As I reviewed the transcript of my conversation with John Mueller, I kept hearing Frank Sinatra singing “That’s Life,” his 1966 hit about life’s ups and downsThe song features this refrain: “I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king.” John hasn’t been all those things, but he has been—and still is—a playwright, a poet, and a Porsche-racer, as well as a Sounds Good singer. And, as the song says, when John finds himself “flat on my face” —or more accurately, upside down on the racetrack—he will “pick myself up and get back in the race.”
The Porsche Racer
Although John had been a longtime racing fan, he didn’t take up the sport until he was in his 40s. He joined the Porsche Club of America and began racing in his 944, the first of four of the classic German-made race cars he’s owned. He’s driven in 243 races and events at tracks throughout the Midwest as well as in Texas, Georgia and New York. It was while driving his second Porsche—a 968—that John went upside down on the track. He recounts the incident which took place at a Road America race in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin: “There’s a long straightaway, and at the end of it, I’m going like 110 [mph] and I couldn’t get the car slowed down enough for the turn and I went off the track and ended up upside down. I was okay, but you know my wife wasn’t with me, so that evening I said, ‘I’m going to call Pat and I’m not going to tell her about the crash right off. I want to see if she hears something in me that gives it away, if something turned in my head.’ So I called her, and after a few minutes of talking, I said, ‘Well, you know, I crashed. I ended upside down.’ Since she hadn’t detected anything in my voice, I knew I had the ‘right stuff’,” John recalls with a chuckle. “And Pat was very understanding. She was silent for a moment and then she said, ‘So you’re OK?’.”
John’s current Porsche is a Cayman GT4, of which he says, “If I didn’t take it on a racetrack, I think I’d sell it, because it’s got so much potential—far and above what’s legal on the highway. Occasionally I open the throttle a bit. Once I made a left turn from a stoplight, and when I looked at the tachometer, it wasn’t turning too many revs, maybe 2000 out of a possible 6000. I was shifting up through the gears and I didn’t think I was going very fast. Then I looked up and I’m doing 70 in a 45 mile-per-hour zone.”
While he no longer does competitive racing, John takes part in High Performance Driver’s Education (HPDE), a program that teaches drivers how to control their vehicles at high speeds in a safe environment. John has served as an HPDE instructor. “We drive as fast as we like, but when you catch up to somebody, you can’t just pass him. He has to wave you by on the straightaway.”
![As I reviewed the transcript of my conversation with John Mueller, I kept hearing Frank Sinatra singing “That’s Life,” his 1966 hit about life’s ups and downsThe song features this refrain: “I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king.” John hasn’t been all those things, but he has been—and still is—a playwright, a poet, and a Porsche-racer, as well as a Sounds Good singer. And, as the song says, when John finds himself “flat on my face” —or more accurately, upside down on the racetrack—he will “pick myself up and get back in the race.”<br />
The Porsche Racer<br />
Although John had been a longtime racing fan, he didn’t take up the sport until he was in his 40s. He joined the Porsche Club of America and began racing in his 944, the first of four of the classic German-made race cars he’s owned. He’s driven in 243 races and events at tracks throughout the Midwest as well as in Texas, Georgia and New York. It was while driving his second Porsche—a 968—that John went upside down on the track. He recounts the incident which took place at a Road America race in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin: “There’s a long straightaway, and at the end of it, I'm going like 110 [mph] and I couldn’t get the car slowed down enough for the turn and I went off the track and ended up upside down. I was okay, but you know my wife wasn't with me, so that evening I said, ‘I'm going to call Pat and I'm not going to tell her about the crash right off. I want to see if she hears something in me that gives it away, if something turned in my head.’ So I called her, and after a few minutes of talking, I said, ‘Well, you know, I crashed. I ended upside down.’ Since she hadn’t detected anything in my voice, I knew I had the ‘right stuff’,” John recalls with a chuckle. “And Pat was very understanding. She was silent for a moment and then she said, ‘So you’re OK?’.”<br />
John’s current Porsche is a Cayman GT4, of which he says, “If I didn't take it on a racetrack, I think I'd sell it, because it’s got so much potential—far and above what's legal on the highway. Occasionally I open the throttle a bit. Once I made a left turn from a stoplight, and when I looked at the tachometer, it wasn't turning too many revs, maybe 2000 out of a possible 6000. I was shifting up through the gears and I didn't think I was going very fast. Then I looked up and I'm doing 70 in a 45 mile-per-hour zone.”<br />
While he no longer does competitive racing, John takes part in High Performance Driver’s Education (HPDE), a program that teaches drivers how to control their vehicles at high speeds in a safe environment. John has served as an HPDE instructor. “We drive as fast as we like, but when you catch up to somebody, you can’t just pass him. He has to wave you by on the straightaway.”<br />](https://soundsgoodchoir.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/John-Mueller-with-Porsche.jpg "John-Mueller-with-Porsche")
The Playwright and the Performer
When John’s not on the racetrack you might find him backstage or onstage at the Theatre of Western Springs, or perhaps at home writing and composing. He’s been with the theatre since 1998 as an actor, singer, dancer, sound designer and playwright. He directed “The Faculty Meeting,” a comedy that was performed by the company a few seasons back. He also authored “Twilight on the Prairie,” a parable about a standoff between a Plains Indian and a buffalo, who come to an understanding that ensures both will survive a cold night on the prairie. The one-act play was inspired by the work of Joseph Campbell (1904–1987), a writer and scholar who specialized in comparative mythology and religion. He’s known for coining the term “the hero’s journey” to describe a common pattern in stories where a hero faces challenges and achieves victory or transformation. The company performed this play in 2010. John’s current project is writing a play to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Theatre. It will be a one-act farce based on the company’s roots in the Prohibition era of Western Springs.
