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DEDICATED TO FREE THOUGHT AND FREE SPEECH IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD |
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At the tender age of 15, I began to explore beyond the suggested reading list my prep school had thumbtacked to the English dept. wall. I found myself scanning the isles of Kepler's Books in Menlo Park, considered a hip source for forward looking thinkers in the early 70ís, when I came across a large paper back volume of handwritten prose and poetry authored by a man named Williams. Mason Williams as a mater of fact.
At this point in my life I probably thought I knew it all or, I was much to shy to ask what may have been a stupid question. I didn't know who Mason Williams was nor would I ask anyone. I don't recall which section the book was filed under. Could have been poetry. I recognized no one else in the store so scanning the poetry section that day gave little chance of me being discovered while reading poetry in a book store, I was after all a fifteen year old American male who was into sports and beginning to find an interest in girls. Being caught with a book of poetry could ruin a guy's reputation for god's sake!
Flipping through the pages, which appeared to be hand written, I came across statements that seemed provocative and daring, not in a sensual way but more in a ìI can't believe he said that" sort of way. The words, "Television is the art of electronic trashmission" and "Network Television wants to keep you stupid so you'll watch it" seemed humorous and a bit outrageous at first glance. These and dozens of other short statements were scattered throughout the book, sometimes two or three to a page and frequently alone with the thick black inked letters in sharp contrast to the bright white paper pages.
On the glossy cover were the words, also written by hand, 'The Mason Williams F.C.C. Rapport'. Inside, the usual copyright statements with the name of the author, where it was printed and how many were printed. Here I discovered that 25 copies were originally produced, for whom I didn't know, but this edition, the very one I had in my hand was limited to 500 copies. I had no idea how many editions would come to be. I knew I had to have one of these for my own. Not being familiar with bookstore protocol I was not quite sure how long I was allowed to sample my find. I remember placing in on the shelf and wandering around the store a bit before returning to the book to have another look. I did this four or five times hoping no one would catch me at what ever I might have been doing wrong.
I returned to Kepler's a few days later, happy to find my treasure still in place. I spent a few more minutes reading as much as possible with out drawing attention too myself, still unsure of my book store manners. Inside I found more of the single paragraph statements that had caught my eye on my previous visit. Some referred to currant events such as the Vietnam War while others mentioned specific television programs. It seems that this Williams guy had something to do with the Smothers Brothers and the TV show that was setting the television industry on it's ear.
Feeling that I had indeed found a rare treasure I left determined to find away to legally obtain that book. At 15 I had few responsibilities beyond schoolwork. My family had hired a Japanese man to tend the lawns and garden so cutting the grass for a living was out of the question. Inside the house was maintained by my mom and the once a week house cleaner named Dick, an older guy who had been around as long as I could recall. The quickest way to ownership was through my mother's pocket book. I just didn't tell her what the money was for nor do I recall actually asking for the cash. If she missed it I probably told a lie and denied any knowledge of any missing money. I remember feeling very guilty but also very excited about my questionable activities. Having this controversial book meant a lot to me at the time and the manner I used to obtain it added to the mystique and mystery.
While I had been secretive and down right dishonest getting my hands on this book I had no problem keeping it in my room. Unlike a Playboy or Penthouse magazine I could leave this publication lying around or on the shelf with my other books knowing no one would be drawn to it. My sister was all of 11 and wanted nothing to do with me. My mother had her hands full with a divorce and the chore of returning to the work place. A Playboy cover would grab mom's attention for sure, they were stashed elsewhere......
"Winning an Emmy from television is like getting a kiss from somebody with bad breath" and "Television Rehearses before it makes love" like the other comments and short stories were conceived and written during the 1960ís, the late 60ís mostly. Turbulent times for America and the world. Big changes were happening and the networks were under pressure to maintain the status quo. The Beverly Hillbillies was one of the top shows on television. The war was brought home each night in 10 and 20-second film clips. The government told us what they wanted us to know and many Americans wouldn't want it any other way.
Then there were guys like Mason Williams. I took to his commentary like a hungry wolf to a fresh kill. I learned that Williams was a writer of more than just these cleaver comments and political ribbings. He was a serious comedy writer. Andy Williams (no relation) The Smothers Brothers and their summer replacement Glenn Campbell all benefited from the efforts of writers like Steve Martin and Mason Williams. Williams would go on to take the head writers position for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and during this time contributed some of his most creative efforts. Hollywood and Washington took notice. The industry awarded Williams with money, fame and Emmy's while Washington took a more sinister look at Williams and the entire Smothers Brothers outfit. Political pressure when combined with corporate pressure would eventually lead to the demise of the Smothers Brothers programs but not before millions of viewers were introduced to a new way of looking at each other and those in charge.
Williams often commented on the lack of corporate commitment when it came to standing behind their boys. The controversial aspects of the Smothers Brothers issues and topics made the brass at CBS and NBC nervous as hell while the censors (yes folks, there was a time when some words and expressions were no-no on television) were kept busier than a Los Angeles bail bondsman.
Ironically, twenty years later the CBS network would return to Williams and Smothers Brothers, asking for an anniversary edition of their groundbreaking program. This time things were different. By 1988 the role of television and the morals of the industry as well as the American public had changed. The network made it self very clear this time. They wanted no confusion what so ever. They specifically asked Williams, the Smothers brothers and the other writers to give them some thing controversial... be bad! Push the envelope! We want people talking! It was just as clear in 1988 as it was in 1968. All the networks were concerned about was the business aspect of the effort. The problems surrounding Williams and the television industry had changed little in 20 years. Art for arts sake gave way to the bottom line a long time ago.
