Your musical prescription, courtesy of HBO’s The Knick

Doctors are meant to be saints but there’s nothing holy about Dr Thackery in period medical drama The Knick (2014-2015, stream Seasons 1 and 2 on Showmax).

Yes, he saves lives, and Clive Owen is brilliant as the 1900s head of surgery at New York’s famous Knickerbocker Hospital. But when he’s not elbow deep in a patient’s stomach or sawing off a leg without administering anaesthetic, Dr Thackery is chasing the magic dragon at underground opium dens or injecting any vein he can find (even between his toes) with cocaine.

“It doesn’t look good for him, does it?” says Clive. “When I did research, I went to [medical advisor] Dr Burns’ place and he had this incredible array of medical photographs from the period. Some of the photos, there were doctors teaching their students with themselves cut open and the clamps hanging off their body – the surgeon lecturers were operating on themselves. That takes some courage, yes?”

Party time

But while the action is following the doctors at The Knick (aka the Knickerbocker), it’s the soundtrack that steals the show. Director Steven Soderbergh (director of movies like Erin Brockovich in 2000 and Ocean’s 13 in 2007) brought in his long-time friend and musical collaborator Cliff Martinez, saying that “there really was only one man for the job”.

“The 1900s was a different time and you can’t just throw any music into it. It needs to fit seamlessly, go with the vibe and what you’re seeing onscreen. You’re trying so hard to place the viewer in this time and this place. But after seeing an episode, I knew what it needed.” – Cliff Martinez, composer

“I won’t lie, I had reservations at first,” explains Cliff, who specialises in EDM (electronic dance music), “because the 1900s was a different time and you can’t just throw any music into it. It needs to fit seamlessly, go with the vibe and what you’re seeing onscreen. You’re trying so hard to place the viewer in this time and this place. But after seeing an episode, I knew what it needed.”

The party scene from the 70s and 80s fits the bill for The Knick, with RollingStone.com calling it “the most compelling soundtrack on television” with “a constructed postmodern and curious through-line with droning, minimalistic synthesizer lines”.

Think of movies like Tron (1982) and The Terminator (1984) – movies with a high-tech feel but old-school appearance. That’s what Steven and Cliff were going for when they combined The Knick’s visuals with the musical score. “It’s pulsing and it’s electric and the two elements [visuals and music] combined keeps you on your feet,” says Cliff. “You’ve got to remember that Thackery is buzzing, he’s on a high, he is delirious and in a party mood. EDM fits that slot perfectly.”

Vibe to stay alive

The action in the period drama is fast and furious, especially when the doctors are in surgery.

“There’s no time to waste and that’s what makes the show so addictive,” says Steven. “This story has everything for me. It’s everything that I’m interested in. How new knowledge is created. That’s the thing I was most interested in – watching people trying to figure things out. When you went into hospital at that time [the 1900s], the assumption was that you weren’t coming out. No gloves, no masks in that operating room. That was the way things were done back then and the surgeons were buzzing. No anaesthetic…”

Dr Thackery is based on real-life doctors from the time and they were never questioned while working. If someone survived, the surgeons were heroes. If they died on the operating table, oh well – the surgeon did the best they could.

And that’s why it’s okay for Thackery to be on the dance-floor in his mind, partying like a clubbing druggie from almost a century later – because he could get away with it.

“I showed it to Cliff. I didn’t show anybody anything until I had some stuff. When he saw it, he knew what music it needed, and it worked.”

Where to find The Knick’s soundtrack online

If you want to party like Dr Thackery but you’re not into the blood and guts everywhere, there’s good news: you can find the music online…

Stream the songs on Spotify here – Season 1 and Season 2

Or buy the albums on iTunes here – Season 1 and Season 2

Start watching now »