This happened.
August 2, 2011 9:50 AM   Subscribe

 
That was a... damn smooth ape?
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:56 AM on August 2, 2011


I can't fault this post on the facts.
posted by DU at 10:00 AM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


It's really saying something that Paul Williams looks less creepy dressed up as an ape than he normally would.
posted by stinkycheese at 10:13 AM on August 2, 2011 [2 favorites]


Man, I don't remember the Temptations appearing in Planet of th -- oh, THAT Paul Williams.
posted by Herodios at 10:28 AM on August 2, 2011


great find. made my day. the smoke was a nice touch. of course Williams' played Virgil, in Battle for the Planet of the Apes
posted by clavdivs at 10:40 AM on August 2, 2011


The cooler side of Paul Williams, for balance. He was honestly one talented guy.
posted by misha at 10:50 AM on August 2, 2011 [2 favorites]


This is awesome.
posted by brundlefly at 10:56 AM on August 2, 2011


Paul Williams is the man you think of when you think Muppet music, too.
posted by inturnaround at 11:00 AM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


And the coolest side of Paul Williams.
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 11:01 AM on August 2, 2011


Besides writing the music for Phantom of the Paradise, he wrote, "Rainbow Connection," from The Muppet Movie (which he also sang on Picket Fences for a funeral. Warning: tearjerker video).

I didn't realize until recently that Paul Williams has also appeared on both Star Trek and Babylon 5. On B5, he was an ambassador who, as part of negotiations, traditionally has sex with the other negotiator to finalize the agreement (which I remembered), and on Star Trek: Voyager he was the leader of a planet who had never heard music before (which now I want to look up and watch).

I honestly thought he had passed away; Wikipedia says he's still around and I'm glad to hear it. I was a big fan of his when I was a kid, if only because he looked and sounded kinda like a Muppet himself. And he sang beautifully, really, with a lot of emotion. We watched the old Match Game (remember that show?) back then with our parents, and he was funny, too. He went through one of those "guest appearance" stints, doing the rounds of Love Boat and the like.

Wow, this post brought back a lot of memories. Thank you!
posted by misha at 11:07 AM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


I happened to catch Williams perform "Rainbow Connection" with The Roots on The Late Show recently. Lovely, actually.
posted by xod at 11:14 AM on August 2, 2011


Paul Williams is still alive, still making music, and still president of ASCAP.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:23 AM on August 2, 2011


That was great, just what I needed this afternoon.

The cig was a great touch. Williams has always been a seriously talented guy who plays comedy really, really nicely.
posted by kinnakeet at 11:27 AM on August 2, 2011


SWAN!
posted by davelog at 11:34 AM on August 2, 2011 [4 favorites]


This is good timing because I nearly forgot that I woke up intending to spend all day listening to Barbecue.
posted by SharkParty at 11:36 AM on August 2, 2011


That guy wrote "The Rainbow Connection?" Wow.
posted by koeselitz at 11:36 AM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]




Paul Williams' brother, Mentor Williams, wrote Drift Away. Those Williams boys wrote some gems.
posted by dirtdirt at 11:45 AM on August 2, 2011


That 70s hair and polyester. Made him look like a freak.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 11:46 AM on August 2, 2011


Aghast! We done been been paulrolled!
posted by Jeremy at 12:29 PM on August 2, 2011


The song he sang, "Here's That Rainy Day," is apparently one of Johnny Carson's favorites. He sang it with Bette Midler on his last regular Tonight Show episode. And when Carson died, Doc Severinson led the band that played the tune on Letterman's show.
posted by borborygmi at 1:31 PM on August 2, 2011


Probably ought to mention Bugsy Malone, here. A musical gangster movie for kids, starring Jodie Foster and Chachi off of Happy Days, directed by Alan Parker. Songs by Paul Williams.
posted by Grangousier at 2:14 PM on August 2, 2011


What mostly impresses me about this clip is the quality of the video. Most videotape material from the 1970s and even the 1980s usually looks so degraded as to not be worth watching. This looks like it could have been made yesterday. I presume this material comes from Carson's personal collection and not NBC's.
posted by briank at 2:31 PM on August 2, 2011


At about 10 or 11 years old, Phantom Of the Paradise was the first time I realized there was this thing where girls kissed other girls.

All downhill from there really.
posted by humboldt32 at 2:52 PM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]


stinkycheese: "It's really saying something that Paul Williams looks less creepy dressed up as an ape than he normally would"

To be fair, it was mostly his seventies look that really didn't do him any favors; really most people looked like shit in the seventies. But he used to creep me out with his particular look: the vest, the stringy long hair with bangs, and the gigantic tinted glasses on his kinda chubby face... here he looks a little like Keifer Sutherland as Fran Lebowitz. Or something.
posted by Red Loop at 3:20 PM on August 2, 2011


That's the look alright. Compact and full of threat.
posted by stinkycheese at 3:56 PM on August 2, 2011


I find it reassuring that he grew up to become Annette Benning in The Kids are All Right.
posted by pxe2000 at 4:48 PM on August 2, 2011


Aurora Borealis, shining down on Dallas.
Can you picture that?
posted by plinth at 4:55 PM on August 2, 2011


Because he's THIRSTY, dummy!
posted by evilcolonel at 5:17 PM on August 2, 2011


« Older Zig Ziglar on Goals   |   Dreams Are What We Wake Up From. Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments