Don’t let fear inside

An Oscar-winning songwriter who also penned classics like “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “An Old Fashioned Love Song” delivered a speech to hundreds of students at Orange Coast College on Wednesday, urging them not to get sucked into a “fear-based society” to the point where it robs them of their true inner selves.

Paul Williams, 69, also known for his role as Little Enos Burdette in the movie “Smokey and the Bandit,” spoke to the students inside the junior college’s theater for about an hour, cracking jokes about himself while finding time to condemn those who instill fear in people — most notably talk radio political commentator Rush Limbaugh.

But Williams’ biggest message to the younger generation, perhaps, was that they should believe in the great power of the unconscious. It comes from within when you least expect it, he said. It doesn’t come from the bottle.

And once you believe in the power, there’s no turning back, and it can make you great. You just have to wait for it.

On the technical side, if you want to write songs, Williams said, then write about what you know about.

“Songs come from ordinary experiences,” he said. “The big lesson is to write about what you know. The key word is ‘authenticity.’ ”

An alcoholic who’s been sober for 20 years, Williams often poked fun of himself, saying he knew he had trouble with the bottle when he’d begin the night and enter the bars “like a Shetland pony, then come out of them like a mustang.”

“I don’t remember the ’80s,” said Williams, who was dressed in black for the occasion and had a pianist, Chris Caswell, accompany him on stage. “When you misplace a decade, you know you’re an alcoholic.”

Williams, whose other major claim to fame was writing the theme song to the TV show, “The Love Boat,” put on a great performance for the students. He sang a few of his old songs, most notably “Rainy Days,” made famous by the Carpenters, and “An Old Fashioned Love Song.”

In 1976, Williams won an Oscar for co-writing the song “Evergreen” with Barbara Streisand, who performed it in the movie “A Star is Born.”

His speech was part of the Distinguished Speakers series at OCC. Every year, one or two famous people will speak to a crowd of students.

Jeff Brown, an associate professor of Spanish at OCC, was sure to be on hand. Sober for nearly seven years, Brown said he never misses a chance to see Williams perform.

“I love him,” Brown said. “When he talks, it’s like going to an AA meeting. I can relate to what he says. I try to see him every chance I can get.”