Whenever I mention Philip Glass, I am usually met with blank stares. When people respond asking if there was anything by Glass that they may have heard, I list some of the many, many soundtracks that Philip Glass has scored (and repurposed).
But aside from all of the films and plays that Phil has scored, I have also happened upon his music in unexpected places on television. I know there is far more out there than I list here.
Below I list Glass surprises from the following shows: Saturday Night Live, The Handmaid’s Tale, Truman Show, Battlestar Gallactica, South Park, The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, Gilmore Girls, and Frasier.
I also hear that there is great use of the “Knee Play” from Einstein on the Beach in the show Mr. Robot, but I haven’t seen it.
Saturday Night Live
I must start with this, because his 1986 performance on Saturday Night Live was the first time I’d ever heard of Philip Glass. Or, to be more accurate, a rerun of this episode which I saw in 1990 marks my first exposure to the music of Glass. He performed “Lightning” from In Liquid Days, plus a piece called “Rubric,” which was accompanied by clips from Koyaanisqatsi. I was immediately smitten, was soon obsessed, and have been intensely drawn to his music ever since.
I cannot find any clips of this show other than this video posted on Facebook, but I did find this thorough episode recap with photos.
The Handmaid’s Tale
Another great surprise was when I was watching the incredibly dark The Handmaid’s Tale and then the Heart of Glass Remix by Crabtree started. This takes the Blondie song Heart of Glass and ingeniously changes the tempo and remixes it with Philip Glass’ Violin Concerto II into a gobsmacking combination. It was the backdrop for a particularly wrenching scene, and it was the perfect choice. I think this delighted every Glass fan, but I was extra thrilled because I’d heard an earlier version of this remix years before and had long been searching it out. [Here’s the earlier version by Daft Beatles. This one is slightly more subdued than what was put together for Handmaid.]
The Truman Show
Okay, I know this isn’t a TV show, but I had to include it here as it took me by surprise. I saw The Truman Show in the theater when it came out in 1998. In one scene, Christof seems to be alone in the command center watching Truman sleep, then the camera pulls out and you see there is a lone pianist in the room playing. Of course when I immediately recognized the pianist as the actual Philip Glass I squealed and the people sitting nearby shushed me. (You’ll see Phil in this clip at around 1:28.)
Battlestar Gallactica
In the Season 2 episode of Battlestar Gallactica, “Valley of Darkness,” Starbuck is visiting her old Caprican apartment, puts a tape in a tape deck, and we hear what we later learn is her father playing the piano. The piece is Glass’ Metamorphosis One. (Bear McCreary, who scored the series, is a Glass fan.) If you watch BSG to the end and do the mental gymnastics to grok it, then this makes sense: of course Glass music is what has been etched into our consciousness at such a deep level that it can reemerge whole through almost the entirety of human evolution!
South Park
Probably the first time I saw a pop-culture reference to Philip Glass (well, aside from SNL) was in the Christmas episode of South Park, called “Mr. Hanky, the Christmas Poo.” It is as strange as one would expect from this show.
The Simpsons
There are quite a few humorous calls to Philip Glass in The Simpsons, like this one (note the mushrooms in his hand):
And here is their spoof of Koyaanisqatsi:
There are even more Glass mentions on The Simpsons — here’s a link to some of them on YouTube.
Bob’s Burgers
I’ve never watched Bob’s Burgers (what’s up with that bunny hat?), but I saw a clip from the episode “The Plight Before Christmas” that I found delightful. Sadly I can no longer find the actual video clip — but the following video at least has the audio which is wonderful. (I later watched this full episode, and I thought it was delightful.)
Gilmore Girls
This show used a piece from Koyaanisqatsi a bit in a derogatory way, but it was still awesome to encounter it. Here is the town weirdo, Kirk, in his avant-garde performance, of which we only see a few bits:
And here’s a captions-on screenshot of a scene from another episode in which a client of the hotel has some very high-maintenance requests:
Frasier
There are two mentions of Philip Glass (or his music) in this show, both of which are a tad snarky.
In the season 7 episode “Out With Dad,” Frasier says of a woman at the opera with whom he has been flirting:
“I have laughed with her during Figaro, cried with her during Tosca. I even had a dream about her during Einstein on the Beach.”
Then in the season 11 episode “The Doctor is Out,” a classical conductor (played by Patrick Stewart) walks into the coffee shop and the brothers have this exchange:
Frasier: He is only the head of the Seattle Opera Guild, and one of the finest directors in the world!
Niles: His productions are brilliant! He staged a Philip Glass opera last year and no one left.
Other Glass Posts: