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Just watched ‘Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road’

The Spin Meister

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Nov 27, 2012
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An altered state
What a great film. We hear the songs and have no idea about the performers’s lives and put our own spin on the music. Watchting this was pretty tough as he was one screwed up dude, went through some really difficult times. But he is finally a happy man, even though the scars are still very obvious.

He fought depression all his life and still doesn’t seem fully healthy. Some facial tics, somewhat robotic. The scene that he is told that Jack Reilly died a couple years earlier was brutal.

A couple years ago saw a special on how he was haunted by the success and expectations of Pet Sounds. He was obsessed with a follow up album that would be even better. But that obsession drove him over the edge. Some forty years later he finally put on a concert with the songs from that album. It was highly acclaimed and received an Historical Album Award. Amazing story.
 
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Brian Wilson was one of the top 4 or 5 musical geniuses of the 20th century. He doesn't get the credit he deserves. His "All Summer Long" still remains as one of my top 3 or 4 songs of all-time
 
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I saw that. It was good. I read that they wanted to make a movie about Brian Wilson but he's so hard to get good responses from that they had to search for a way to draw him out a bit and the thing that worked was that guy driving him around and talking to him. Even at that it was him talking only about half the movie. He clearly doesn't get some social things at this point. I liked the part where he told the driver to park in the handicap spot and the driver said maybe we shouldn't do that and he said, that's okay, I do it all the time. I don't think that was "I"m important and I get to do what I want" but rather he just doesn't get it.

I'm glad he's out there and getting some good publicity for himself because he's very underappreciated, but his voice is so bad that I think it'd be better if at his concerts they let him sit on the side and observe while someone that sang well did his voice He had a fantastic voice when he was young.

The Jack Rieley thing was pretty interesting. I looked it up and Brian Wilson's Twitter feed said it was saddened by Jack Rieley's death a few years ago when he died, which tells you Brian Wilson is not running his Twitter feed, but then again I never thought otherwise. But yeah, he was pretty broken up to hear about that, even though he hadn't seen him for years and the guy was old so it shouldn't have been such a shock.

ETA: Paul McCartney turned 80 yesterday (Saturday). Brian Wilson turns 80 tomorrow (Monday).
 
Thanks. I'll have to check it out. Another movie, Love and Mercy came out a few years about him and the group. I enjoyed it and got the CD with the theme song. Netflix has a short series about how a number of signature songs got made. I find the creative process, or sometimes journey interesting.
 
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Spin - What forum did you view the film? Netflix, HBO???
 
I saw that. It was good. I read that they wanted to make a movie about Brian Wilson but he's so hard to get good responses from that they had to search for a way to draw him out a bit and the thing that worked was that guy driving him around and talking to him. Even at that it was him talking only about half the movie. He clearly doesn't get some social things at this point. I liked the part where he told the driver to park in the handicap spot and the driver said maybe we shouldn't do that and he said, that's okay, I do it all the time. I don't think that was "I"m important and I get to do what I want" but rather he just doesn't get it.

I'm glad he's out there and getting some good publicity for himself because he's very underappreciated, but his voice is so bad that I think it'd be better if at his concerts they let him sit on the side and observe while someone that sang well did his voice He had a fantastic voice when he was young.

The Jack Rieley thing was pretty interesting. I looked it up and Brian Wilson's Twitter feed said it was saddened by Jack Rieley's death a few years ago when he died, which tells you Brian Wilson is not running his Twitter feed, but then again I never thought otherwise. But yeah, he was pretty broken up to hear about that, even though he hadn't seen him for years and the guy was old so it shouldn't have been such a shock.

ETA: Paul McCartney turned 80 yesterday (Saturday). Brian Wilson turns 80 tomorrow (Monday).
According to Wikipedia, it was Facebook that Wilson supposedly posted about Reilly’s passing. But the quote sounded like something an HR person or publicity person would write.
 
What a great film. We hear the songs and have no idea about the performers’s lives and put our own spin on the music. Watchting this was pretty tough as he was one screwed up dude, went through some really difficult times. But he is finally a happy man, even though the scars are still very obvious.

He fought depression all his life and still doesn’t seem fully healthy. Some facial tics, somewhat robotic. The scene that he is told that Jack Reilly died a couple years earlier was brutal.

A couple years ago saw a special on how he was haunted by the success and expectations of Pet Sounds. He was obsessed with a follow up album that would be even better. But that obsession drove him over the edge. Some forty years later he finally put on a concert with the songs from that album. It was highly acclaimed and received an Historical Album Award. Amazing story.

I first heard about Brian Wilson and his issues when the Barenaked Ladies wrote a song about it.

Thanks for the tip. Looking forward to the film.
 
I haven't seen this show. However, I saw two similar ones. The first was about David Crosby. He is quite the loon and has lived a really interesting life. Nobody likes him now, which he fully acknowledges. The second was the Bee Gees. Amazing their prolific writing and the innovations they brought to music. However, the "I hate disco" movement killed them, their music creativity, and took away a lot of the credit for the innovations they created.

I always have to check myself though. The media is great at making these guys super heroes/villains. Once does have to wonder how much is true and how much is made up.
 
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What a great film. We hear the songs and have no idea about the performers’s lives and put our own spin on the music. Watchting this was pretty tough as he was one screwed up dude, went through some really difficult times. But he is finally a happy man, even though the scars are still very obvious.

He fought depression all his life and still doesn’t seem fully healthy. Some facial tics, somewhat robotic. The scene that he is told that Jack Reilly died a couple years earlier was brutal.

A couple years ago saw a special on how he was haunted by the success and expectations of Pet Sounds. He was obsessed with a follow up album that would be even better. But that obsession drove him over the edge. Some forty years later he finally put on a concert with the songs from that album. It was highly acclaimed and received an Historical Album Award. Amazing story.
Unfortunately years of anti-psychotic medication has resulted in tardive dyskenesia. That causes the facial tics and the robotic style.
 
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If anyone is interested in other music documentaries from that time there’s a good one called Muscle Shoals. It’s the study Skynyrd mentioned in Sweet Home Alabama.
 
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Unfortunately years of anti-psychotic medication has resulted in tardive dyskenesia. That causes the facial tics and the robotic style.
Still, he recently turned 80 years old, still enjoys making music, and seems to have some inner peace. He has survived mental illness, an abusive upbringing, drug use, and the effects of fame and loss of privacy. Outlived his two brothers.

Carry on, Brian.
 
Still, he recently turned 80 years old, still enjoys making music, and seems to have some inner peace. He has survived mental illness, an abusive upbringing, drug use, and the effects of fame and loss of privacy. Outlived his two brothers.

Carry on, Brian.
Not to mention a scum bag cousin that claims credit for all of his creative content.
 
Brian Wilson was one of the top 4 or 5 musical geniuses of the 20th century. He doesn't get the credit he deserves. His "All Summer Long" still remains as one of my top 3 or 4 songs of all-time
Reminds me of a truely great flick
American graffiti.
Didn’t he have problems with his dad?
 
All that talent, fame and fortune.....and so much suffering. Carl seems to have been the only "normal" Wilson.
 
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