The man who wrote the West Wing theme tells us how TV music is made

W.G. "Snuffy" Walden doesn't read or write music. That didn't stop him from writing the theme for The West Wing. Or Friday Night Lights. Or My So-Called Life. Or Thirtysomething. Or, really, many of your favorite TV shows. Walden's career began as a member of a rock band, and he went on to become a studio musician, even appearing on an episode of Laverne & Shirley as a member of Squiggy's band, "the Squigtones." But his big break, the one that would lead him to a massive career and an Emmy (atop many nominations), came when the creators of Thirtysomething wanted a folkier sound for their show about baby boomers aging into parenthood and responsibility. Walden, who wrote much of the score while trying things out on his guitar, got his moment, and he's scored lots and lots of shows since, including four in production right now. Walden joins Todd to talk about the process of writing music for TV (especially when you're composing for multiple shows at the same time), where The West Wing theme came from, and why he loves Jimi Hendrix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices