Alan Horvath | Asbury Park Press Article

New Jersey's Asbury Park Press | December 14, 2001
On the Go Magazine: Centerfold

Lord of the Strings:
North Brunswick musician Alan Horvath is on an epic quest
By CHRIS JORDAN - Staff Writer
Photo by Jason Towlen - Staff Photographer

North Brunswick musician Alan Horvath is not exactly a fan of Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated version of "The Lord of the Rings."

"They made two mistakes," Horvath said. "One, they didn't get my music in the movie, and two, they commissioned Ralph Bakshi to animate it. His background is porno-cartoons, and this is a very spiritual story."

Yikes! What were they thinking?

Bakshi is best known for directing the 1973 X-rated animated feature "Fritz the Cat."

But that's another story. Today we speak of the new film version of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings," which, er, rings into movie theaters Wednesday across the country.

Starring Cate Blanchett and Sean Bean, the film is the first of a new take on Tolkien's "Ring" trilogy, which was shot simultaneously for a combined cost of $270 million, according to reports. Parts two and three are scheduled for release during the holiday seasons of 2002 and 2003, respectively.

Where on Middle-earth does Horvath come in? First, he's a fan.

"('The Lord of the Rings') was flaring up in the colleges back then," said Horvath, 50, of the early '70s. "So the buzz was out and about. I got the flu, I was lying in bed for three days and there's three books."

Horvath was enthralled.

"They have languages with different alphabets," Horvath said of the books. "I remember dating a girl, she was in Jersey, I was in California, and we'd write letters to each other in the Elven language."

By the ancestors of Frodo, that is a fan.

Horvath was so inspired by the books that he started writing "Rings"-related songs and tried to place his songs in the Bakshi film with no luck. When Bakshi's '78 version of "Rings" came out, Horvath (who was professionally known as Alan Post at the time) released an album of "Rings"-inspired music. A single from the album, Friends Should Never Say Goodbye, received airplay locally on Jack Ellery's WCTC-AM show, and there was even talk that David Bowie was interested in developing the project.

However, Bakshi's bomb dashed any hope of further developing Horvath's "Lord of the Rings" songs.

"The movie came out and it just hit the dirt," Horvath said. "Everything just died -- the whole thing seemed to just fade."

But Horvath, who has been diligently plugging away in the music scene for the last 30-plus years, has kept his ears open for any new "Rings" projects.

"Big time," said Horvath, who last year started trying to figure out who to pitch his songs to when he heard of the new movie. "It's still difficult to get past the guard dogs."

Apparently, Horvath got his songs in the hands of the new "Rings" film producers, which gives him hope that his tunes might be used in the sequels.

Until then, Horvath's 'Rings songs -- some brand new and others 20-plus years old -- are available though his Web site, AlanHorvath.com. The tracks -- which feature Horvath on guitar, dulcimer, octave mandolin and autoharp -- are engaging and brim with clarity and directness. Horvath possesses a supple singing voice and is able to write melody-friendly songs, a skill often lost amid the clamor of contemporary music.

"I'm excited," said Horvath of his album and the new film version of "Rings."

"I hope the movie has the heart that I think it does."

Check out the music! [Click Here]

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