> Who is this monster Thaxton? How horrible!

Congratulations first to Filmtracks.com.

Now, about Ford A. Thaxton.

A few years ago, I posted a question asking what qualifies F.A.T. to throw his weight around so often in online entertainment groups and website discussion areas. I honestly didn't know him from a hole in the ground when I asked. So I wanted to find out a little bit about the "Man from Mt. Olympus."

Rather than answering my question, he lambasted me publicly and privately for weeks, sending me offensive and unqualified emails that, as a side effect, frightened my wife.

The FIRST time I got the "Ford treatment" was when I dared to assert that James Horner's "Titanic" soundtrack sounded like recycled Enya tunes. He came down on me like a ton of bricks, more or less telling me that if I wasn't personally willing to go to court and testify against James Horner, I should keep my mouth shut. I guess F.A.T. doesn't regard the testimony of anyone's ears but his own.

Having a master's degree in music composition and having written 20 or so film scores, as well as dozens of audio tape scores, radio drama scores, jingles, etc., I think I have trained my ears well enough to present my views on music without being threatened by a self-styled Internet God of Film Music.

And, as I told Ford at the time, I don't mind writing anonymously, since it didn't seem to bother Dickens, the Brontes, and many other authors and composers (even film composers, for heaven's sake!).

- Craig