Sound Mixer Bill Daly - Rest in Peace

[Richard Topham Jr]

The other day I lost a close friend and a true sound artist.

I was so sorry to hear the news of the passing of Sound Mixer Bill Daly. Bill was a good friend of mine and such a wonderful person. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him. My thoughts and prayers are with the Daly family.

Bill Daly with Justin Marinoff - June 2011

[afewmoreyears]

Any friend of my friend Justin, is a friend of mine.... I am sorry to hear of his Loss....

Best wishes in a difficult time...RIP

Bob D.

[Jeff Wexler]

I knew Bill Daly, but hadn't seem him in years and years. He will be missed.

[Jan McL]

He sure will be missed. Dang.

[DWsoundservice]

Although like Jeff, I had not seen Bill Daly in several years, I do remember him fondly. I am saddened to

hear of his passing. Rest in Peace my old friend.

David W White

D.W. Sound Service

[LarryF]

Bill was a helpful friend to Lectro and spoke with us occasionally over many years with kindly criticism and ideas. He drug me and Bruce around New York showing us some of the NY sound scene many years ago and increased our limited knowledge. He had eight of the big studio UDR200 receivers that he used for eons. They used to require a 1/2 hour wakeup period on bitter cold winter mornings because he stored them in his van overnight and they drifted just a tiny bit too much to unsquelch in the morning. We re-tweaked them and he used them for many shows. I only mention the products because he called us two weeks ago and asked if we wanted two of them donated to our museum. We have the UDR200's and miss Bill. A very nice man.

Larry F

[Jan McL]

I was around as Bill planned and executed his NYC tour with you, Larry. He was sooooo psyched for it and loved you and your company for the back, forth and execution you provided. He described in detail how you guys outfitted the van... In his cups as I'm sure were you and your fine team. It just begins to sink in, this sad news.

[pverrando]

Bill filled in for Tod Maitland on the first 2.5 weeks of JFK in Dallas, doing all the motorcade scenes. I was the 2nd mixer and sfx recordist with my Nagra 4L and one of the early portable DAT machines, 5 years into my career. Bill was pretty gruff and would occasionally tear me a new arsehole by day, but always followed up by buying me a drink after wrap and regaling me with war stories. I'll never forget one day, while sitting in the window sills of the 6th floor Book Depository, seeing Bill's massive cart on the street below, with his huge Sela mixer and umbrella anchored to his cart, but no immediate sign of Bill. A gust of wind hooked the umbrella and pulled the cart over on its back, his stereo Nagra flipped lid-down and skidded on the pavement. Boom op T.J. O'Mara dashes over to the pile and slaps his hands to his head, and frantically he goes about righting the whole mess. I think they were back up and running in 15 minutes. It was surreal. He was just as encouraging and kind to me as he was a ball-buster. Cheers Bill!

[Jan McL]

Heard from Bill's brother-in-law, Roy who sent me some information:

MEMORIAL:

THURSDAY SEPT, 20TH @ 5;30PM NATIVITY CHURCH EDUCATION BUILDING,9502 4TH STREET @ ALAMEDA, ALB. NM.

BURIAL;

FRIDAY SEPT, 21TH @ 9:30AM @ SANTA FE NATIONAL CEMETERY 501 NORTH GUADALUPE STREET SANTA FE, NM. 87501, 505 988 6400.

Link to Memory Card:

https://docs.google....azB6dzZQZzNnRlE

Link to Film Crew Magazine article:

https://docs.google....WTBVbFFuVGM0dE0

Obituary for Bill Daly

William John Daly, 65, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, a veteran production sound mixer who enjoyed a 40 year career in film and television, passed away at his home on Guadalupe Trail on August 23, 2012. Variously described by peers as ‘a sound artist’ and ‘a soundman’s soundman,’ Bill, as he was known to friends and family, was born in 1946 in Paterson, New Jersey, the oldest of four siblings. After high school, against the backdrop of the early buildup of American troops in Vietnam, Daly enlisted in the United States Navy where he served for four years, first as a nuclear reactor operator candidate, then as an instructor in a pilot program the Navy was running in Morocco to use RF communication over global-scale distances. This sparked his early interest in radio which would later inform a signature aspect of his work.

