JWFAN Cool Wall poll 5: John Williams

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Ok here's a big one:

John Williams is the greatest film composer alive today, there is not a shred of doubt about that.

The most succesfull, the most respected and probably still the most talented.

But as for coolness let's look at a few things.

John Williams has scored all the Star wars films, but Star Wars hasn't been cool since 1980, or perhaps 1983. Now the fanbase has been completely taken over by the fanboy geeks.

Harry Potter isn't cool, it was cool a few years ago, but not anymore (like the X-files was only cool for 2 or 3 years of the 9 it lasted) and even though he's not scoring the films anymore, his music is still firmly associated with the franchise.

Spielberg? Forget it the last cool Spielberg film was Jurassic Park.

For years Williams was the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra.

Not the Boston Symphony Orchestra mind you, the Pops. The watered down version that plays easy listening classical music edited down so that the common folk wil enjoy it. Or the most obvious selections of movie tunes.

John is a regular guest at the Oscars and nominated almost every year, But this seems to be almost out of habbit instead of anything else.

Like that old uncle you invite to family get togethers every year, because you kinda have to. He fits in though, like old well worn wallpaper.

Nominated some 45 times but won only 5? If I trow a dice 45 times I'm bound to end up with the number 6 more often then that.

That makes Williams a bit of a loser..

In all his interviews there has never been the slightest hint of a disagreement with anyone he has worked, nor has he ever spoken out about thing that must have grieved him (the music situation of the Prequels for instance). He's utterly diplomatic and never says anything that isn't gracefull and appriciating. There's isn no known record of Williams having a bad day of being in a bad mood in the last 20 or so years.

So he's old, softspoken and mildmannered to a fault and no one who has ever work with him has anything bad to say about him.

This would be seriously uncool if Williams was just faking it, like Horner does. But I seriously believe this genuinly is Williams personality.

Williams is not cool, but he's simply not trying to be cool, he has no interest in that sort of thing.

Also he wears a turtle neck, which is not cool.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,070]

Uncool.

He's like your really nice and quiet grandpa. He's nice and he's smooth. But he isn't cool.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Also he wears his trousers rather high up.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,070]

He also has on numerous occasions mentioned (more diplomatically and less bluntly) that he has no life outside of scoring films and the Pops.

Of course lately he has developed a thing for watching his grandchildren grow.

Oh and Steef, there is nothing wrong with black turtle necks as long as they're worn with a pair of blue jeans.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Turltle necks were cool in the 60's if Michael Caine or James Coburn wore them....

[futuremartymcfly 0]

He's cool because he practically saved film music, but not subzero for reasons aforementioned.

[Marian Schedenig 8,233]

Simply not cool.

[Luke Skywalker 1,799]

As KM put it, 0º K

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

This one is pretty cool though.

But it's an isolated incident.

As KM put it,  0º K

KM is a dentist.

Digging into people gums isn't excatly the new Rock & Roll.

[ChrisAfonso 188]

Musically he's a genious.

As a person, he seems to be nice and pleasant to be around. But not cool.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It was rather a shock for me to see this old man collecting the Oscar for Schindlers List back in 1994, when I was still 16.

[Ollie 1,061]

He's cool.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Explain why?

[Ollie 1,061]

Because he's John Fuckin Williams, that's why.

This is the man who has written some of the greatest themes (and music) for films, this is the man who is still manages to be on top of his field, this is a man who is still in demand, this is man, at age 73, who scored 4 different films in 2005 and managed to give them each a unique voice.

So what if he's diplomatic and polite. He's being himself and that's cool in my book. He's not some bitter or phony composer.

[Red 75]

Its hard for me to separate John Williams the composer from John Williams the man. With that being said I consider him to be cool, because of the impact of his music. John is not cool, but his work elevates him to become cool. Most geniuses weren't that cool anyway.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

He's being himself and that's cool in my book. He's not some bitter or phony composer.

He is indeed being himself, but himself simply is not a very cool person.

And in Williams case there isn't really anything wrong or tragic about that.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Williams may not be really cool, but to say he's uncool may also be a bit much. I feel he's somewhere in the middle here.

- Marc, who'll have to think about this some more before voting.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

There is no middle, not in real life, nor in this.

You are either hip, or square.

You down with that, brotha?

[Ollie 1,061]

For a moderator he seems to be on the fence alot......

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

He is almost 75. Turtle necks and trousers high up are cool for people of that age.

(You don't need pony tails or any other tricks to look younger.)

It is nice to see there's still people who are polite and behave nicely.

I've seen too many interviews people can bullshit but can't compose.

He has conduct many great orchestras in the US.

HE IS SUB ZERO

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

There is no middle, not in real life, nor in this.

You are either hip, or square.

You down with that, brotha?

In that case, John Williams is cool.

For a moderator he seems to be on the fence alot......

Shut the hell up!

Or not...

