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The Maestro's Autograph - Through the Mail


Andy

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When I was a kid, I used to send baseball cards to the players asking for their autograph. Most of them would return signed.

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App. 6 months. I sent it in July, received in January (on the envelope it says it was sent back on Christmas Eve).

Kick ass, John Williams sent you a Christmas present.

Yes he did :)

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I have a personalized autograph hanging in my office which says "Jeremy, Happy Birthday, John Williams." (It's the same photograph as the one by the OP). It's great, but I think the story of how I got it is (almost) even better.

My wife sent away for it for a birthday present for me about two years ago. She sent a letter to the agency...anyway, she didn't hear anything for maybe two WEEKS, so she was worried it wouldn't get here in time for my birthday. So, sick of waiting, she called the agency and talked to a lady there who handles these types of requests. My wife said something about the letter she'd sent, I think may mentioned something about "Air Force Band," and the lady said she had just opened that letter that day. Somehow, my wife got the lady to get the autograph in the next two or three days and over-nighted it just in time for my birthday.

Yeah, she's a vocalist (mezzo-soprano), and if you know any vocalists, you know they're not interested in waiting on ANYBODY. lol

I used to have a photo on my computer of it, if I can find it I'll try to post it.

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Does anyone here have an original Spielberg autograph...

But then, that may be even more difficult. I'm sure he gets hundreds of fan letters every month!

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Does anyone here have an original Spielberg autograph...

But then, that may be even more difficult. I'm sure he gets hundreds of fan letters every month!

I have one. It´s a little older by now. Amblin Entertainment sent it to me in the mid-90´s. It´s a card with a pic of Spielberg embracing E.T. and his signature on the other side. I was happy to receive it. But I was pretty dissapointed when I took a closer look on it. His signature was as printed as the picture was. Nothing personal at all. That was poor.

So it´s nothing really worthy for me. Just a piece of printed paper. I wonder how they handle those things today. Maybe even worse. John Williams autograph was by far more personal. He even wrote a few sentences by hand on the official symphony hall letter. And I only waited two weeks or so. Ahh yes, and they even put some interview material and copied

press articles into the envelope. That was in 1992. I even found out his office phone number and called him up to congratulate him for his 60th birthday. That was crazy because he picked up the phone. I got his number from the Musicians Union. Well, seems those things were much easier those days. Amazing though. He must have been much more

busy back then...

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Wonderful stories.

Darnit, I absolutely have to write Mr Williams-- and probably try calling both places first.

I'd like to send to things for him to sign:

- the booklet of FSM's The Towering Inferno (great movie & music, and it was the year I was born) (I got one of the extra one sthey gave away last fall/winter)

- a poster of E.T. (my first score album ever)

Could you please recommend me a reliable place to get such a poster (in good shape & fast)?

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Could anyone also tell me where to find a good picture of the man himself? I've tried eBay and Amazon........ :mellow:

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you mean Williams?

just search google and large/extra large pics.there you get a highres pic of the maestro. just print it on photopaper, a let it be made by a professionel at a photostore

this one is quiet good: http://howardwho.com/blog/wp-content/uploa...hn_williams.jpg

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you mean Williams?

just search google and large/extra large pics.there you get a highres pic of the maestro. just print it on photopaper, a let it be made by a professionel at a photostore

this one is quiet good: http://howardwho.com/blog/wp-content/uploa...hn_williams.jpg

Yes that's the one I've been after, thanks. :mellow:

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I have JW's 8x10 photo, autographed in gold ink, framed and on display on top of my bookcase in the landing of my house...where he belongs next to Sir Simon Rattle's signed picture. John Adams' two 8x10 signed photos hangs pride of place in my study.

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In the early 90s I joined the Lucasfilm fan club and got a letter signed by George Lucas. It is not printed on the letter and all you can make out is the "G" and the "L". I've often wondered if that was really signed by him, I suspect that it is because Star Wars was a dead franchise at the time and the fact that it was so hastily written indicates that he probably signed a big batch of letters for the fan club in one go. Anyone else here have this same letter from the Lucasfilm fanclub?

