Operation Interviewing the Maestro

[indy4 155]

I think he might also be interested in answering really nitty gritty questions that he's never been asked before. Questions about Thomas and the King, his obscure films and concert works, etc.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

For the most official route, John Williams' reps:

http://www.gsamusic.com/composers/

[TownerFan 4,983]

Guys, it's VERY hard to get an interview with him. If you wanna try, well, good luck. I also tried once through the fine people at Sony Music Italy (using my credentials as film music journalist) and they said to me "It's probably easier to obtain an interview with the Pope, forget it". Maybe JW himself would not have a problem talking even with a person who writes for a fan website, but his PR people are not interested in something like that. It's up to them to filter the zillion interview requests they receive.

[Thor 7,463]

Guys, it's VERY hard to get an interview with him. If you wanna try, well, good luck. I also tried once through the fine people at Sony Music Italy (using my credentials as film music journalist) and they said to me "It's probably easier to obtain an interview with the Pope, forget it". Maybe JW himself would not have a problem talking even with a person who writes for a fan website, but his PR people are not interested in something like that. It's up to them to filter the zillion interview requests they receive.

Again, fan sites (such as this or anything else) is probably IMPOSSIBLE to use as leverage, I agree. But when it's established film sites and portals, esp. the biggest in Scandinavia, the outcome MAY be different. At least for a very brief session. Even that sounds hard, I know, but I have nothing to lose by trying.

[TownerFan 4,983]

Sure, it's definitely worth a try. Good luck!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Ricard 2,242]

Thor, do you get paid for your contributions to montages.no?

[Thor 7,463]

Thor, do you get paid for your contributions to montages.no?

A little bit, yes, but it's not a fulltime job.

[Ricard 2,242]

And that makes it less a fan site, right?

[Thor 7,463]

And that makes it less a fan site, right?

Film enthusiasts run it, of course, so in that sense I guess you could call it a 'fan site', but it's a fully professional operation and more of a major Scandinavian portal for serious film stuff. They're simply not quite there in terms of paying their writers fulltime yet.

[Alejandro 26]

Just tell his agent that lots of members of the music branch of the Academy are on here! Also, the interview will be posted on the JWFan Facebook page, which hopefully has a number of film composers =) ... I think Williams and his people love publicity this time of year.

FSM did get an interview with Williams a long while ago, but I thought a lot of the questions weren't very interesting and the answers could be found in other interviews.

You can probably send a list of 8-10 questions to the agency to compliment a broader piece; they might provide the answers themselves rather than having Williams sit for a formal interview--if we just want answers to specific questions.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

Guys, it's VERY hard to get an interview with him. If you wanna try, well, good luck. I also tried once through the fine people at Sony Music Italy (using my credentials as film music journalist) and they said to me "It's probably easier to obtain an interview with the Pope, forget it". Maybe JW himself would not have a problem talking even with a person who writes for a fan website, but his PR people are not interested in something like that. It's up to them to filter the zillion interview requests they receive.

I don't think Sony Music Italy is the place to look first of all.

Second JWFan may not be The New York Times, but run a search on John Williams and IMDb, Wikipedia, and JWFan basically make up the maestros Internet presence and legacy. Combine that with the fact that his Wikipedia page is likely molded by fans from here, and we probably control Williams image and web legacy far more than his own agency.

It is to their benefit to at least consider a request.

Yeah, we can frame ourselves as Geeky Fan Girls with a site....or like above. For the purposes of being successful, I think the above will work better.

And that makes it less a fan site, right?

Ricard, you are running a site that is pretty influential in terms of the maestros image on the web. Your search rankings are proof of that. We can maybe even should collaborate with others, like partnering wih Thor to get this done but I think if we seriously want to do this, it should be this community carrying the banner.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Yeah, we can frame ourselves as Geeky Fan Girls with a site....or like above. For the purposes of being successful, I think the above will work better.

Hmmm....

jwgroupy.com

[tharpdevenport 4]

Generally I avoid agencies like the plague.

[Thor 7,463]

Generally I avoid agencies like the plague.

I think it would be impossible to get to Williams at all if you don't go through his agency.

[tharpdevenport 4]

When one of us crosses that road, then we'll know for 100%.

[TownerFan 4,983]

Guys, it's VERY hard to get an interview with him. If you wanna try, well, good luck. I also tried once through the fine people at Sony Music Italy (using my credentials as film music journalist) and they said to me "It's probably easier to obtain an interview with the Pope, forget it". Maybe JW himself would not have a problem talking even with a person who writes for a fan website, but his PR people are not interested in something like that. It's up to them to filter the zillion interview requests they receive.

I don't think Sony Music Italy is the place to look first of all.

I went through them because they have been always collaborative with me and my colleagues at ColonneSonore.net--they got us interviews with Debney, Goldenthal, Morricone and other nice composers.They also got me a contact with Zimmer, but the interview was never done because of schedule constraints on both parts. Record labels sometimes manage directly the PR with the press in conjunction with the OST release. So, right before Episode III was being released, I politely asked to them if there was some chance to get an interview with Williams, but they replied what I wrote up here. I knew it was pretty impossibile to get it, but I wanted to try. I also exchanged a few emails with Jeff Bond back then, asking how he got Williams interviewed for FSM. He said the contact was given because at the time he was freelancing as writer for the Hollywood Reporter and the piece was originally slated to be published on that prestigious magazine. However, Bond asked directly to Wiliams if it was fine for him to publish the piece on FSM as well and Williams gave his approval.

[indy4 155]

Well, since this project doesn't seem to be gathering enough momentum, I went ahead and requested an interview yesterday. I sent a digital request through the website of the concert that Williams' performed at. My approach was as a fan who knows about Williams' obscure works, as I figure the only way JW will agree to this is if he desired a chance to discuss his works in detail and volume that only a diehard fan would understand. I almost immediately got a response from somebody who worked there, who told me she would forward the request to JW's personal assistant. A few hours later I received this response:

Thank you for your very kind email to our client, John Williams, and for your interview request. John has just commenced composing a major new film score, which will keep him fully occupied for the next 6 months. As such, he regrets that he will not be available for general interviews in the near future. But I’ll be sure to pass along to him your kind words about his music, and your great enthusiasm for his work. John continues to be enormously grateful to all his many fans who’ve expressed to him over the years their appreciation and enjoyment of his music. Should an opportunity to grant an interview present itself in the foreseeable future, I’d be happy to let you know. In the meantime, we extend best wishes to you.

I'm just glad (and a little surprised) that I got any response. While it's not the situation I hoped for, at least there's some hope (although I won't be holding my breath). Also nice to know that he's begun work on Lincoln.