[Ollie 1,061]

[alfredo 0]

Hes happy to meet any of his fans, he rolls in a BMW (at least to the Hollywood Bowl he did), at 74 he managed to crack out 4 original scores, and to quite the contrary of what has been said, he will tell anybody off. At the Bowl, there was sound coming out of the monitors on his podium. He stopped the orchestra and asked for the sound guy, asked what was up and told the guy in a rather assertive tone that "we need to do that again." Also, didn't he storm out of the screening room for Superman II and told Salkind that he just could not work with Richard Lester. This guy is freakin cool man, maybe not sub zero, but he is freakin cool.

[Ollie 1,061]

I wouldn't take that last part about S II to be the truth.

[Romão 2,274]

He is cool in the sense he seems to be such an easy going and pleasant company. There´nothing uncool about him.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

considering his recent output, seriously uncool.

His recent output, not his potter or prequel stuff, but his other movie scores have not brought any new fans to the table and why because while its nice music, its boring as hell. They are great dust collectors.

Then throw in his crap scores from Rots and Aotc, and well he's like a great steak thats sat in the sun for 8 hours.

[SomeNewGuy 0]

Then throw in his crap scores from Rots and Aotc, and well he's like a great steak thats sat in the sun for 8 hours.

I would gobble up that steak without hesitation.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Joe, I know you won't get this. But it's not stricly about the music. It's about many other aspects too.

For instance, Williams driving a BMW

[JoeinAR 1,949]

John's too old to drive, and in Boston no less, where millions of dangerous drivers exist.

[John Crichton 4]

Just check him out throwing out the first pitch at a Red Sox game in a Red Sox cap and all. That's pretty cool. I still think a baseball conversation with Williams could be interesting.

[RomanticStrings 10]

Sub Zero. I say this for all of the same reasons as in the first post. They all point to the coolest composer in my book. Granted, my version of cool does not jive with pop culture's, but do I care? No!

Sub Zero on the coolness scale; infinity on the awesome scale!

~Conor

[Red 75]

considering his recent output, seriously uncool.  

His recent output, not his potter or prequel stuff, but his other movie scores have not brought any new fans to the table and why because while its nice music, its boring as hell.  They are great dust collectors.

Then throw in his crap scores from Rots and Aotc, and well he's like a great steak thats sat in the sun for 8 hours.

Such dishonor.......

[JoeinAR 1,949]

yes it is such a dishonor for him to give us such garbage, when he's given us such greatness.

[Frosty 0]

Who cares!?

[King Mark 3,631]

Well,he's a living god,and just the fact that he exists makes him cool enough.

K.M.

[Admiral Holdo 16]

So is Steef the only one authorized to do these Cool Wall threads, 'cause I might like to do a few of these.

[AI 0]

The real definition of cool, is, and has always been, not giving a flying fuck about what cool is.

Williams is uber-cool. He's The Man.

[Damo 0]

Arlight....according to this thread it seems that John Williams is cool because of his musically a genious as a world famous film composer. But, however, he isn't cool because of his apperance as a person and his characteristics considering he is now old and look like a grandpa.

[crocodile 8,032]

Well,he's a living god,and just the fact that he exists  makes him cool enough.

K.M.

Arlight....according to this thread it seems that John Williams is cool because of his musically a genious as a world famous film composer. But, however, he isn't cool because of his apperance as a person and his characteristics considering he is now old and look like a grandpa.

He's the grandpa of film music right now. That's why he's sub zero.

Karol

[Quintus 5,399]

A film composer who has fans from all walks of life, people who don't even have a thing for film music, yet they sometimes find themselves whistling the Indy theme or the Imperial March, is cool. Even famous metal bands and dance music dj's know and respect the man. I'd say Williams is very cool, but not quite sub-zero.

Oh and he surely must be one of the coolest grandads on the planet.

"What does your grandad do?"

"Oh he wrote the Superman theme"

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

He's freakin' cool.

[robthehand 3]

He's cool, but definitely not sub-zero.

[Incanus 5,723]

If there is a thing called "Grandpa coolness" then Williams is certainly subzero. I would say he has perfected it.

[Ollie 1,061]

I don't think there is anyone deserving of the Sub Zero award.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Jerry Goldsmith.

[Ollie 1,061]

Nope, he's cool. But that's another poll.

[Marcus 390]

John Williams is sub-zero in my book, because he has great integrity, and doesn't pretend to be anything other than what he is: A composer who works all the time, and takes his work very seriously, and as succesful as he is, he still seems genuinely humble about it, and about his achievements in general.

Any composer who can get to his level (and they truly are few and far between), and still prefers to talk about Mendelssohn or Haydn or Takemitsu, and who can casually quote even the most obscure chamber work(including contemporary music) without ever really trying to impress with his knowledge, is very cool.

I have tremendous respect for his personality, and for him being simply a nice person.

John Williams is as succesful a humanbeing as he is a composer.

That is sub-zero.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

I have tremendous respect for his personality, and for him being simply a nice person.  

John Williams is as succesful a humanbeing as he is a composer.  

That is sub-zero

Period

[pixie_twinkle 48]

The cat just got 25 million bucks for writing a 30-second piece of crap for the football theme. That's pretty sub-zero in my book.

[Marian Schedenig 8,233]

Well,he's a living god,and just the fact that he exists  makes him cool enough.

The ancient Greek gods were quite cool, so much is true.