The quote is from a 1998 interview, when it wasn't as widely-known that Trevor's scoring career began in South Africa rather than America. As I've noted previously, although the usual cited year of release for Death of a Snowman is 1978, my research indicates it was first released in South Africa in 1976. 1978 was the year it was released worldwide under the name Black Trash. A couple years before the recent official DVD release under the movie's original title, I obtained a gray market copy of Black Trash, the name obviously chosen to appeal to the Blaxplotation market even though Death of a Snowman, strictly speaking, is not that kind of film. I remarked to Trevor that, in my opinion, Death of a Snowman wasn't any better or worse, in terms of the plot and acting, than The Glimmer Man - providing one of those career ironies in regard to his full-time return to film scoring twenty years after an obscure debut in the field.Well, unbeknownst to everybody, I did a movie when I was 19.... #TrevorRabin #citations https://t.co/XITsPCYcTQ— RussoRussel (@RussoRussel) March 17, 2016
This is not to imply that he couldn't have written a score at 19, because Trevor was definitely a wunderkind: discovered at age 14 by Patric van Blerk, playing on recording sessions as a teenager, experiencing unprecedented nationwide success by his early 20s. But there are several indicators to illustrate the Maestro's chronology is a bit off when it comes to this particular project. Trevor was 19 in 1973, which was the year he and Ronnie Friedman participated in Freedom's Children. Trevor did perform session work during this period, and it's possible he was still studying at university that year as well, but I do not believe he would have had the appropriate amount of time available to compose a film score the old-fashioned way, as he has chronicled in various interviews.
My assertion: Trevor was 21 - rather than 19 - when he wrote his first score, in 1975.
The centerpiece of Trevor's career at that time, Rabbitt, provides some reference points. One of the tracks on their 1975 release Boys Will Be Boys! is "Death of Tulio," which is under 30 seconds, qualifying it as something a bit less than an instrumental interlude. It wasn't until I actually watched Death of a Snowman that I realized "Death of Tulio" was a cue from the movie, as Tulio is the name of one of the henchmen working for the titular Snowman character. However, it is not the cue used for that (spoiler alert) scene in the movie. I originally thought it was an unused cue which Trevor decided to include on the album because they (Rabbitt) had played on it, but it is actually used in another part of the movie and does refer to a death - for a scene which shows newspapers delivered with a headline declaring War On Crime (the Snowman's nom de guerre) has eliminated another rival. Given that much of the score for the film is rock/soul rather than orchestral, it's an entirely logical supposition to assign the performance credits to Trevor, Neil and Ronnie.
Rabbitt's hit single "Charlie" is used in a scene featuring reporter Steve Chaka's girlfriend (who is also named Charlie) and I would imagine the song was not recorded before 1975. When I told Trevor that "Charlie" can be heard in the movie, he ruefully did not approve of his younger self's decision to include it, which I would assume - as the musical director - he would have made, or at least agreed to.
Another detail is the cameo by vocalist Margaret Singana, who mimes along to "I Feel So Strong" (from 1974's Love Is The Power) as well as "Open Your Mind" (co-written by Trevor, from Stand By Your Man, released in 1975). As we know, Trevor was involved with her career at that time and I believe he and Patric van Blerk had something to do with her appearance in the movie, but either way the choice of songs also indicates the applicable time period.
This clip provides a true example of the type of scoring which Trevor provided for this film.
I would not recommend any but the most dedicated of completists add this movie to their collection (but if you're an Amazon Prime member you can watch a decent-quality copy of Black Trash for free), although if nothing else it offers a glimpse of the Johannesburg environs in that particular era, including a shot of landmark Hillbrow Tower in one scene. But it is an example of just how dedicated and ambitious Trevor was at that very young age to take on whatever project he thought was interesting, challenging, and something new in his overall development and experience. Whatever the outcome, a hallmark of Trevor's musical journey is to be adventurous, and we fans appreciate and admire his eternal resolve.
