Behind the Moon - a Substack column about John Williams: A Composer's Life

[Maestro 1,207]

Hey gang—

 

I wanted to share with you my new Substack, Behind the Moon, which will delve behind the scenes of my upcoming biography. Today's inaugural post goes into much more detail:
https://behindthemoon.substack.com/p/welcome-behind-the-moon

 

It's a free newsletter, basically, that may end up spawning a companion podcast and other media. (But if you want to throw a couple bucks into the hat every month, I would be very grateful!)

 

I'll keep posting any big book updates here on the forum, but my Substack will be the main hub for announcements and exclusive treasures from here through September 2nd and beyond. (Oxford University Press recently moved the publication date by one day, to avoid the American Labor Day holiday.)

 

And no, this is not an April Fool's Day prank!

 

Tim

[Jay 42,388]

Very cool!

[Meredith McKay 7,858]

@Maestro No mention of JW scoring the DreamWorks Moon?

 

Yavin 4 is technically a moon as well.

 

Also I think you mean Death Star not Star Destroyer

[Maestro 1,207]

12 minutes ago, Meredith McKay said:

@MaestroAlso I think you mean Death Star not Star Destroyer

 

D'OH. As many times as I read and re-read this, I knew I'd probably still make a boneheaded mistake. Don't take away my JWFan card please!

 

(And I certainly wasn't trying to be exhaustive in my list of moon allusions/shots.)

[Meredith McKay 7,858]

7 minutes ago, Maestro said:

 

D'OH. As many times as I read and re-read this, I knew I'd probably still make a boneheaded mistake. Don't take away my JWFan card please!

 

(And I certainly wasn't trying to be exhaustive in my list of moon allusions/shots.)

You didn't call him a guitarist, so I think you are safe

[Tom 5,605]

6 hours ago, Meredith McKay said:

@Maestro No mention of JW scoring the DreamWorks Moon?

 

Yavin 4 is technically a moon as well.

 

 

Does this count?

 

 

[JohnnyD 1,531]

3 hours ago, Maestro said:

Hey gang—

 

I wanted to share with you my new Substack, Behind the Moon, which will delve behind the scenes of my upcoming biography. Today's inaugural post goes into much more detail:
https://behindthemoon.substack.com/p/welcome-behind-the-moon

 

It's a free newsletter, basically, that may end up spawning a companion podcast and other media. (But if you want to throw a couple bucks into the hat every month, I would be very grateful!)

 

I'll keep posting any big book updates here on the forum, but my Substack will be the main hub for announcements and exclusive treasures from here through September 2nd and beyond. (Oxford University Press recently moved the publication date by one day, to avoid the American Labor Day holiday.)

 

And no, this is not an April Fool's Day prank!

 

Tim

Thank you, Tim.

 

I also find it a little sad that you had to say this is not an April Fool’s Day prank. C’est la Vie.

 

I just read the first post. This is so incredible and I can’t wait for more. I think I may subscribe for $5 a month, too.

[Mr. Hooper 5,063]

1 hour ago, Tom said:

Does this count?

 

 

Nah, it was shot day for night. That's the sun. I think. lol

[Tom 5,605]

57 minutes ago, Mr. Hooper said:

Nah, it was shot day for night. That's the sun. I think. lol

I was talking about her naked butt.  

[BachSkywalker 106]

This is great, Tim! Can't wait to read everything in the lead up to the release of the book. Thank you for everything you're doing. 

[Once 903]

I've subscribed! This is amazing.

 

I was thinking about this while listening to the latest episode of The Legacy of John Williams Podcast (and maybe this comment is more suitable for that thread, but it's also relevant to @Maestro's first post on Behind the Moon); I feel so grateful that not only the future-proofing of Williams's music, but also the detailed writing of the liner notes - and now even his official biography - for so long has been in the hands of people who cares! They are fans themselves.

As a fan I often wonder whether the complete scores to Raiders, Tintin or Memoirs of a Geisha will ever get released. That's life as a fan! But it's such a relief to know that unlike with other 'holy grails' of mine (will I ever get a proper box set with Gunning's Poirot scores? Probably not!) in the case of Williams I'm not worried at all. If it can happen, it will happen!

And for years I've had complete faith in the people involved - I might be curious if x, y or z is included or not, but I always know there is a sound reason behind the choices made. They would release every source cue or every NBC bumper or even the Fanfare for the Vienna Philharmonic Ball if they could - and that's an under-appreciated nice situation to be in as a film score fan!