Daly had a great passion for music, mastering several instruments in his teenage years, including the French horn and accordion, and after completing his military service he dreamed of pursuing musical studies in New York City. In the meantime, he took a job as an engineer at Floyd L. Peterson, Inc., an editing house, where his skills in the recording studio quickly led to work in film. His first stint recording sound was on a featurette in London for GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS, with DP John Alonzo. He next worked in post-production on Brian De Palma’s GREETINGS (1968), starring a young Robert De Niro in one of his first roles, and Robert Downey’s PUTNEY SWOPE (1969). He quickly built a reputation as a talented recordist and mixer and someone who could build or repair just about any piece of equipment. This set of skills led to his central role in the development of the first ‘smart’ slates in 1974. Daly was hired as the Location Sound Coordinator for the ‘Rumble in the Jungle,’ the much anticipated heavyweight fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire which was preceded by a three day soul concert with some of the greatest musical artists of the time, including B.B. King and James Brown. They wanted to film the concert and fight with multiple cameras but not multiple soundmen and to be able to sync all the cameras with the mixed-down multitrack recording of the band on stage quickly and efficiently, so they needed to be able to visually display the timecode for the camera. However, at the time there were no portable crystal-controlled clocks. So Daly found and modified a Heuer executive desk clock that had a crystal control and plasma display to DC power and turned it into the first smart slate. He built a series of these which were successfully used in Africa to film what eventually became the 1996 Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary WHEN WE WERE KINGS. Shortly after returning to the states, the director of that film, Leon Gast, asked Daly to help him record the Grateful Dead’s last movie concert using the modified clocks. By using the device on US soil Daly lost the opportunity to register for it for a patent. Nevertheless, in a 1998 Filmcrew Magazine ‘Master Series’ cover story profile of his career, Daly noted that “that clock was probably the most significant impact I’ve had on the business.”

Through the 1970s and 1980s Daly worked on numerous feature and television projects with directors and actors he greatly admired. Among these projects were: HESTER STREET (1975) for which Carol Kane was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress; THAT’S THE WAY OF THE WORLD (1975) with Harvey Keitel; SOMETHING SHORT OF PARADISE (1979) with Susan Sarandon; BILL (1981), a Peabody winner and Golden Globe recipient for Best Picture Made for TV, for which Mickey Rooney won the Emmy and the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV film; TIMERIDER (1982), directed by Bill Dear; SVENGALI (1983) starring Peter O’Toole and Jodie Foster; CHIEFS (1983) starring Charlton Heston and Keith Carradine; GRACE QUIGLEY (1984) starring Katherine Hepburn and Nick Nolte; THE PROTECTOR (1985) with Jackie Chan; OUT OF THE DARKNESS (1985) with Martin Sheen; NINE ½ WEEKS (1986) with Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger, directed by Adrian Lyne; THE LAST DAYS OF FRANK AND JESSE JAMES (1986) with Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson; CROCODILE DUNDEE (1986, NY portion); THE BEDROOM WINDOW (1987) directed by Curtis Hansen; FIVE CORNERS (1987) starring Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins and John Turturro; ROCKET GIBRALTAR (1988) starring Burt Lancaster; and BEST OF THE BEST (1989) with Eric Roberts.

In the 1990s, Daly rotated between episodic television projects and major feature films. He worked on the first two plus seasons of LAW & ORDER from 1990 to 1992, a project which marked the beginning of a long and productive working relationship with prolific television producer Dick Wolf, as Daly went on to work on the L&O spinoff movie EXILED (1998) with Chris North, on over two seasons of NEW YORK UNDERCOVER (1996-1999) and on over seven seasons of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT (1999-2006), mixing 160 episodes.

On the feature side, Daly mixed the Dealey Plaza scenes in Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991), starring Kevin Costner, as well as: THE SAINT OF FORT WASHINGTON (1993) starring Danny Glover and Matt Dillon; SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION (1993) directed by Fred Schepisi and starring Will Smith and Donald Sutherland; HEAVEN & EARTH (1993) directed by Oliver Stone and starring Tommy Lee Jones; FAITHFUL (1996) directed by Paul Mazursky, starring Cher, Ryan O’Neal and Chazz Palminteri; and THE BEST MAN (1999) starring Taye Diggs.

After being based out of New York for 40 years, Daly moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2008 to work on the Starz series CRASH (2008) based on the 2004 Oscar winning Best Picture by the same name. He then worked on THE SPY NEXT DOOR (2010), reuniting with actor Jackie Chan, before officially retiring. When asked over 10 years earlier why he had worked for so long in such a grueling profession, he said: “I have to say that I’m in the business because I love the art. I like the idea that there is this gathering of eagles for a moment and my job is to record the sound.”

