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Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Paul Williams

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Jesse Thorn

Society & Culture

4.52.6K Ratings

🗓️ 19 November 2024

⏱️ 50 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Paul Williams has lived an extraordinary life. He's a songwriter who's written songs performed by Three Dog Night, Tiny Tim, The Carpenters, and David Bowie. On the latest episode of Bullseye we get into it all: Falling out of airplanes. Dressing as an Orangutan from Planet of the Apes on Carson. The simple genius of Kermit the Frog's Rainbow Connection, which was surprisingly complicated to write.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Support for this podcast and the following message come from the NPR Wine Club, which has generated over $1.75 million to support NPR programming, whether buying a few bottles or joining the club, you can learn more at NPRWineclub.org slash podcast. Must be 21 or older to purchase.

0:19.8

Bullseye with Jesse Thorne is a production of maximum fun.org and is distributed by NPR.

0:56.8

It's Bullseye. I'm Jesse Thorne. Now, I don't know this for sure, but I am willing to bet that Paul Williams, my guest this week, goes to a lot of parties. And when he goes to those parties in Malibu or Calabasas or Joshua Tree or whatever, he has a soda in his hand, and he just, I mean, he just captivates every single person in the room. Part of that is because Paul honestly looks

1:04.3

like the most interesting guy at a party. He's 84, but he could pass for 60. He's got messy, reddish-brown hair, a giant pair of tinted round glasses,

1:14.6

and a listed height of 5'2 foot 2. But he doesn't just look interesting. He has also lived an

1:20.5

extraordinary life. First and foremost, he is a songwriter. He has written songs performed by David

1:27.1

Bowie, Tiny Tim, The Carpenters, and Three Dog Night.

1:30.6

Just an old-fashioned love song playing on the radio.

1:40.2

And wrapped around the music is the sound of someone promising they'll never go.

1:51.0

You swear you've heard it before as it slowly rumbles on.

1:55.0

No need in bringing them back because I never really gone.

2:00.0

Just an old-fashioned love song.

2:04.0

And he also, this might be how you know him best,

2:07.5

co-wrote one of the greatest Muppet songs of all time.

2:10.8

Rainbow Connection from the Muppet movie.

2:13.4

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered when wished on the morning star?

2:23.3

Somebody thought of that and someone believed it.

2:31.3

Look what it's done so far.

2:38.0

What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing?

2:44.0

And what do we think we might see?

2:49.0

What else?

2:50.0

Well, looking at my notes, he went on Johnny Carson 50 times, including once in full

...

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