Paul Williams Still Alive

[WOM]

I saw the trailer for this about a year ago and was intrigued, despite not ever being a Paul Williams fan. But growing up in the '70s and watching a good amount of TV, I remember this guy being everywhere.

Anyway, last night I downloaded this for $6 from the official site (1/4 of the price of iTunes) and it's fantastic. What a tale. The trailer says it all, so check it out.

[Gangster Octopus]

Paul Williams Still Alive

WOM wrote: But growing up in the '70s and watching a good amount of TV, I remember this guy being everywhere.

Whereas over here when Mad took the piss out of him, we all said "who he?"...

[WOM]

Paul Williams Still Alive

Yeah, I had a sneaking suspicion he was a US-only thing. Like John Denver. (Who might not be, but that's my suspicion).

[WOM]

Paul Williams Still Alive

Oh, and (oddly) he's on two tracks of the much ballyhooed new Daft Punk album.

[Jah Womble]

Paul Williams Still Alive

Whereas over here when Mad took the piss out of him, we all said "who he?"...

Ditto many of the guests on The Muppet Show, back in the day.

Yeah, I had a sneaking suspicion he was a US-only thing. Like John Denver. (Who might not be, but that's my suspicion).

Denver had a number-one hit here with Annie's Song, but zip-all else. This, and his dramatic death are by-and-large what he's known for in the UK.

He's certainly better known in Britain than Paul Williams is, I'd say that with some confidence.

[Gerontophile]

Paul Williams Still Alive

I vaguely remember this guy... he WAS on the Muppet Show, singing something about 'just an old fashioned love song, coming down in 3 part harmony', and then another Muppet would come in, and it was 'coming down in 12 part harmony'.

I think.

[Gerontophile]

Paul Williams Still Alive

Love Song

And bloody good it is too.

[Gerontophile]

Paul Williams Still Alive

Not quite correct.

[Gangster Octopus]

Paul Williams Still Alive

His finest moment, as far as I'm aware, is the soundtrack to Bugsy Malone. Some good stuff on there.

[WOM]

Paul Williams Still Alive

He wrote a couple of The Carpenters' biggies. Were they anything much over there?

Old Fashioned Love Song was big for Three Dog Night, who were much better known for Joy To The World.

[Jah Womble]

Paul Williams Still Alive

He wrote a couple of The Carpenters' biggies. Were they anything much over there?

The Carpenters? Hell, yeah - though oddly Williams's two numbers fared comparatively poorly in the UK.

I think his biggest British hit would likely be Barbra Streisand's Evergreen, ie, from the A Star is Born soundtrack.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Paul Williams Still Alive

This is an excellent doc (I thought I started a thread on it several months back, but maybe not.)

I knew him first as an actor — great in The Chase with Brando and Jane Fonda, and Phantom of the Paradise is a long-time favourite of mine.

So far as performances of his own songs go, this just kills me:

That's Enough For me