When it comes to music, people’s tastes vary wildly, as they should. However, there is one figure that looms large in the realm of pulp culture, John Williams. His synonymous with award-winning films and film scores. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone that couldn’t hum a few bars from at least one of his compositions.
Once I started poring through his discography, I was a bit shocked at how broad his influence has been. First of all, it spans decades. Considering how so many people show up in the entertainment industry for little more than a single contract, that’s extremely impressive. What’s even more incredible is that he has become a go-to name in Hollywood. Need a soundtrack? Call John Williams!
Williams’ work will resonate with anyone perusing the virtual back-alleys of the Pulp Culture Museum.
Consider the stuff he’s worked on:
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
That is an absurd catalogue, and I only picked out the stuff that relates directly to content likely to be featured here in the museum. Williams is largely responsible for one of the most iconic soundtracks of all time, Star Wars. Everyone I’ve known instantly recognizes Darth Vader’s Theme, ‘The Imperial March’.
Williams doesn’t need fanfare from this site, but that isn’t the point of this post. This post is to show the breadth of Williams’s career. If you need a little background music at your gaming table, Williams probably wrote something that would fit the mood. Science-fiction, fantasy, comic book superheroes, and even more. Williams has put pen to paper looking to create music that could provide the extraordinary and has done so successfully for decades.
Just give a listen. You’ll hear things in the songs shared through Williams’s work, but it truly captures a mood. Even though it’s classical, his music has riffs and gets stuck in your head. It’s catchy and above all, it works. Williams is a staple in my playlists for when I want geeky inspiration. Perhaps he could, and maybe should be for more people as well. Depending on what time this post is published near you, maybe it will even help your workday feel a little bit more epic.
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