy Time Machines’ video for “Freefall (Can’t Cease),” which he directed), Golomb was immediately wowed by what he noticed as he stepped foot into Willis Wonderland.
“Allee’s dwelling actually is kitsch heaven,” says Golomb. “In every single place you look, you’ll see one thing that brings a smile to your face, particularly in case you’re a retro popular culture geek resembling myself. LSD cologne, Bee Gees motion figures. You identify it.” He continues: “My chin hit the ground once I noticed CHiPs memorabilia in its unique field … being an LA native, CHiPs is one in every of my favourite previous exhibits, primarily for glimpsing exterior pictures of late 70s/early 80s LA.”
A spontaneous connection shaped between the 2 musicians on the day of that shoot — one which encompassed way over simply their mutual appreciation for the classic Erik Estrada cop present.
“Probably the most outstanding factor occurred when Allee and I first met. She slid open the entrance door of her dwelling, and as quickly as she noticed me, she immediately mentioned one thing akin to “Have we met earlier than? You look so acquainted” We actually had by no means met earlier than, however perhaps it was some previous life stuff occurring, I don’t know.”
As Golomb and Trinidad have been handled to a private tour of Willis Wonderland, their discussions stretched past the work of Allee’s that they’d come to interview her about. That included the Pet Store Boys’ “What Have I Completed To Deserve This?” — which featured Dusty Springfield, and was one in every of Golomb’s favourite songs as a youth — and her lone solo outing, the 1974 album Childstar.
“The Pet Store Boys have been one in every of my first bands that I actually, actually obtained into as a child, the place I might re-listen to the albums time and again, and I’d hunt down and buy all their albums on cassette at locations like The Wherehouse, Music Plus, and Tower Information,” explains Golomb, who needed to buy a second cassette copy of their album Really, as he’d worn out his first. “‘What Have I Completed To Deserve This?’” is likely one of the greatest songs on Really, in my thoughts. It’s simply so catchy and dreamy. I had no thought who Allee Willis was method again then. It wasn’t till years later that I began trying extra intently at songwriting/producing credit. That observe simply has nice vibes; it lives partly in a hopeful and romantic zone, and it additionally goes right into a darker and moodier zone because the music progresses. Actually particular melodies that aren’t fairly predictable.”
“Allee and I [also] talked about her assortment of 8-track tapes of her lone solo LP, 1974’s Childstar, which is a superb hidden gem,” says Golomb. “She would buy copies of them once they’d come up on the market, which is a uncommon prevalence.” He continues: “Childstar is crammed with each melancholy in addition to joyful retro nostalgic popular culture vibes — and by retro nostalgic vibes, I imply it’s a love letter to popular culture objects that have been retro in 1974.”
Golomb stayed in contact with Willis after the Howard the Duck interview wrapped, with the 2 exchanging e-mails. After sharing together with her the video for Trendy Time Machines’ “Freefall (Can’t Cease), he obtained a stunning response: the suggestion that they struggle engaged on a music collectively.
“It was flattering,” says Golomb. “I had deliberate to make an analogous suggestion in some unspecified time in the future at a future hold (we had talked about me serving to her type and catalog her classic assortment), however Allee simply put that collaboration suggestion proper on the market in a short time, so I after all jumped on the likelihood.”
“It then felt like that retro TV-themed music video I’d made a few yr previous to figuring out Allee was a little bit of a cosmic reward to have accomplished (and in hand) for me to share together with her… it was like a ready-made calling card, which cemented that we have been minimize from comparable geek fabric. It appeared pure {that a} collab would occur.”
Golomb and Willis quickly convened in his studio. Trendy Time Machines’ sound is sort of completely different from the R&B and pop stylings that Willis’ most well-known compositions are recognized for; straddling shoegaze and dreampop, their music has reminded us of the distorted melodies heard from of Slowdive, Trip, or The Jesus and Mary Chain. Willis unsurprisingly wasted no time exploring new sonic territory:
“Allee labored in a short time,” says Golomb. “She had vocal melodies come to her head immediately, and needed to get them down on tape and instantly transfer on to the following half. She obtained right into a zone and simply created. She would ask me to invent a guitar riff on the spot, and she or he gave me additional course to loop a piece, et cetera. The primary day of our songwriting was actually about structuring the music right into a tough association, and Allee created stream-of-consciousness vocal melodies with some scratch lyrics. Day two was extra centered on refining the lyrics.”
“We had a back-and-forth dialog about completely different lyrical concepts, the place we’d bounce concepts off one another and speak about why one thing would or wouldn’t work. I most likely have a historical past of writing lyrics which might be a bit extra obscure by way of that means, whereas Allee introduced extra direct meanings and imagery to the lyrics, and she or he nudged me in that course. That was a significant lesson to study.” He continues: “We additionally related over the truth that neither of us has formal musical coaching. I think about this isn’t frequent for songwriters who’re as enormously profitable as Allee was.”
After two productive periods, the 2 parted feeling enthusiastic concerning the course their collaboration was taking them. The vacations have been simply forward, and so they deliberate to take a brief break earlier than reconvening to maintain engaged on the music firstly of the brand new yr. Nonetheless, the sudden occurred when Willis handed away just some days later, on Christmas Eve of 2019. Tributes have been made on social media by her many admirers and collaborators; lofty information retailers revealed obituaries with highlights from her unbelievable checklist of accomplishments. Whereas the music world bemoaned the lack of an unsung legend, Golomb discovered himself additionally mourning a buddy.
Golomb put away “Decorative” within the wake of Willis’ passing. It was a number of years earlier than he felt able to return to the music they’d left unfinished. Nonetheless, the piece couldn’t languish incomplete ceaselessly, and Golomb finally started piecing collectively the tough sketches and musical concepts that they hadn’t finalized throughout their closing writing periods. (“It was a novel expertise crammed with completely different feelings,” he says.) The music steadily labored itself into the setlists of Trendy Time Machines’ reside exhibits. With the assistance of his bandmates and collaborators (Mike Morgan, Olya Volkova, Diana Christine Hereld, Arlene Ziordia, Jacquie Dillon, Nadia Franks, and Kaitlin Wolfberg, producer Josiah Mazzaschi) — Allee Willis’ closing music could be heard after greater than half a decade.
“Had Allee not shortly instructed we write collectively when she did, it will not have occurred,” says Golomb. “Left to my very own units, I might have most likely waited just a few extra e-mail exchanges to make an analogous suggestion, and with Allee’s premature passing, the collab virtually definitely by no means would have occurred. So, I assume it’s a life lesson to not postpone making a transfer to get your concepts by means of to the end line, significantly if for initiatives you’re keen about.” He continues: “Allee, greater than something, I feel, needed to elevate folks up and encourage others, and she or he definitely impressed me.”
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Trendy Time Machines will rejoice the discharge of “Decorative” with a particular present at The Goldfish in Los Angeles on September 2.
