Rudy, Jerry, and Me
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 1:52PM By: Matt Parrish
The melodic atmosphere of Disney parks is undoubtedly my favorite part of each trip. In spite of a swarming Main Street or teeming lines at popular attractions, I’m fairly adept at ignoring congestion and enjoying background music as I make my way from land to land. Incidentally, it was the winter of 2006 when I first discovered Radio Buena Vista on Live365.com. I was working weekends at a radio station and I was pretty bored, but the minute I pressed play… I was hooked. This is where my viral Disney experience began and it worked to spawn my yearning to record a show with my brother.
Today, my appreciation of Disney through the “interwebs” is quite diverse. I enjoy chatting along with Betamouse live shows, catching up with Mike and the gang on the Be Our Guest podcast, completing my honey-do lists to the sounds of MouseWorld Radio, or conversing with Wedway Radio listeners on Twitter.
I think most people agree that music makes Disney a little more unique. I think it’s also the reason why I never fell in love with Universal Studios. I love Universal films and I enjoy many of the attractions at the theme parks, but the music is fragmented. On the other hand, Disney music seems to flow together seamlessly, park to park, land to land.
So in staying true to my Disney music theme, I have to tell you how stoked I was when I decided to run 6 miles to the Rudy soundtrack a few months back (one of my favorites – thank you Sean Astin). It had been a few years since I put this score on my iPod, but I decided to take an inspiring run on the treadmill while envisioning myself sprinting through the Notre Dame gymnasium in search of some personal aspiration (yes, I’m a geek, but I’ll use any excuse to get through miles 3 and 4).
It was near the end of the first mile when I heard a familiar galloping and clacking of orchestrated tones right smack dab in the middle of the Rudy theme. It took a second for me to place this acquainted sound, but then it hit me. Soarin’! I proclaimed in my head. I was so excited, I nearly fell off the treadmill. I may have even yelled it out loud.
Now, I was fully aware that Jerry Goldsmith had composed the music for Soarin’, but somehow I forgot that he composed and conducted the Rudy soundtrack. From that point, I think I was hooked. I looked through iTunes and found just about every Jerry Goldsmith score I could find. These days it’s as if Jerry scored the sequences of my life as he did the arrangement of Rudy Ruettiger’s.
So, maybe like you, I guess the cool thing about living a Disney life far away from the theme parks (through podcasts and broadcasts) is that the music always takes you back to the park. Sometimes unintentionally.
Here are a few Goldsmith scores I recommend for a drive to work or a run on the treadmill:
- Hoosiers
- First Knight
- Rudy
Reader Comments (2)
I never put that together, either! I knew there was something familiar about the Soarin' score. Everything he has written is so emotional/inspirational. It's good montage music, and, like you said, great for driving or a run.
Yes,
Goldsmith's music makes you feel like you're really getting something done, even if you are just driving to work.
Thanks Mal