Friday, September 20, 2013

Great Composers Steal, Mediocre Composers Borrow!

Compare and contrast:

1. Erich Wolfgang Korngold and the theme from Kings Row (1942), aka The Only Good Ronald Reagan Movie.




2. John Williams and the theme from Star Wars (1977)




3. John Williams and the theme from Superman (1978)




Basically, if you had put Star Wars and Superman into a trash compactor. you'd get Kings Row.
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13 comments:

  1. steve simels9/20/2013 1:30 PM

    Note to self: Bombastic and over familiar movie themes less interesting to power pop devotees than hoped.
    :-)

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  2. Anonymous9/20/2013 5:46 PM

    I am so bored by John Williams film scores they all can go in the trash compactor.

    Allan Rosenberg

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  3. buzzbabyjesus9/20/2013 8:56 PM

    Does this make John Williams the Jimmy Page of Film score composers?
    I think so.

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  4. steve simels9/20/2013 9:32 PM

    Pretty much, yeah.
    :-)

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  5. buzzbabyjesus9/21/2013 9:27 AM

    When a great artist steals he/she takes something and makes it both original and an homage.
    The mediocre merely appropriate.

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  6. Jerry Lee9/21/2013 11:26 AM

    Great artists don't steal, they have influences. Then they create greatness.

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  7. buzzbabyjesus9/22/2013 11:09 AM

    Jerry lee-

    I'm guessing you're not an artist.

    ReplyDelete
  8. steves9/23/2013 1:13 AM


    Tune in to 4:37 for the OT content (the questioner was Allen Ginsberg), though the entire clip is worth watching:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcPoZZVm3Dk

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  9. steves9/23/2013 1:15 AM

    Damn...make that 4:30.

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  10. Jerry Lee9/23/2013 8:47 AM

    bbj- I don't steal from others and call it my art.

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  11. buzzbabyjesus9/23/2013 9:49 AM

    Neither do I, but I don't overestimate my originality. Everything comes from somewhere.
    I'm sorry I picked this fight.
    Our original comments are not far apart, and splitting hairs isn't really worth our time.

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  12. Jerry Lee9/23/2013 12:22 PM

    bbj- I agree, everyone has their influences. It's just that the "Steal Like An Artist" and appropriation mentality really irritates me. I've been a commercial photographer for a long time, and I'd never think to just blatantly steal from someone else. Aside from the copyright issue, I have a conscience. No, I'm not a fan of Richard Prince.

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  13. buzzbabyjesus9/23/2013 6:19 PM

    Yes, we aren't really splitting hairs, and I never heard of Richard price, and when I Googled him I got what you meant. He's a bad artist.

    ReplyDelete