I would love to the Spielberg/Williams Collaboration CD signed by both, but I think it is just about impossible to get Spielbergs unless you know someone who knows someone.

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Like MrScratch, I never tire of talking about my autographed JW cards.

I sent a letter in 1995 in January, just to say how much I enjoy his music. No request for an autograph. The next month--on my birthday, no less--I got two cards in the mail with his signatures and the opening notes of the Star Wars theme and Jaws on them. I remember that day well. I don't know how to read music, so I got a roommate to play the notes on his guitar. I got goosebumps when he played the Star Wars theme, then Jaws.

I don't recall me sending him a letter in 1997, but that fall, I got another card with some notes on it. At the time no one around me could read music that well, so I had to study the notes -- all five of them. Eventually, I gathered it were the five notes from Close Encounters.

Then, after he lost the Oscar for Saving Private Ryan, I sent him another letter. Again, no request for an autograph, just telling him how moved I was by his score. This one took a little longer (about four months), but I got a signed photo of him.

These autographs, along with my letter from Alan Menken, are my prized treasures. They are priceless, but very much adored.

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Ok, I finally have time to post it. So, here is my treasure.

post-418-1243961797_thumb.jpg

Oh wow, that's wonderful! :)

I'd sooo like to have that too, I'll send a booklet or three to Boston too :), but how do you include a SASE to be sent from the USA if you're from EU? :lol: I somehow doubt they'd send me the booklets back on their own expense ...

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I'd sooo like to have that too, I'll send a booklet or three to Boston too :), but how do you include a SASE to be sent from the USA if you're from EU? :lol: I somehow doubt they'd send me the booklets back on their own expense ...

I used International Reply Coupon. You can purchase it at the post office. It's the easiest way and has nothing to do with being from EU or not (in fact, at that time Poland wasn't in EU). I sent it with self-addressed, but not-stamped envelope.

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Because I never tire of bragging about it, I'd like to add that I have 4 JW autographs - 3 of which were obtained in person and one through the mail. The one I got through the mail was the very first one I got. I just sent him a silly fan letter when I was in high school around when Jurassic Park was out, not even asking for an autograph, and a couple months later I got a great 8x10 photo signed in silver ink and personalized.

The other three that I got in person are: TPM insert (next to Maul's ship) signed in black ink on the night he premiered TPM music in Boston, I met him and Perlman on that same night and had them sign the Schindler's List booklet and on different night had him sign disc 4 of the SW Anthology in gold ink. Awesome.

Here is the photo:

cc0b5def9fe769a75850d88bb52b5e09.JPG

Here are the CDs:

cb87a1c9c5ca6af91d6c0cf2f675fb07.JPG

ec84c246a18b23571fc7d9189e2240dc.JPG

23c5462f2c59ef27ddd54c124dfc00fc.JPG

88e6b88a7f9660b14df3cc2bfaef4da5.JPG

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Thanks, if anyone can translate what JW wrote let me know. I've never been able to understand what that's supposed to say. "My best"?

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I suppose, just doesn't really make sense. It's better than Jeremy Bulloch's autograph that says "Jeff - stay cool". Ugh.

My wife recently bought me a CD display frame, it's rectangular with a slot for a album cover and a slot for a disc. I'm going to put the signed anthology disc in there with the original Star Wars OST album cover. It will be awesome.

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  • 2 months later...

Well, Williams doesn't do autographs anymore.

I just got my CD cover back from the Boston address - not signed - with a note saying something like there's too much requests coming in, so he doesn't sign anything personal anymore. I only got one of those signed photographs, which are really not that cool. He does it for years, and then I'm three months too late, typical.

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Well, Williams doesn't do autographs anymore.

I just got my CD cover back from the Boston address - not signed - with a note saying something like there's too much requests coming in, so he doesn't sign anything personal anymore. I only got one of those signed photographs, which are really not that cool. He does it for years, and then I'm three months too late, typical.

