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If you got to sit down and talk with JW, what would your top three questions be?


Jurassic Shark

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How do you go from a scene without music to a complete cue? Aka, what is your writing process?

What do you think about / take into consideration when trying to come up with a suitable theme?

Do you always try to go for something everyone will remember and love?

(Can you force the LSO to do more re-recordings?)

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1. What are your personal top 3 favourite scores that you wrote, and why?

2. What has been some of your biggest regrets in your career? 

3. Which score/movie do you prefer? Minority Report or War of the Worlds? :D

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I would cheat and present to him the 10 question questionnaire by Bernard Pivot made famous by James Lipton in Inside the Actor's Studio.

What is your favorite word? 

What is your least favorite word? 

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? 

What turns you off?

What is your favorite curse word?

What sound or noise do you love?

What sound or noise do you hate?

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

What profession would you not like to do?

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

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13 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

That's a few good, but mostly shit questions, Inky.

Don't blame me, I didn't create the questionnaire. Plus most of those are things Williams hasn't probably answered before.

 

I would also ask about his army stint in the 1950's (for Thor's sake) and the scoring of You Are Welcome during that time or about his Juilliard days or how he feels about his son Joseph Williams' career (does he listen to Toto?). Or has he met any comely looking trees lately?

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Just now, Quintus said:

What is your quest?

What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Have you ever seen a grown man naked?

I would be pleasantly surprised if ol' Johnny was acquainted with Monty Python.

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Difficult to say how I would formulate them, exactly, but they would be three questions where I could get as much out of him as possible about the early days or more obscure works and collaborations.

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14 minutes ago, Thor said:

Difficult to say how I would formulate them, exactly, but they would be three questions where I could get as much out of him as possible about the early days or more obscure works and collaborations.

 

1. What's your life story?

2. When did you leave the army?

3. What's up with the symphony?

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36 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

1. What's your life story?

2. When did you leave the army?

3. What's up with the symphony?

 

He, he. Good suggestions, although for no. 2, it would be 'when did you ENTER the air force', not when did you leave it.

 

Of course, by using inserted sentences and clauses, it's possible to ask more than one question in one question.

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I would take a copy of last year's John Williams Harry Potter collection, then we would listen to Chamber of Secrets together and he would tell me the story behind each cue: did you write this? And what about that? 

 

Also, I would ask if Spielberg and Lucas constantly messing with his scores for The Lost World and the prequels had left him pissed off, and how he dealt with the anger. And why, with so many entertainment options these days, he didn't scored something other than a movie (like a game or a minisseries) on the last few years.

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1 minute ago, Edmilson said:

I would take a copy of last year's John Williams Harry Potter collection, then we would listen to Chamber of Secrets together and he would tell me the story behind each cue: did you write this? And what about that? 

 

Nice idea, but I'm afraid he wouldn't remember. :(

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58 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

Yeah, probably not. So I would have to ask him for his sheet music for CoS, if he even keeps that at his house or his office. 

 

He has book shelves at home with all his original sketches:
 

A6452E70-D5ED-4978-9E62-C7BBE774DE98.jpeg

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I would ask him to release his symphony. I would ask him to describe in detail how a typical 3-hr scoring session works. And I would certainly have to ask him to pose for a photo with me. 

But there are so many other questions too...

 

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1-If you didn’t become a composer or a musician, what would you be doing right now?

2-Which musician would you like to collaborate with next?

3-What inspires you?

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1. What was your relationship with Jerry Goldsmith over the years, and can you share any details about working with him as a piano soloist on some of his earliest scores (Studs Lonigan, City of Fear, and are the rumors true that you worked on his first feature score, Black Patch)?

2. Why are you opposed to releases of your wonderful scores to The Rare Breed and Story of a Woman, and what can we say to change your mind?

3. I know it's a favorite score of yours, so would you please record (or allow others to do so) a complete new recording of Jane Eyre?

:)

Yavar

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7 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

1. Do you feel you could have done more?

2. Have you ever written too many notes?

3. Is one of your granddaughters single?

This is why I have you on my ignore list. 

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2 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Yet you read my posts and post in my threads. That's not good statistics, Bay.

You made a good thread. It happens. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. As for reading your posts, occasionally I check in on those who I ignore to see if there’s reason to unignore. So far, nope. 

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2 minutes ago, Bayesian said:

You made a good thread. It happens. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. As for reading your posts, occasionally I check in on those who I ignore to see if there’s reason to unignore. So far, nope. 

 

I sense much anger in you. Now, stick to the topic.

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1 minute ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

I sense much anger in you. Now, stick to the topic.

Your instincts here are as poor as your sense of humor.
 

Speaking of being on-topic, you could try it too. If yours are literally the three questions you’d ask JW, you’re an idiot. I suspect those aren’t the questions you’d ask, though, so why undermine your own thread with posts like that?

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9 hours ago, Josh500 said:

1. What are your personal top 3 favourite scores that you wrote, and why?

2. What has been some of your biggest regrets in your career? 

3. Which score/movie do you prefer? Minority Report or War of the Worlds? :D

For Q1, he usually cites CE3K.

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1) If you had it to do over, would you have gone the composing route or pursued the performance side as a pianist?

2) Do you wish, a la Previn, that you would have done fewer scores and more concert pieces or are you happy with the balance?

3) Is it difficult, rewarding, or both to listen to other conductors interpret your own work?  

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