 

To circle it back to this thread I'm still pinching myself that this biography is being written by Tim Greiving. I relate very much to his sentence here:

Quote

I slapped together a whole career where I write about film music and interview its composers—because of him.

I've tried to do something similar in many aspects of my life (much less successfully, I might add)!

It is so gratifying to see this actually happening for a fellow fan - and for the benefit of us all.

I lack the vocabulary to properly express not only my excitement for the book, but also for the gratefulness I feel for its very existence.

 

Rambling over! 

[Maestro 1,207]

Thank you, @Once. That is very kind and meaningful.

[Tom 5,605]

19 hours ago, Mr. Hooper said:

Nah, it was shot day for night. That's the sun. I think. lol

Maybe this makes the joke more obvious.

 

Under the Moon.  

 

 

[geom_00 96]

Great new post!!!

[Once 903]

I very much agree!

 

Quote

Getting to know John over the past few years, I know how sensitive he is about his appearance and public presentation. He has kept a low profile for the last year largely because he didn’t want people to see him in this weakened state. He’s not at all vain; he’s just conscientious and considered—and, again, quite sensitive. It was an act of courage for him to be seen in such a spotlit venue, with so many onlookers and smart phone cameras and curious fans—to be seen seated in a wheelchair, being assisted in merely standing up and taking cautious steps, and then actually being wheeled out on full display. This was, for him, brave. And because it was brave, and because Dudamel was such an exuberant but gentle host, his bravery was rewarded a hundredfold.

 

Beautifully written!

[Tom 5,605]

I think it was an important moment of self-acceptance. We all have a great deal of fear about exposing some new vulnerability, but once we do so, life returns to normal.  I would bet he will be out and about fairly consistently now.  

 

Whether he is up for trans-Atlantic flights might be a different matter, but here's to hoping.  

[Mr. Hooper 5,063]

On 2/4/2025 at 12:56 PM, Tom said:

Maybe this makes the joke more obvious.

 

Under the Moon.  

 

 

I've known about this scene forever, but I'm ashamed to say (as a 'Jaws' fan) that I've never seen it before now.

[Tom 5,605]

8 hours ago, Mr. Hooper said:

I've known about this scene forever, but I'm ashamed to say (as a 'Jaws' fan) that I've never seen it before now.

Although I find 1941 to be consistently unfunny, this is a great mood setter for the movie.  It is even the same actress.  The joke, too, is funny that even in the early 40s someone from another country would know they have arrived in Hollywood on no other evidence than the presence of a naked woman.  

[BB-8 4,983]

[mrbellamy 7,283]

I like that this post reveals and acknowledges that Williams himself does have some of the misgivings shared by this forum about exposing what kind of shape he's been in and that's valid, but that it doesn't matter cause the love for him is so palpable. 

[mrbellamy 7,283]

Obsession

 

If not for that footnote I would have been anxiously awaiting the chapters where Tim absolutely dunks on Stepmom and Prisoner of Azkaban! 

[geom_00 96]

HOLY CLIFFHANGER, BATMAN!

 

In all seriousness though, this is a great companion leading up to the book!  Every week, I get more excited to get my hands on it!

[Tom 5,605]

Nice write up.  Remember, though, its only an obsession if you don't get paid; otherwise, it is a strong, determined, and commendable work-ethic.  

[mrbellamy 7,283]

How It All Began

 

Best one yet, very involving!

 

It's kind of a relief to know Tim made an effort to do a Spielberg/Williams coffee table book even if it was shut down, just to know that it's probably not that nobody had these ideas before. Especially now knowing how stressful it was to make this happen, it doesn't sound much fun lol, so I guess it had to take a proper JWFan for it to be worth the headache. The quiet support from Jenny and Don despite John's wishes was very sweet. 

[Holko 11,368]

Damn, this is getting exciting!

[JohnnyD 1,531]

So glad I subscribed.

[mrbellamy 7,283]

Also thanks @Maestro for that clip of your Richard Dreyfuss interview! Hope there are more of those coming!

[Maestro 1,207]

32 minutes ago, mrbellamy said:

Also thanks @Maestro for that clip of your Richard Dreyfuss interview! Hope there are more of those coming!

 

I definitely plan on including lots of little gems and goodies like that! Glad you enjoyed it.

[Marian Schedenig 10,139]

What a cliffhanger…

[mrbellamy 7,283]

Technically the same cliffhanger as the last one, no fair 

[pete 1,091]

That cliffhanger was cruel!

[BB-8 4,983]

[Loert 2,946]

JW Reply To Your Letter:

 

[bollemanneke 4,007]

It is utterly riduculous how so much effort was spent convincing Tim to stop writing this book. Who would NOT want to read it?