His theater work has also taken John (literally) off script as an improv performer. That adventure began when a colleague invited him to join a class at Chicago’s Annoyance Theater. One of his more memorable improv assignments was a sight gag in which he had to play a giraffe. “I have long limbs, so I spread out my arms and legs and I mimicked a giraffe trying to bend over and drink… I got laughter and applause for that one.” His interest in improv followed him to the Theatre of Western Springs, where he organized a group called the Improv Commandos. “Our motto was ‘Ready to play any role in any scene for any audience.’”
John also presented a personal true-life story in a program called “Story Slam,” modeled after NPR’s “Moth Radio Hour.”
John played two roles in the Theatre of Western Springs production of “The Elephant Man”—an English aristocrat and a freak show impresario scolding three pinheads (the talent).
The Singer
Like many Sounds Good choristers, John first sang in a grade school singing class, in his case at St. Anne’s in Barrington, where he grew up. “I started singing in about fifth grade. The songbook we used was called ‘We Sing in Unison.’ Well, my voice had changed by that time and I couldn’t sing in unison with my classmates. So it was a very awkward time, trying to sing high notes that I couldn’t reach.” Years later John resumed singing when the Theatre of Western Springs presented a review of Broadway tunes. Like the Sounds Good Choir, it was a “no audition” opportunity, so John signed up. “I still couldn’t sing worth a nickel. But I met my future music teacher, Tracey Ford, who was directing the review. I’ve studied voice in her studio ever since.”
John and his wife, Pat Folz, joined Sounds Good in 2018 at the invitation of Mary Mauch, a friend of Pat’s, who directed the Wheaton/Glen Ellyn choir. “Mary asked Pat to join, and she said, ‘I’ll join if John joins.’” Although Mary and Pat are no longer involved with Sounds Good, John continues to sing with the Hinsdale choir.
The Poet
John wrote what he refers to as a prequel to Alfred Lord Tennyson’s narrative poem, “The Lady of Shallot,” which tells the story of a young noblewoman trapped in a tower near Camelot. “At the end of Tennyson’s poem, she leaves the tower and drifts down to Camelot and by the time she gets there she’s dead,” John recounts. Tennyson’s poem, which has inspired many painters, authors and philosophers, is John’s effort to “understand how the Lady of Shalott got into that predicament.”
The Songwriter
Recalling a lunchtime conversation with John, Sounds Good Choir’s artistic director, Jonathan Miller, said: “I was struck by what a poetic soul he has.” That certainly comes through in a song John wrote about growing old and facing death, called “Row to the Other Side.” It opens with a lament: “My hands are weak and my back is bowed…” and ends with an expression of faith and hope, “Yet deep in my heart I feel a comforting glow… and if glory waits on the other side then row, row, row.”
John’s life story includes his career at People’s Gas, where he drew on his degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Florida to provide technical support to the marketing department, and his MBA from DePaul to prepare rate filings with the Illinois Commerce Commission. He continues to share his business expertise with his homeowners’ association, as well as the Theatre of Western Springs, where he serves on the board of governors. But these days he finds fulfillment in his poetic soul. Follow these links to learn more about the writers and scholars who inspire John’s poetry and songwriting.
Sheet music for John’s song, “Row to the Other Side.”
That’s Life by Dean Kay and Kelly Gordon. Recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1966, remastered in 2008.
Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth PBS series featuring Campbell in conversation with Bill Moyers. Free at this link to the Internet Archive, the series is also available on various streaming services.
Helen & John; thanks so much for another superbly researched & written article! I really enjoy learning more about our fellow Talented Choristers. It’s amazing that the SGC organization has attracted so many talented folks in such diverse & interesting roles & activities! Please keep these coming, & Thanks Again!