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Is John Williams a Hans Zimmer Fan?


BLUMENKOHL

Is John Williams a Hans Zimmer fan?  

11 members have voted

  1. 1. Is he?

    • Yes
      7
    • Yes
      4


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And i guess that too answers the question about appreciation of colleagues: i am very certain that all of the greats have a base knowledge about their peers, salaries and name value first and foremost, then the musical matters. Goldsmith must have seen all of Williams great hits (he refers to JAWS, SUPERMAN, the INDY's and SCHINDLER in several interviews), Williams in an interview in SOUNDTRACK notes Goldsmith as composer of BASIC INSTINCT, which he must have seen at some point then (saucy). Morricone singled out PAPILLON as a score he found very good, all at some point mention Herrmann and PSYCHO.

 

I don't remember that Goldsmith ever singled out Zimmer by name as a shit composer. He was fairly vocal about a quote, probably by Zimmer, of how he's proud to have made it without having ever learnt to compose or something to that effect but that probably was taken out of context. That and the hummer rumour about Elfman. But even that was mostly grumbling about the general erosion of educational standards than singling out specific scores or composers as shit.

 

Though being a fly on the wall on some conversations of the old guard on this topic probably would be a hoot.

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8 hours ago, Stefancos said:

What music does Williams listen to in private? For enjoyment rather then work?

 

I would assume Jazz and classical.

 

From http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/john-williams-lets-his-muses-carry-him-along/?_r=0

 

Quote
Q.

What do you listen to for inspiration?

A.

I don’t listen a lot, because I’m working all the time on something and listening to music is not a particular help. It’s difficult to go to concerts and often one is listening to music that is better than one’s own and that isn’t particularly encouraging either. My work, particularly the film work, puts me into a particular setting, and it isn’t helpful to be jarred out of that. Also, people will put music on when they have a dinner party, and I can’t do that. Or listen to music in the car. Because I start listening into the music. I think that D could be a little more sharp, or it’s a little flat or whatever, and before you know it, I’ve lost the dinner table conversation entirely. Or I’m risking driving off the road. If you were to ask me what would I hear just for pleasure, I’d probably say Haydn. Even more than Mozart in my case.

 

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On 10/01/2016 at 7:59 PM, TheGreyPilgrim said:

 

Possibly close to the truth but strange.  I can't imagine doing the job without having a real passion for film.  Maybe for his generation it was easier to do, it was a newer thing, it was just another gig, another way to do music and get paid for it.  You could kind of remain detached from the medium itself.  I can't see many people in today's world having that attitude about it though.

 

I agree. It seems to me that Williams is passionate about his own work for film (he rarely speaks in a depreciative manner about one of his musical choices, or the nature of the characters and the musical decisions regarding them, or openly not caring about movies like Miklós Rózsa), but prefers to be at home studying eighteenth century music and still learning further whenever he is able. In his own words, he's more a composer that works for films than a film composer. I guess this is rarely the case for new generations, as you point out.

 

On 11/01/2016 at 11:11 PM, Bill said:

That's precisely the quote I was looking for and referring to earlier. Thanks for posting it here.

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Like many others I have the "concert music" bug and certainly value being able to do that and to do things in similarly "pure" musical contexts.  But I don't look at film just as a chance to make some more cash than usual by writing music for people that actually pay, and regularly.  I mean, there is a specific, particular artistic draw for me.  I like the art of cinema, and I like to be part of it in the way that my own abilities allow.  I am probably ultimately more of a movie lover than a music lover, because so much of what I want to do aesthetically or spiritually or whatever, and what I most value that other people have done, results from the synthesis of music and images and all of the other disciplines that go into the making of a film.  Any one of those elements standing on its own will never be as satisfying for me. 

 

I think it's really interesting how so many of the "originals" seemed to lack this passion.  Is that why modern film music is deemed a bit "boring" by so many?  Because film music fans are largely more music fans than film fans, and aren't as well served by modern composers who are more willing to see themselves as more subtle parts of a whole, to submerge their own identity a bit to better serve the film?  As opposed to the older folks who had very definite ideas about their "presence" or were at least given the space to do what they wanted out of fear or reverence or indifference.  Is the decline of "big" film scores really just the evolution of the art, the streamlining of the cinematic process and experience, the birth of true film music as opposed to films with music superimposed over them?  Have I been right all along, and all the people who hate contemporary stuff are just nostalgia-bound and unwilling to grow along with the thing they're passionate about?!?!  HUH????

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19 hours ago, publicist said:

 

Sorry ted, it may be meant as a compliment but it's essentially relativistic rubbish. Zimmer has not a firm grasp on counterpoint, i mean in a classical sense, nor could he be expected to know about the finer points of orchestral writing - range of orchestral instruments and such, he stated as much - so it just isn't true that he didn't touch big neo-romantic writing because of Williams, and of all things, Star Wars battle music.

 

It's just not his natural habitat. Period.

 


However, Zimmer managed to fake out audiences with the soundtrack to Driving Miss Daisy.
This feat occured at a time, when realistic samples were still in relative *infancy*.

5 hours ago, Stefancos said:

Zimmer did shit on Goldsmiths score for Air Force One!

 

The twat!


Uh, Goldsmith had to have help from Joel McNeely for Air Force One, because he had only two weeks to "get it together", after Randy Newman's (partial?) score was rejected.
Oh wait! What did you mean by "shit" anyways?

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On January 9, 2016 at 1:52 AM, Zaralyth said:

 

I don't know, I couldn't find the right words to use, I'd call it something else, since dubstep isn't really an original concept, Zimmer didn't pioneer dubstep, I guess, is how I am seeing it. 

That dub step was by Pharrell. 

On January 9, 2016 at 3:27 AM, RedBard said:

I never said that Williams couldn't like Zimmer's music, or vice versa. Of course they can like each other's music. They're free agents.

 

Now if only we can find a quote of Zimmer liking Williams' music.

He gushes over Williams all the time. 

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3 hours ago, TheGreyPilgrim said:

Is the decline of "big" film scores really just the evolution of the art, the streamlining of the cinematic process and experience, the birth of true film music as opposed to films with music superimposed over them?  Have I been right all along, and all the people who hate contemporary stuff are just nostalgia-bound and unwilling to grow along with the thing they're passionate about?!?!  HUH????

 

You are just awkward.

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8 hours ago, publicist said:

 

You are just awkward.

 

You have the endorsement of crumbs.  Proud?

 

6 hours ago, Drax said:

Essentially scores has become merged so well with films, they can't stand on their own and consequently I wouldn't want to waste my time listening to them on their own?

 

That is sort of what I'm getting at, yeah. 

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On 09/01/2016 at 8:27 AM, RedBard said:

I never said that Williams couldn't like Zimmer's music, or vice versa. Of course they can like each other's music. They're free agents.

 

Now if only we can find a quote of Zimmer liking Williams' music.

 

Skip to 7:55 :) He specifically cites Witches of Eastwick which is interesting.

 

 

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  • 5 years later...
16 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

I must admit...against all better judgement... I like this photograph.

 

It's been posted a few times before. There's also one with Zimmer, Williams and Rahman, at the same event.

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