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John Williams and Itzhak Perlman on Regis (1997)


Hector J. Guzman

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This is an interview I have on video with John Williams and Itzhak Perlman when they appeared in the old "Regis and Kathy Lee" show. They were promoting their recent release "Cinema Serenade". Hope you like it :thumbup:

===============================================

[applause]

[Regis shakes hands with John Williams and Itzhak Perlman]

REGIS PHILBIN: Itzhak, good to see you.

KATHY LEE: Good to see you.

JOHN WILLIAMS: Good to see you too. Lovely.

RP: (talking to Perlman) So Ed Sullivan brought you over here when you were 13?

ITZHAK PERLMAN: Yes, that's correct.

RP: And you stayed? Or...

IP: Um, yes. For a long time.

[chuckles]

RP: Do you have memories of Ed when he introduced you around the show? Did he say anything to you? (imitating Ed Sullivan) "Very nice young man."

IP: Yes, he was very, very sweet. Very, very nice man.

KL: You didn't speak any english, though at the time.

IP: No. Not at all. I just looked at him like this (crosses arms like Ed Sullivan), and I'd say, "well, that's a good sign".

[laughter]

RP: So you fellows have been performing together this summer, huh?

IP: Well, we've done a few things.

RP: At Tanglewood just recently?

JW: Yes, over the years, a lot..

KL: Many...

JW: ... many, many things too, yes...

RP: Whose idea was it to finally get together on a CD?

JW: I don't know, I think some idea to put some film music together with one of the great instrumentalists of any period of music, was a unique thought... I don't know how it...

[talking over each other]

IP: Well, I'd always bug John, you know, come on let's make something together in film, something like that, because I, you know, I whenever I listen to your music in film, it's so good, it's so skillful, so I said, "I'd like to do something like that".

RP: Now, were you both child prodigies?

JW: Oh, I certainly was, when I began maybe 6 or 7 years old playing piano the nomal way children would do...

KL: With a teacher? Or...

JW: With teacher. My father was a professional musician all of his life, very good musician, so the house was full of musicians, his friends were musicians, so I'd thought when I was little that when you grew up to be an adult you were a musician, that's what adults did [laughter], there were no other kind of adults, you know? So with this kind of background with me, but I think Itzhak maybe was a child prodigy, I would think...

IP: No, no. I wasn't... I was talented. I was talented.

KL: And your parents knew it right off?

IP: Um, yes, they thought I, everybody thought I had a nice tone, which (word or words I did not understand), but I certanly was not, you know by age 8 or 9 ready to go to Carnegie Hall and play concerts, but I had good talent.

KL: Did you learn by Suzuki? Or did you...

IP: No, no, no. This is Israel, you know?

[laughter]

RP: Suzuki?!?

KL: (inintelligible)

IP: (Perlman imitating other accent) "Excuse me, sir, is this a Suzuki?"

[laughter]

IP: ... we're talking about 1954, 55.

KL: What? Suzuki hadn't been born yet?

[someone says "No"]

IP: Barely.

KL: Barely.

IP: No, this was straight, you know? The first time, I actually, my parents were going on the boardwalk and they saw some fiddle play in a café, and they thought, "that's a good teacher". So they brought him to the house and it lasted about six weeks, even they could tell it was no good.

KL: But that's such a difficult instrument.

IP: Very difficult. And then we found somebody at the local academy in Tel-Aviv, and she was terrific, she was Russian-born, and everthing was scales, everyday excercises and stuff to do that...

KL: And did you hated it? Or did you...

IP: Hated it. Really.

KL: So, they made you keep at it?

IP: Oh, absolutely.

RP: But, practice, practice, practice.

IP: No, just practice, practice.

[laughter]

KL: Until you get to Tanglewood.

RP: Get to Tanglewood. When we come back we're going to have them perform for us...

KL: You're in for such a treat.

RP: ... stay with us, we'll be right back.

[commercial]

KL: (talking from break)... film scores. Unbelievable.

RP: Boy, did I love this CD, and incidentally you'll have a chance to see them perform with the Boston Pops Orchestra on PBS August the 11th. August 11th.

KL: The "Evening at Pops" series.

RP: Next week. But these themes from the movies, Il Postino, Yentl, um, Out of Africa. I mean, they're just great, great themes, The Color Purple, all right, so here they are Itzhak Perlman and John Williams and this great medley Scent of a Woman and Schindler's List.

[applause]

[Excerpts from "Tango" from Scent of a Woman and Schindler's List. Itzhak Perlman, violin. John Williams, piano]

[applause]

RP: Itzhak Perlman and John Williams.

KL: So beautiful... got chills from that.

[applause cut to commercial]

[End of interview]

===============================================

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Wait... Does anyone have that on video?????????????? I've never seen them performing any of that CD or the next one together, heck, I've never seen John do anything but conduct!

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Yes, I do have the video and spent the last two days writing as fast as I could rewinding and playing the ***** video once and again.

Hector - who dispises Rosie O'Fat

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I think Rosie Should have been a jedi or a sith!!!!!! :mrgreen:

It's about time someone reacted to my Avatar, which was chosen for me by another board member, I have to say!!!!!

So you have the video huh?!?!?!?!?! Hhhhmmmmm, what do I need to do to get a copy of it?

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It's about time someone reacted to my Avatar, which was chosen for me by another board member, I have to say!!!!!

Well, screw that member! :mad:

(Just kidding :))

So you have the video huh?!?!?!?!?! Hhhhmmmmm, what do I need to do to get a copy of it?

Well, I'm gonna look a way to upload it, so you'll be able to see it.

Hector - who's glad at least someone read the interview here. :mrgreen:

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Seemed like they were more interested in Itzhak than John. That's a shame, but what the hell do Regis and Kathy know? Nothing? yep. Nothing.

I like John's story about growing up with music.

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You´re right, mostly they were talking to Itzhak rather tahn Williams, I bet they didn´t know much about Williams, and just knew that Perlman was a famous violinist.

I loved this part:

My father was a professional musician all of his life, very good musician, so the house was full of musicians, his friends were musicians, so I'd thought when I was little that when you grew up to be an adult you were a musician, that's what adults did [laughter], there were no other kind of adults, you know?

I love the way John uses his hands in a very cute way to explain this :mrgreen:

Classic Regis moment:

Suzuki?!?

Hector - who´s glad someone else read this interview. :)

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no no no no, they definitely know who John Williams is. They have composers on all the time.

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They had on Randy Newman recently, and I believe Horner's been on.

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Horner, really? Wow! That would have been interesting. And yes, I've seen Randy everywhere, heck, I even say Marc Shaiman(is that his name, composer from The America President) on Fatsie. LOL

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I also read the interview, Hector. Thanks for putting it up. I want a copy of the tape too. How can we work something out?

Director - wanting to watch it now

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Thanks alot for posting that interview. I really enjoyed reading about them. And it really does seem that they were more interested in Pearlman, since most of the interview was talking to him. But I'd rather them be talking more to Itzhak Pearlman, then if it was Horner sitting next to Williams, and them talking more to him.

-Jason

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I doubt that they would talk to Horner and ignore Williams. Unless Williams just sat there and let him speak to see if his accent would falter after time :music:

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:music:

Thank's Hector!!

You're a real pal to the Message Board.

Since we live in the same city, do you think that I can get a copy of the intervew?!?!

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