Mason Williams had won the right to criticize the industry that gave him the resources to succeed. He had seen it up close and personal during a time when it's most important role should have been enlightening the American public. ìI am qualified to criticize television because I have two eyes and a mind, which is one more eye and a mind more than television has." Instead the industry used it's powers to conceal the truth and flood the publics consciousness with the dribble we now consider 'classic' television. I can't recall learning a single constructive lesson while watching the Beverly Hillbillies or Lost in Space.
Not readily recognizable in print are the contributions that Mason Williams has given the music world. At the top of that list is the 1968 instrumental "Classical Gas". Williams would receive three Grammy awards for this one number. Later he combined Classical Gas with a film by Dan MacLaughlin, the film making technique now known as "Kinestasis", synchronizing the beat of the music to fast paced cuts on the screen, was born. Heard today in any of its dozens of arrangements "Classical Gas" remains as one of the most popular instrumentals of any genre.
Williams didn't call it a day after the success of Classical Gas. He continued to compose and record for stringed pickin instruments as well as full-blown symphonies. Christmas themes, bluegrass, solo guitar and everything in between. In fact, the theme music to The Smothers Brothers Show it's self was penned by co-writers Nancy Ames and Mason Williams.
It's been an extraordinary life for Mr. Williams. Having the guts to creatively explore and express is one thing. Keeping one's wits about them when success hits is another. Art, music, poetry and national broadcast television. To earn a living in any one of these venues would satisfy most artists. To thrive in them all? Imagine that! Well, one can only ask what's next?
For Williams, the solitude of Oregon has its merits. Far enough from L.A. and the pomp of "the business" but close enough to the rivers and streams that have offered him sanctuary from the people and politics that drove him from the work that gave him so much to begin with. When pressed to comment on the television business today and in particular where the Smothers Brothers would fit in, Williams tells me, just as he tried to convince the big shots in 1969, that the show was put in front of the wrong audience. Put the show on at 11:30 pm! Not 9:00 on a Sunday. 'The Christian element that gets upset about everything goes to bed around 10:00î 'The problem was, just speaking your mind at a certain time". Perhaps those that complained the loudest were going to bed angry.
"We used to say, why should we preach to the choir? It wasn't that we were so revolutionary, as we were trying to say, this whole thing is happening, and here's what's happening, and here's what they want to say and were going to be a little different and give them a place to say it. We didn't necessarily agree with everyone that came on the show, but we felt that if you book someone you let them do what they want".
Williams compared the "Brothers" to Saturday Night Live. Another controversial program that, had it played in the same time slot would most assuredly found it's detractors equally as vocal and perhaps just as influential as those that helped bring the Smothers Brothers Show to it's end.
There is of course the side of Mason Williams that the world sees 95% of the time and that's the lover, poet and gentleman that he is. Some may consider his look at the television industry as nothing more than sour grapes but those that know him well know he could take or leave television long before the battles got nasty. Before the networks there was the stage and the poetry. There was the music and the photography and Williams considers all of it art. Whether it's the life sized photograph of a Greyhound bus that resides in New York's Museum of Modern Art or the whimsical story "How to derive the maximum enjoyment from crackers" William's imagination soars in all directions. His creative input for television is still in demand though he refuses most offers. His stint in 1980 as head writer for "Saturday Night Live" and the 1988 reunion show are fond memories for Williams but for shear joy he counts the Pat Paulsen Presidential Champaign as some of his best work. As I bid good day to Williams he was off to organize the year 2000 Christmas Holiday Program with the Eugene Symphony Orchestra. As in years past this musical celebration provides an incredibly diverse cross section of talent both young and old from the entire Pacific Northwest.
Today, this sixty something, semi retired guitarist, composer, writer and performer rarely if at all watches network television. His home in Eugene, Oregon provides all the tranquillity and comforts a successful artist and fly rod fisherman could wish for. His contributions to the music and television world have spanned four decades crossing political lines and protest lines as well. No one knows for sure, but maybe if Pat Paulsen had done better in his bid for President, television and society itself may have turned out as educated and enlightened as the masters of the industry once imagined we would be....but by then we would have realized just how much of our lives have been lost to the idiot box, or as Mason Williams once put it, "Television is like a bank, you deposit your time and attention and get about a 5% return".
Most Americans who remember the Smothers Brothers television shows may hardly recall the credit roll after each program naming the writers and directors responsible for that nights issue. Nor would they recognize his voice to a song or his magnificent guitar work. The music is familiar and the laughs were first rate and ahead of their time. His poetry and art inspired some while his opinions and foresight astonished others. In a world where superficial beauty covers any lack of true talent it's a pleasure to find one of the pioneers of modern thinking still has a voice worth listening too.
You can find more about Mason Williams at his web site HYPERLINK http://www.masonwilliams-online.com Some of his printed publications include "Flavors" "The Mason Williams FCC Rapport" "Boneless Roast" and "The Mason Williams Reading Matter" He continues to stay in touch with his many famous friends and occasionally agrees to perform for selected audiences. An unlikely jet setter Williams participates in top notch comedy and art festivals across the nation. Oh yea...Thanks mom!
B y H a r o l d R L a B o n t e
Copyright 2000 H. LaBonte
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