Award-winning songwriter, Paul Williams, and radio legend, Denis McNamara, are Tom Needham’s guests on ‘The Sounds of Film.’
Songwriter, Paul Williams, will join Tom Needham this Thursday at 6pm on WUSB’s ‘The Sounds of Film’ in order to discuss his new CD collection of music from Jim Henson’s ‘Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas.’ Also on the program is radio’s Denis McNamara, who will be discussing the DVD release of his hit documentary, ‘New Wave: Dare To Be Different.’
‘Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas’ is a holiday soundtrack featuring music written and produced by Grammy, Golden Globe and Oscar-winning songwriter, Paul Williams. The television special originally was broadcast on HBO in 1977 and was nominated for four Emmy awards. Directed by Jim Henson, ‘Emmet Otter’s Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas’ features an all-puppet cast of woodland creatures and tells the story of Ma and Emmet Otter.
Paul Williams is a celebrated singer, songwriter, actor, author and recovery advocate. He is most well-known for his hit songs “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Rainy Days and Mondays,” “Evergreen,” “An Old Fashioned Love Song,” and “The Rainbow Connection.” His songs have been recorded by countless artists including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, David Bowie, Willie Nelson, Three Dog Night and Diana Ross. Through the years, Williams has composed music for multiple Jim Henson projects including ‘The Muppet Movie,’ ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol,’ ‘A Muppet’s Christmas: Letters to Santa,’ and ‘Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas.’
Long Island Music Hall of Fame inductee and radio legend, Denis McNamara, will also be a featured guest on ‘The Sounds of Film.’ His latest DVD, ‘New Wave: Dare to Be Different,’ directed by Ellen Goldfarb, tells the story of WLIR, the radio station responsible for introducing new wave music to America. The film features interviews with Billy Idol, Joan Jett, Deborah Harry, Thomas Dolby and Howard Jones. Executive Producer, Denis McNamara, will be speaking about his role as Program Director of this unique radio station that created a community of listeners centered around punk and new wave music. The film is available for the first time on DVD.
The Sounds of Film is the nation’s longest running film and music themed radio show. For the past 30 years, the program has delivered a popular mix of interviews and music to listeners all over Long Island, parts of Connecticut and streaming worldwide live on the internet. Past people interviewed for the show include Dionne Warwick, Billy Joel, Michael Moore, Alec Baldwin, Chuck D, Laurie Anderson, Carter Burwell, William H. Macy, Cheech and Chong, Morris Day and Jimmy Webb.
