Writing has always been my passion, fuelled by my desire to satisfy my curiosity and to bring order into a chaotic world by trying to make sense of it in books and essays.

In the following section you can get an impression of my published books. This part includes excerpts, reviews and interviews as well as classes I have given. Further below you will find a selection of my articles, interviews and essays.

The Unfilmable Confederacy of Dunces: How Ignatius J. Reilly Defeated Hollywood

For over 40 years, dozens of directors, writers and producers have tried to adapt John Kennedy Toole’s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic A Confederacy of Dunces. They have all failed. Lawsuits were filed, filming locations destroyed, friendships shattered, reputations trashed, production companies bankrupted.

This book tells the unbelievable-yet-true story of the un-making of A Confederacy of Dunces as a breathless and absurdist thriller. The stars include celebrities such as John Belushi, Steven Soderbergh, Stephen Fry, Pedro Almodóvar, Robin Williams, Warren Beatty and Harvey Weinstein among many others.

With exclusive interviews, internal documents, and excerpts from private correspondence, I shed a light on the turbulent production history of a film that was never meant to be. For the first time, a detailed account of a doomed project is made public. It features passionate oil magnates, abusive Hollywood executives, an interfering uber-mother, and struggling artists on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Reviews:

„This book is more than simply a sequence of anecdotes but instead a small lesson about the film industry and stubbornness. […] Eicke researched the story with noticeable enthusiasm, conducted interviews and managed to make protagonists talk about their failures. It’s a film historic book that would have pleased John Kennedy Toole.“ ray magazine

„If you are one of the great many people who idolise Toole’s most famous book or, indeed, one of those people who can’t get enough of insider film knowledge – The Unfilmable Confederacy of Dunces will likely tell you a lot about stuff you weren’t previously aware of. Eicke is at his best when he is writing about the book itself and his obvious passion sweeps you up. If you can get to the end of this book without wanting to re-read the lodestone that started all of this… well, you’re a better person than me. The Unfilmable Confederacy of Dunces will also have you demanding that someone gets off their arse, cuts through the red tape and serves up a goddamn film of the book. Finally.“ Bookmunch

Publisher
McFarland, USA

Year
2022

The Struggle Behind the Soundtrack: Inside the Discordant World of Film Scoring

Do you want to pick up a light saber whenever you hear John Williams’ Star Warstheme? Get the urge to ride into the desert and face down steely-eyed desperados to the refrain of Ennio Morricone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly? Does Hans Zimmer’s Pirates of the Caribbean score have you talking like Jack Sparrow?
From the Westerns of the 1960s to current blockbusters, composers for both film and television have faced new challenges—evermore elaborate sound design, temp tracks, test audiences and working with companies that invest in film score recordings all have led to creative sparks, as well as frustrations.
Drawing on interviews with more than 40 notable composers, this book gives an in-depth analysis of the industry and reveals the creative process behind such artists as Klaus Badelt, Mychael Danna, Abel Korzeniowski, Walter Murch, Rachel Portman, Alan Silvestri, Randy Thom and others.

Reviews:

„Stephan Eicke shows the dark reality of a Hollywood ripe with abuse, pressure and exploitation. […] This book is full of brave statements, and a must-read for those who want to have a future in Hollywood. Those who are hoping for the best can prepare for the worst. It is a fundamental book.“ Fotogramas

„There is no doubt that Eicke’s book makes some highly valuable contributions to the development of scholarly understanding of the contemporary film-music business. It breaks new ground in its consideration of oft-hidden matters such as film-music publishing and composers’ rights, the murky issues of ghostwriting and unionisation, and working practices at Remote Control Productions.“ Dr. Ian Sapiro, Music, Sound, and the Moving Image; Liverpool University Press

„Stephan Eicke is one of the most intelligent, knowledgeable and fine cynics in this medium. He’s an ant in an environment of cicadas. Admiration and respect!“ MundoBSO

„This book is an entertaining analysis of the working conditions for composers. It’s an especially lively read because it is built around interviews with 40 composers.“ ray magazine

„The author had managed to extract some frank comments from the composers which helps distinguish The Struggle Behind the Soundtrack from other composer interview books. Eicke’s book deserves to be read by a wider audience and not just be limited to those who have an interest in film.“ ReelMusic

„This is a very interesting book; the chapter on Hans Zimmer alone makes it worthwhile and I have to say I learned a lot from reading it. Recommended.“ Hellbound

„Eicke’s book is a very interesting one by investigating a topic not elsewhere covered in film music books and daring to point a spotlight at struggles that lie within the film music workplace. There’s enough information at hand here to warrant consideration, and to lend some understanding of conditions under which composers have to work.“ BuySoundtrax

„If you are starting out as a composer, I highly recommend this book!“ Carly Paradis

Interviews and Lectures:

Publisher
McFarland, USA

Year
2019

In the following section you can get an overview of different articles and essays I have written as well as read interviews I conducted.

I have been fortunate to have worked for various magazines and companies over the years. For Coffee Circle, a Berlin-based specialty coffee organisation, I wrote exclusive content in different styles and approaches. Some content takes the form of a diary entry, of a poem, of a critical analysis of climate conditions, and of a comic strip.

From 2007 until 2016 I served as editor-in-chief for the European film music magazine Cinema Musica and contributed countless articles and interviews, a small selection of which is available here to read.

For the Europäische FilmPhilharmonie, an established organisation that plans and executes film music concerts all over the world, I have penned new content for their homepage both in German and English.

Coffee Circle

  • Pumpkin Spice Latte – Ein Tagebucheintrag

  • Minimal Waste & Maximal Taste – Ein Porträt

  • Lupinenkaffee – Ein Dialog

  • Dürfen Kinder Kaffee trinken? – Ein Märchen

  • Wie reinige ich meine Bialetti? – Eine Fotostory

  • Coffee in Times of Corona – An Interview (E)

  • Robusta – Ein Liebesbrief

  • Fairtrade im Wandel der Zeit – Eine Kritik

  • Pour-Over-Filter – Ein Test

  • Klimawandel und Kaffeeanbau – Ein Report

  • Vielen Dank für das Blooming – Eine Anleitung

  • Kopi Luwak – Ein Manifest

Cinema Musica

  • Interview mit Michel Legrand

  • Mychael Dannas The Ice Storm

  • Georges Delerues Le Chevalier du Neige

  • Interview mit David Shire

  • Roy Budd: Get the Wunderkind

  • Interview mit Mychael Danna

ray Filmmagazin

  • Hollywood: Porträt und Demontage – Charles Bukowskis und Barbet Schroeders Film Barfly

  • Im Schatten – Ein Porträt des Komponisten Mieczysław Weinberg

  • Tempel der frustrierten Träume: Das Verschwinden des Franz-Josef Spieker

Directors And Their Composers

  • Werner Herzog & Ernst Reijseger – Part I

  • Werner Herzog & Ernst Reijseger – Part II

  • Werner Herzog & Ernst Reijseger – Analysis

  • Mike Leigh & Andrew Dickson & Gary Yershon – Part I

  • Mike Leigh & Andrew Dickson & Gary Yershon – Part II

  • Mike Leigh & Andrew Dickson & Gary Yershon – Part III

  • Mike Leigh & Andrew Dickson & Gary Yershon – Analysis

  • Ken Loach & George Fenton – Part I

Europäische FilmPhilharmonie