Oh, bloody hell!!! ;) Where is that pic of Darth Vader screaming: "NOOOOO!!!"

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I got a letter from his personal Assisstant expressing the maestros joy about my letter and that he found it nice that once in a while there are letters like mine where someone wasn't asking for something, just expressing his/her feelings...

I know that's something my dad could have written on the compouter, but I just like to imagine, he told her via phone to answer it that way... ahh yeah "fangirlism."

so letter is signed by ..the personal Assisstant..

why I didn't get a presigned photo is a little weird though I think (but then again I wasn't requesting one, which might have been my mistake)

hmm well atleast I got official Williams letterpaper

my LAST hope now lies in the LA letter I sent..

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I got a letter from his personal Assisstant expressing the maestros joy about my letter and that he found it nice that once in a while there are letters like mine where someone wasn't asking for something, just expressing his/her feelings...

I know that's something my dad could have written on the compouter, but I just like to imagine, he told her via phone to answer it that way... ahh yeah "fangirlism."

so letter is signed by ..the personal Assisstant..

why I didn't get a presigned photo is a little weird though I think (but then again I wasn't requesting one, which might have been my mistake)

hmm well atleast I got official Williams letterpaper

my LAST hope now lies in the LA letter I sent..

Would you believe I got a letter saying the same thing 3 years ago?

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Nothing, but you also have to realize there is a chance they won't sign anything.

Would you believe I got a letter saying the same thing 3 years ago?

Hmm John Williams on autopilot.. I see

:sleepy:

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Nothing, but you also have to realize there is a chance they won't sign anything.

Of course, but the assistant makes it sound like it's greedy.

Anyway, I had included a nice letter as well, and since he did sign these things until this summer, I was kind of disappointed. Even moreso because I was at Tanglewood this year, and didn't get to see him there either - though expectedly so.

I do wonder why fan mail is getting too much this particular year though. He hasn't scored a major film like Potter or so lately. I can't blame him for taking it easy though at his age. And perhaps the influence of this thread has been greater than one would expect. Damn JWFan lurkers!

:sleepy:

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does he (them) still send autographed photos?

that's the thing i want... i'm not sending some covers so that the clumsy hands of the maestro tear them appart XD

but it is an auograph or some printed-stamped out signature?

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Yeah, it is an actual autograph.

I've got my autographed CE3K signature edition. had him sign right on the first page of the score, LET THERE BE LIGHT. He was funny, he said "Are you sure you want me to write on this?" This was at one of his Berkshires talks.

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I have J.W.'s autograph twice. I have a signed copy of the vinyl cover of "The Towering Inferno", which I obtained on 4th July, 1998, at The Barbican, which is framed, and takes pride of place in my listening room, just above a copy of the Project 3 vinyl cover of "POTA", signed by J.G. Thirty years ago, a friend of mine was fortunate enough to attend the scoring sessions for "Dracula", and managed to get J.W.'s autograph at the recording studio.

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Thirty years ago, a friend of mine was fortunate enough to attend the scoring sessions for "Dracula", and managed to get J.W.'s autograph at the recording studio.

Lucky bastard...

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Yeah, it is an actual autograph.

I've got my autographed CE3K signature edition. had him sign right on the first page of the score, LET THERE BE LIGHT. He was funny, he said "Are you sure you want me to write on this?" This was at one of his Berkshires talks.

at ubeda i was amazed by the composers that try not to mess the covers, and dont mind if you tell them to sign in inlays, insides or back covers.

All but christopher young...who seems to write bibles on the front cover... :lol:

And i also saw that many people were picky about their covers (ultra protective, i mean). Im not alone....

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I thought about sending my cover for Star Wars, the RCA edition (Episode IV for you youngsters) to Williams to have signed. However, the chances that it'll be gone for a year sorta bothers me.

The only things I have signed by a composer are a couple of Ottman titles. Volume 2 albums of Superman Returns and X-Men 2 that he himself sent me and the OST for Superman Returns.

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