Starting in 1990 and continuing until 2017, Alf Clausen composed the score for the hit animated sitcom “The Simpsons.” A lot of the incidental music on the show was extrapolated from the theme song composed by Danny Elfman, but Clausen also had to write the many songs that appeared on the series, forcing him to work in pretty much every genre. Clausen also composed music for TV shows like “The Critic,” “ALF,” and “Moonlighting.” A veteran of the industry, his compositions have been compiled on several “Simpsons” song and music albums.
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Clausen worked on “The Simpsons” for 27 years before being abruptly fired by the show’s higher-ups in 2017. He was replaced by a music firm called Bleeding Fingers Music, a collective co-founded by Hans Zimmer (who composed the 2007 box office hit that was “The Simpsons Movie”) and one that employs a whole team of talented music writers. Clausen was incensed by his firing, naturally, and actually ended up suing Fox over the matter, alleging that he was the victim of ageism. (Clausen was 78 at the time of his termination.) When the lawsuit was opened in 2019, Clausen maintained that the show falsely fired him for wanting to take its music “in a new direction.” He also said that he was fired over “perceived disability and age,” revealing that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
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It had already been alleged, however — as revealed by The Hollywood Reporter in 2020 – that Clausen was secretly subcontracting a lot of his composing work. It seems that his son, Scott Clausen, was stepping in to complete jobs for him.
Alf Clausen was allegedly outsourcing his music jobs in secret
According to the THR article, the producers of “The Simpsons” were having problems with their music as early as 2011. The show was getting more expensive, so some of the execs had proposed that Clausen’s orchestra be fired and replaced with synthesizers and electronic instruments. “The Simpsons,” it should be noted, is one of the few series to have always used a full orchestra, so this would’ve been a massive change in ethos for the show. Luckily, Clausen was able to stay onboard despite the price hike. (By then, he was earning $12,000 an episode, plus royalties.)
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Problems arose, however, with Clausen’s work on the 2017 episode “The Great Phatsby.” The hour-long installment was a two-headed satire of both Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” and the hit TV series “Empire” (which was going through production troubles of its own). “Empire” music producer Jim Beanz was even recruited to develop many original songs for the episode. Unfortunately, it appears that longtime “Simpsons” producer James L. Brooks was unhappy with the supporting score that Clausen had made, feeling that he might have lost his ability to adapt.
Brooks’ fellow “Simpsons” producer Richard Sakai also revealed another wrinkle: Clausen had been hiring people in secret to work on “The Simpsons” for him. As the former put it:
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“Around that time, I learned that Clausen had been delegating some of the work of composing music for ‘The Simpsons’ to others, including his son Scott Clausen. […] I believed his unauthorized delegation was unacceptable. I called showrunner [Al] Jean and told him that Clausen had been delegating his composing work; he conveyed to me that he was surprised and disturbed as well.”
Yeah, that’s not cool.
Al Clausen was fired after the higher-ups had a meeting about him
It seems that Brooks met with Jean, Sakai, and showrunner Matt Selman about what to do about the allegations. They all felt that firing Clausen was the correct course. Not only was he delegating, but his work was also suffering as a resort. They let Clausen finish out the season before firing him and replacing him with the Bleeding Fingers staff musicians. (Bleeding Fingers does not use a full orchestra.)
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Clausen, as mentioned, took the producers to court, stating that he was not only replaced with someone younger, but also by someone the “Simpsons” producers wouldn’t have to pay as much. Clauson, it should be noted, scored 550 episodes of the show in total.
By 2020, though, Fox had stood its ground. Clausen was in the wrong and had never said anything about his disability nor any prejudice because of his age at any time before his firing. The court papers read:
“Apart from the considerable evidence supporting the legitimate creative reasons for the decision, Clausen’s claims are undermined by several facts: He was 48 when he was first engaged as a composer and continued to work through his 50s, 60s, and into his 70s; Clausen admits his disability was not affecting his work and that he needed no accommodations; and he fails to identify any comments showing animus based on his age, disability or any protected activity.”
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After some fighting, Clausen finally dropped the case in 2022, as reported by Variety. Part of the case had already been dismissed in 2020, however, and Clausen noted that he was likely going to be ruled against. So, rather than follow through, he abandoned it altogether.
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