I’m writing this because Paul Williams deserves to not be forgotten. If you remember he was five foot two, had long blond hair, and always wore large sunglasses. He was raised in Omaha, Nebraska (not the usual place for artists to come from). He had one brother who became a
rocket scientist for NASA while the other brother ended up being a songwriter ike Paul and wrote the hit “Drift Away.” He was all over television and was in the movie Smokey and the Bandit.
Johnny Carson had Paul on his show several times because he was so funny that he could’ve been a comedian.
Although he was a professional actor, musician, singer, song writer, and Academy Award Winning composer, songwriting was his bread and butter. He’s arguably one of the most talented song writers of all time (of course he’s in the Hall of Fame). A few years ago and at the age of 69, he was elected Chairman and President of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.
I can’t cover all his amazing feats but some of his acting accomplishments include: The
Hardy Boys, Hawaii Five-0, The Love Boat, The Odd Couple, Babylon 5, Star Trek Voyager, and The Muppet Show.
Besides being unique for looking completely different than what a successful person in the movie and music industry usually looked like he was also unique for writing many hit songs for a wide variety of music genres. He appeared in Hank Williams’s Jr. Video: “All My Rowdy Friends
are coming over Tonight.” He wrote hit songs for Anne Murray, Barbara Streisand, The Carpenters (Rainy Days and Mondays, We’ve Only Just Begun), Daft Punk, David Bowie, Helen Reddy, and Three Dog Night (Just an Old Fashioned Love Song), and The Monkeys. But surprisingly one of his greatest hits came from a song he wrote for The Muppet Movie called: “The Rainbow Connection.” He won an Academy Award for this one. Is there anyone in the modernized world who hasn’t heard this song?
A documentary will be coming out soon about his life and it does include some embarrassing moments. When interviewed Paul said a documentary should be about the truth both good and bad. He’s been sober from alcohol and drugs since 1990 and he has been counseling addicts for years as a way of helping others get their lives back like he did his.
I think we too often move on with our lives and leave the past behind; certainly some things are worth forgetting but some memories have great value. Paul Williams is a genius who in my opinion deserves a bit of space in our accessible memory banks. I think when we remind ourselves of
greatness that it inspires us even if we don’t feel it right away. We are inundated with bad stimuli every day of our lives and if we don’t do something to proactively seek good stimuli the bad will rule our beings; as they say: “Garbage in garbage out.” One of my favorite quotes is from Gandhi and it is: “As you thinkso you shall become.” In this case think smallnot big…the five foot two phenom, Mr. Paul Williams.
rocket scientist for NASA while the other brother ended up being a songwriter ike Paul and wrote the hit “Drift Away.” He was all over television and was in the movie Smokey and the Bandit.
Johnny Carson had Paul on his show several times because he was so funny that he could’ve been a comedian.
Although he was a professional actor, musician, singer, song writer, and Academy Award Winning composer, songwriting was his bread and butter. He’s arguably one of the most talented song writers of all time (of course he’s in the Hall of Fame). A few years ago and at the age of 69, he was elected Chairman and President of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.
I can’t cover all his amazing feats but some of his acting accomplishments include: The
Hardy Boys, Hawaii Five-0, The Love Boat, The Odd Couple, Babylon 5, Star Trek Voyager, and The Muppet Show.
Besides being unique for looking completely different than what a successful person in the movie and music industry usually looked like he was also unique for writing many hit songs for a wide variety of music genres. He appeared in Hank Williams’s Jr. Video: “All My Rowdy Friends
are coming over Tonight.” He wrote hit songs for Anne Murray, Barbara Streisand, The Carpenters (Rainy Days and Mondays, We’ve Only Just Begun), Daft Punk, David Bowie, Helen Reddy, and Three Dog Night (Just an Old Fashioned Love Song), and The Monkeys. But surprisingly one of his greatest hits came from a song he wrote for The Muppet Movie called: “The Rainbow Connection.” He won an Academy Award for this one. Is there anyone in the modernized world who hasn’t heard this song?
A documentary will be coming out soon about his life and it does include some embarrassing moments. When interviewed Paul said a documentary should be about the truth both good and bad. He’s been sober from alcohol and drugs since 1990 and he has been counseling addicts for years as a way of helping others get their lives back like he did his.
I think we too often move on with our lives and leave the past behind; certainly some things are worth forgetting but some memories have great value. Paul Williams is a genius who in my opinion deserves a bit of space in our accessible memory banks. I think when we remind ourselves of
greatness that it inspires us even if we don’t feel it right away. We are inundated with bad stimuli every day of our lives and if we don’t do something to proactively seek good stimuli the bad will rule our beings; as they say: “Garbage in garbage out.” One of my favorite quotes is from Gandhi and it is: “As you thinkso you shall become.” In this case think smallnot big…the five foot two phenom, Mr. Paul Williams.
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