TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Intro 00:28 - Jim Johnston Wants To Come To New Zealand/Lord Of The Rings 01:19 - Yellowstone Park 02:46 - How Jim Composed At WWE & Post WWE/Having To Many Ideas 05:33 - Jim Realises In Hindsight He Needed WWE’s Strict Deadlines 06:17 - Jim Doesn’t Get Writers Block 07:27 - Vince McMahon/Information Jim Got About WWE Superstars 09:00 - WWE Superstars Would Try To Pitch Music To Jim 10:33 - Jim Wasn’t Approachable 11:38 - Deadlines To Compose/Jim Liked The Pressure 14:10 - Jim Didn’t Just Compose The WWE Entrance Music 14:52 - Jim Johnston Would Love To Compose For Hollywood Films 16:40 - Jim Always Wants To Convey Emotion Through Music 18:08 - Politics Of Hollywood/ Jim Is Confident He Could Score Well For Hollywood 20:22 - Stigma Of Composing For WWE 21:32 - Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson 24:29 - How Jim Johnston Is Able To Easily Write Different Styles 27:50 - Every Instrument Jim Can Play 29:06 - Jim Johnston Rarely Collaborates/Jim’s Stage Fright 32:10 - Stage Fright Hasn’t Improved Over The Years 34:38 - Jim Would Be Less Nervous Performing Virtually/Jim Is Anti Lip Singing 36:06 - Jim Does Want To Perform LIVE 36:43 - Jim Hasn’t Been Asked To Be In WWE Hall Of Fame 37:31 - Jim Doesn’t Understand Why He Hasn’t Been Asked In WWE Hall Of Fame 38:39 - Jim Was A Contractor/Workforce System Between NZ & America 40:57 - Jim Composed To Cope After Being Fired From WWE 43:31 - Jim’s Daily Schedule 45:02 - Ultimate Warriors Theme 48:10 - Simple Ideas Are The Most Effective 48:50 - Undertakers Theme 51:50 - Undertaker Walkout Wouldn’t Work Without The Theme 53:41 - Wrestling Isn’t Fake/The Ring Is Hard 57:18 - Social Media/Being Stopped In The Street 59:00 - Jim Still Loves Composing 59:40 - Jim Is Doing An EP Of Themes 1:01:48 - Jim Open To Composing For Video Games 1:03:58 - Melody Isn’t Heard As Much In Film These Days/Jaws 1:06:06 - Jim Likes Normal Conversations 1:07:30 - Cliche Interviews
*How the hell can you fire someone like this? goes to show how bizarre these times are, bloody idiots... Undertaker is a truly chilling and incredible piece of music, very touching for me.. P.S. I always felt that later day Dimmu Borgir tried hard to emulate that style but failed miserably. Anyways thanks guys❤* _"I wanted it to sound like a funeral with the church bells and the organ, and for the music to go deeper than just the shallow nature of pure aggression that sits at the core of a lot of wrestling music. There’s tragedy and sadness and all these different elements that touch on the mysterious backstory of The Undertaker’s character. I played the organ in a cinematic way and it was kind of an ode to Phantom of the Opera or a climactic scene in a classic horror movie. There’s definitely a sadness that underpins my playing, and I think that came from me tapping into the one scar I consistently carried with me through my life; that classic dilemma of being the middle child and feeling invisible."_ - Jim Johnston
I need deadlines too for when I'm designing a graphic/illustrating/writing. If I don't have a deadline, I procrastinate and it takes me months/years to finish something. Sometimes I never finish a project because I get invested in something else...
