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Music supervisor Amanda Krieg Thomas faced a unique challenge when tasked with creating the soundtrack for Ryan Murphy’s new FX series “The Shards.” The show, based on Brett Easton Ellis’ 2023 autofictional novel, required her to navigate not only Murphy’s signature approach of using well-known tracks to advance storytelling, but also Ellis’ deep integration of music throughout his work.
The novel, which follows a teenage version of Ellis and his glamorous Los Angeles friends during their senior year in 1981, contains extensive musical references spanning artists like Duran Duran, Blondie, and REO Speedwagon. When Ellis provided a Spotify playlist of every song mentioned in the book, Thomas discovered it contained approximately 200 tracks. She identified mandatory selections that appeared in scripts, including “Vienna” by Ultravox, “Year of the Cat” by Al Stewart, and “Funky Town,” while also incorporating “Icehouse” by Flowers as a pivotal bonding moment between characters.
Beyond these essential pieces, Thomas sought out lesser-known artists to enhance the soundtrack’s authenticity. Rather than relying solely on chart hits, she dug through catalogs of bands like Robin Lane and the Chartbusters and Gleaming Spires. Thomas emphasized that featuring these overlooked artists proved mutually beneficial, as musicians rarely licensed to major productions found tremendous meaning in being included in a high-profile series.
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Originally reported by Rollingstone →
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