[mrbellamy 7,283]

Obviously lack of interest wasn't the issue 

[Poor_Man_S_HirschFeld 39]

Thanks for sharing this stories! It's great to be able to appreciate what goes into such an undertaking.

@Maestro, maybe this is a question for the other thread about your book, but did you get a sense of Williams' relation to movies as a youngster? In concerts he usually tells how much he loved going "to the pictures" and watch the great stars like Flynn or Bette Davis and how swordfights or love scenes used to have the best music, but did you get more from him on this topic? And do you know by any chance if he got to see Disney's Fantasia back in the day when it came out? I have a feeling that somehow that movie is (both in style and musical taste) close to his ethos.

[Maestro 1,207]

1 hour ago, Poor_Man_S_HirschFeld said:

Thanks for sharing this stories! It's great to be able to appreciate what goes into such an undertaking.

@Maestro, maybe this is a question for the other thread about your book, but did you get a sense of Williams' relation to movies as a youngster? In concerts he usually tells how much he loved going "to the pictures" and watch the great stars like Flynn or Bette Davis and how swordfights or love scenes used to have the best music, but did you get more from him on this topic? And do you know by any chance if he got to see Disney's Fantasia back in the day when it came out? I have a feeling that somehow that movie is (both in style and musical taste) close to his ethos.

 

The funny thing about the world's most famous movie composer is that... he never really cared about movies. He would go to the theater occasionally with his sister in Flushing, and with his Air Force pals in the service, but movies just never meant very much to him. Now, I kept running across statements he made about particular films (The Quiet Man, MGM musicals, etc.), which shows that he did go, and was paying attention—but he always really downplays his interest in movies in general.

 

 

[Brando 2,465]

5 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

The funny thing about the world's most famous movie composer is that... he never really cared about movies. He would go to the theater occasionally with his sister in Flushing, and with his Air Force pals in the service, but movies just never meant very much to him. Now, I kept running across statements he made about particular films (The Quiet Man, MGM musicals, etc.), which shows that he did go, and was paying attention—but he always really downplays his interest in movies in general.

 

 

Did he ever mention what the last movie he saw was or the most recent?

[Tom 5,605]

25 minutes ago, Brando said:

Did he ever mention what the last movie he saw was or the most recent?

He did not mention anything, but there is footage of an elderly man in a wheelchair in LA hurling his drink at the screen during The Minecraft Movie.  

[bollemanneke 4,007]

The Quiet Man is boring.

[igger6 990]

18 hours ago, bollemanneke said:

The Quiet Man is boring.

Yeah, boring a hole into the fabric of film history as one of the greatest romantic comedy ethno-Valentines ever committed to celluloid!

 

“Feeny, get my book! Write down this name: Bollemanneke. Now…put a line through it. Ha! And that for him!”

[bollemanneke 4,007]

I don't need women handing husbands sticks to beat them with in my movies.

[Jesse 98]

4 hours ago, bollemanneke said:

I don't need women handing husbands sticks to beat them with in my movies.

Is that your definition of "Boring"?

[Bespin Copilot 9,595]

2 minutes ago, Jesse said:

Is that your definition of "Boring"?

 

Boring, like Jurassic Shark's posts?

[mrbellamy 7,283]

John Williams Writes Back

 

Ahhhhh!!

[Tallguy 5,652]

That was a very enjoyable if maybe a little stressful read.

[geom_00 96]

"...I came to Amblin armed with my laptop and printouts of articles and photos of a mysterious ancestor."

 

CAN WE GET THIS BOOK already?!?

[Mr. Hooper 5,063]

The part where Tim "boldly requested another meeting"...

 

Ballsy.

 

Reading this story, you realize how easily this thing might've not happened, if, say, Williams hadn't taken a shine to Tim, or if Tim had not (gently) persisted.

 

Another thing I got a real sense of was of Williams' formidable intellect. You don't go into a meeting with him unprepared.

[Maestro 1,207]

Thanks for reading, everybody. Lots more to come!

 

25 minutes ago, Mr. Hooper said:

Another thing I got a real sense of was of Williams' formidable intellect. You don't go into a meeting with him unprepared.

 

I'll definitely be expounding on this (somewhat surprising) aspect, and the intimidating act of dialoguing with him when he's not jovially promoting something. He is the smartest person I have ever met.

[bollemanneke 4,007]

God, this is killing me. If you weren't great at the first chapter, you certainly are fantastic at cliffhangers.