This morning I listened to Paul Williams being interviewed on the Paul Leslie Hour. That’s a link to youTube although I downloaded the traditional podcast version.
Sharing it on my Instagram stories I mentioned that I always listen/read any interview with Mr Williams. I added “can’t express what he means to me without gushing“. Not going to go over his extensive resume, which is easy enough to discover on your own.
I most recently mentioned hearing Paul be interviewed last year. He has been mentioned here a few times– his book “Gratitude and Trust, his music (of course), dissimilar but deep experiences in recovery, and exchanging some social media comments and DMs.
The image here is a faux-album cover I whipped up in 2013 based on a photo Paul posted while walking around NYC. That year I tweeted about his casual comment made in a Toronto concert some 30 years prior.
As I posted here (a)s a self-assured young gay man I did not need his approval, but his comment was appreciated- for his casual acceptance if nothing else.”
Our direct conversation may’ve begun this century, but his many CDs and Phantom of the Paradise shared parts of him. In this most recent interview, as in others, he comments that even while he was an arrogant, drug-addled person of fame, his (co-dependent) heart was expressed through his creations. For my wedding vows I selected 4 song quotes. 3 of them are from (of course) Romanovsky & Phillips songs. The other was from I’m Going to Go Back There Someday– written for The Great Gonzo in The Muppet Movie by Paul and Kenny Ascher.
So he is a musician, songwriter, author and actor whose work I admire. His work at ASCAP to protect the work and income of Creatives and his advocacy for the benefits of Recovery are aspects of the person I admire.
I hesitate to call him a friend but wouldn’t hesitate to accept an invitation to meet for coffee.