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:28 - Jim Johnston Wants To Come To New Zealand/Lord Of The Rings
01:19 - Yellowstone Park
02:46 - How Jim Composed At WWE & Post WWE/Having To Many Ideas
05:33 - Jim Realises In Hindsight He Needed WWE’s Strict Deadlines
06:17 - Jim Doesn’t Get Writers Block
07:27 - Vince McMahon/Information Jim Got About WWE Superstars
09:00 - WWE Superstars Would Try To Pitch Music To Jim
10:33 - Jim Wasn’t Approachable
11:38 - Deadlines To Compose/Jim Liked The Pressure
14:10 - Jim Didn’t Just Compose The WWE Entrance Music
14:52 - Jim Johnston Would Love To Compose For Hollywood Films
16:40 - Jim Always Wants To Convey Emotion Through Music
18:08 - Politics Of Hollywood/ Jim Is Confident He Could Score Well For Hollywood
20:22 - Stigma Of Composing For WWE
21:32 - Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
24:29 - How Jim Johnston Is Able To Easily Write Different Styles
27:50 - Every Instrument Jim Can Play
29:06 - Jim Johnston Rarely Collaborates/Jim’s Stage Fright
32:10 - Stage Fright Hasn’t Improved Over The Years
34:38 - Jim Would Be Less Nervous Performing Virtually/Jim Is Anti Lip Singing
36:06 - Jim Does Want To Perform LIVE
36:43 - Jim Hasn’t Been Asked To Be In WWE Hall Of Fame
37:31 - Jim Doesn’t Understand Why He Hasn’t Been Asked In WWE Hall Of Fame
38:39 - Jim Was A Contractor/Workforce System Between NZ & America
40:57 - Jim Composed To Cope After Being Fired From WWE
43:31 - Jim’s Daily Schedule
45:02 - Ultimate Warriors Theme
48:10 - Simple Ideas Are The Most Effective
48:50 - Undertakers Theme
51:50 - Undertaker Walkout Wouldn’t Work Without The Theme
53:41 - Wrestling Isn’t Fake/The Ring Is Hard
57:18 - Social Media/Being Stopped In The Street
59:00 - Jim Still Loves Composing
59:40 - Jim Is Doing An EP Of Themes
1:01:48 - Jim Open To Composing For Video Games
1:03:58 - Melody Isn’t Heard As Much In Film These Days/Jaws
1:06:06 - Jim Likes Normal Conversations
1:07:30 - Cliche Interviews
This Man Deserves To be In Hall of Fame!!
thx a lot for this upload. I wonder what the Ultimate Warrior thought, when he heard his theme for the first time. His theme describes him so well.
50% of the hype with wrestling as kids was the music dropped... Start to give this man is credit.
love his room there, everything crammed with equipment 💕
Great interview man! I never miss a Jim interview, he's a genius in my mind.
Jim is such a Legend
the entrance music from warrior was awesome!
Thank you
You are a great interviewer, earned a sub!
Much appreciated!
RIP Jimmy Helwig! +1
*How the hell can you fire someone like this? goes to show how bizarre these times are, bloody idiots... Undertaker is a truly chilling and incredible piece of music, very touching for me.. P.S. I always felt that later day Dimmu Borgir tried hard to emulate that style but failed miserably. Anyways thanks guys❤*
_"I wanted it to sound like a funeral with the church bells and the organ, and for the music to go deeper than just the shallow nature of pure aggression that sits at the core of a lot of wrestling music. There’s tragedy and sadness and all these different elements that touch on the mysterious backstory of The Undertaker’s character. I played the organ in a cinematic way and it was kind of an ode to Phantom of the Opera or a climactic scene in a classic horror movie. There’s definitely a sadness that underpins my playing, and I think that came from me tapping into the one scar I consistently carried with me through my life; that classic dilemma of being the middle child and feeling invisible."_
- Jim Johnston
Jim gotta drop a mixtape of theme songs
I agree, Yellowstone Park is just amazing!
yellow stone park is like going back in time! 🤘
I need deadlines too for when I'm designing a graphic/illustrating/writing. If I don't have a deadline, I procrastinate and it takes me months/years to finish something. Sometimes I never finish a project because I get invested in something else...
59:20 Wow, I can't wait for that new EP! Any updates on when that'll be released?
I haven't heard anything more from Jim at this point.
Ask Him to play one tine Undertaker Theme in piano version for his entrance...that would be fuking so epic...and a good goodbye for both of them....
Is this ep going to be themes for wrestling music or no
Did he write here and gone about macho man ?
I wonder how jim would have done for a metal gear game or hell for the metal gear movie
holy piledriver! he's a genius! 🤩📢
the ultimate warrior basically only existed because of his theme!
He was extremely popular before he even went to the WWF. In the short time he was in WCCW he was as popular as the Von Erichs.
Love u Jim thanks 4 the memories
A Hall of famer no Doubt 🤍