In retirement, Daly reconnected with fellow military veterans, volunteering at the VA Hospital in Albuquerque to help veterans struggling with substance abuse and other challenges. A recovering alcoholic himself with nearly three years sober, Daly also took a leadership role in his local AA chapter and volunteered at a local church where meetings were held.

Daly is survived by brothers John and Michael Daly and brother-in-law Roy De Viso; his sister Maureen passed away in 2007. His family and friends will remember a man who loved music of every kind, all things Star Trek, astrology, science and bestowing the most perfect gifts on those he cared about. He would never forget an important occasion, was generous to a fault, exacting in his work, and always curious and creative.

Daly will be interred at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe, NM on Friday, September 21, 2012, at 9:30 AM and there will be a memorial service for friends and family at [NAME OF] Church in Albuquerque on Thursday, September 20.

Thanks,

[karlw]

Thanks for posting that info, Jan.

I'm sorry that I won't be able to make the service since I'll be out of town. Bill was a kind man and I'm glad I got a chance to know him during the past few years. I'll wear the Spy Next Door jacket he gave me with pride this fall.

[Jan McL]

There's a memorial in NY this weekend for Bill.

 

https://www.facebook.com/BillDalyMemorial

 

A Bill Daly Memorial will be hosted on Sunday March 24, 2013, 2pm-5pm at iTrulli Ristorante at 122 E 27th St . NYC. Space is limited, so please be sure to RSVP below. This event is sponsored by Lectrosonics and Gotham Sound and Communications, Inc.

 

http://billdaly.eventbrite.com/

 

[Jan McL]

 

The empty chair like the horse without a rider...

 

Wrote this soon after I first started hanging out with Bill soon after he'd re-occupied his family home following his own father's passing.

 

Re-reading it now, see it's as much about Bill as about Bill's father.

 

It was a lovely memorial, filled with humor, poignancy, and truth remembering the extraordinary life and career of an extraordinary and complex man.

 

Deep thanks to Lectrosonics and Gotham Sound & Communications for sponsoring the room, the music, and some excellent food that allowed us to remember him in style.

 

 

 

AFTER THE ESTATE SALE

 

__________________________________________________________

He was a man given to long walks alone along the river’s shore;

one who might open his arms toward flying birds

or if no one looked, long curves of horizons;

a man accustomed to seeing himself as another person entirely:

 

     of kindnesses and flowers,

     long, uninterrupted sleeps,

     and caresses without gasps.

 

His address book filled with crossed out names,

surviving widows carefully printed to the right of ampersands.

 

His knees always hurt so not worth saying 

more than just that once.

 

He was a man whose feet wore paths through reeds beside a river,

and their quakings under the desk left two brown smudges on the rug.

 

Threads bare on the reupholstered kitchen chair, 

two buttock-sized peeks through to plastic

on the seat where at last he sat—light

as baby’s breath between roses—pressing numbers.

 

He was a man who left marks.  

Those he knew, solid, tangible, 

and those he felt float like pollen behind,

getting in everyone’s eyes, nose and throat.

 

I buy the chair knowing I shall never change its cover.

I walk along the river and in the glen open my arms.

I run a finger over the dimpled ink he left on the pages—

lists of names and precise schedules of medications—

close my eyes and as if blind read by touch.

 

Sure, he left his marks. His children do not mourn.

They are glad to have his temper, his judgments, 

his unhappiness, his unalterable routines, gone.

His children do not see the other marks but I do,

and I mourn this man I never knew alone.

[Jeff Wexler]

Thank you, Jan, for this remembrance. I did not know Bill well, our paths only crossing a few times a long time ago, but I really respected and enjoyed the man immensely. I know what he meant to you and your career.

[bigmaho]

Wonderful post Jan.  Like Jeff, I only crossed paths with Bill a couple of times, mostly via phone after he moved to New Mexico, but heard the stories about him from the moment I entered this business.  If you take measure of a man by the friends he keeps you are his best legacy.

Billy

[Simon Hayes]

RIP

[old school]

Wow! The empty chair. Very moving image. My condolences to his family and friends.

CrewC

[Jan McL]

Agree, Crew, that his empty chair says a lot without uttering a single syllable. Frank Stettner had it or at least, saw him load it into his car in the end. Fitting since he and Bill have been friends since the beginning.

 

Thanks for adding your kind words, guys. The whole thing affected me more deeply than expected...

 

Delighted to know that he remained in touch with the community he loved dearly as life.

[mastermixaudiomedia]

Thanks Jan for posting, very powerful, that chair.