Paul Williams regrets losing 80s decade to alcoholism
Jun 20, 2022
Washington [US], June 20 : American singer and songwriter Paul Williams said that his alcohol addiction led him to 'misplace a decade' in the year 1980.
"I drank, I used, as most people do for about seven minutes, and then by the time I got sober I had misplaced a decade," said Williams, as reported by Page Six.
Further, the 83-year-old singer rued the fact that the '80s were gone' for him.
"The 80s were gone for me. I was incredibly productive and fortunate and lucky... in the 70s. In the 80s I stayed home and alphabetized my canned goods," said the 'Loneliness' singer, as reported by Page Six.
Williams was quite productive in the 1970s, co-writing beautiful songs like 'Evergreen' with American singer Barbra Streisand in the year 1991. He also co-wrote the song 'Rainbow Connection' from 1979 'The Muppet Movie' which was sung by Kermit the Frog and featured in the musical road comedy.
However, when Williams turned 49, he acknowledged his alcoholism, turning to people, asking 'for help', reported Page Six.
"I turned to people and I asked for help... the recovery community came out of the woodwork to help me... I didn't pursue music right after that, I went to UCLA and got my certification as a drug and alcohol counsellor. I found my tribe and what happened is, eventually, I started writing songs again," said Williams.
Williams bagged the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award at the 2022 Songwriters Hall of Fame Annual Induction and Awards Gala on Thursday reported Page Six. He is credited with writing other noteworthy songs including 'Three Dog Night's', 'We've Only Just Begun', and 'The Love Boat' to name a few.
The singer also featured in the 'Smokey and the Bandit' movie franchise and made special appearances in several shows like 'Fantasy Island', and 'The Tonight Show.'
