[Howard L]

The ongoing zingers coming from his pal and contemporary Andre Previn were something else. Ugh, he sounded like all the other classical music snobs in their putdowns. Say it ain’t so, Andre! But they also came off as good-natured, i.e., he respected Williams so much and felt JW would not reach his full potential by sticking with film scores. And there had to be the professional jealousy factor, too. Can’t hide from that.

I’m not “into” classical music, per se, while most certainly not a foreigner to it. Still, I must confess abject total listening ignorance to—and worse—knowledge of the classical symphonic works, concertos, etc. in the Williams portfolio. Such is the case of the inveterate film music aficionado. The sections detailing them were hardest to read through. Still, what a kick I got out of reading how he would hear a terrific solo performance and then contact the musician with the proposition that he compose a work just for that violinist or cellist or pianist or trumpeter or whatever else. Their reactions to being contacted by John Williams!

But to this end, I love how you highlight his early TV work as I was a youngster who “discovered” him thanks to The Time Tunnel much as I had Bernard Herrmann (and Jerry Goldsmith) even as a younger youngster owing to Twilight Zone. Never missed an episode of either show. So when SW arrived and then his collaboration with Spielberg took off, in particular, I was already aware of the name Johnny/John Williams.

It is neat, in retrospect, to have grown up at the same time his career was growing up.