Many liked it initially. I was not one of them. My reaction was and is; Magic!, 311 called. They said they want their songs and ideas back.
Those bands are not what I came to discuss. Last Friday, I went to see Love and Mercy. It is in some way a vanity project for Bill Pohlad, the director writer and producer of this film, but in a good way. Though not a thorough docudrama; it looks at certain eras in the incredible life of Brian Wilson. Mr. Wilson, who for many years was for the leading figure in The Beach Boys , is a person in the music scene in which the word genius is a bit of an understatement. There was a certain time in the 1960s when only The Beatles were more influential than The Beach Boys.
Certainly anyone that is familiar with Brian Wilson know of his, no other way to put it, mental illness which thankfully has been treated well from the nadir of his problems during the 1970s. In a unique filmmaking technique, Pohlad uses two different actors to indicate different stages of Mr. Wilson's life in a non-linear fashion. Paul Dano portrays Brian Wilson during the years The Beach Boys had their biggest hits and most creative albums. Interestingly, the emphasis is on the album recordings than the touring. We get to see the creative genius in his element when Pet Sounds and later Smile are being made. And yet with Dano, we see Mr. Wilson being increasingly unable to cope with his mental illness.
John Cusack portrays Brian Wilson in another time; the mid to late 1980s when the worst of the illness had ended; yet also at a point in his life when Mr. Wilson began to love again when meeting his future wife Melinda (played by Elizabeth Banks) and subsequently breaking ties with his therapist/legal guardian, the highly unorthodox and controversial Eugene Landy (played here with great relish by Paul Giamatti). There is much to say about these roles; the duality of a man being broken and a man being healed in full for example. None the less, in short, Love and Mercy is a well made and fittingly great summer movie that is indicative of the need to heal and move forward in life.
As I mentioned, Bran Wilson was able to heal and is today as prolific as ever. Mr. Wilson has a new album coming out including some interesting duets. And he is touring a bit this summer; in fact, fellow Beach Boy Alan Jardine is coming along. To note, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston continue to utilize the Beach Boys trademark when they go out on the road. It is quite a long story to explain; suffice to say, as even intimated in Love And Mercy, Wilson and Love who are first cousins had differing ideas of artistry and commercialism. Yet, there were and are other artists from Mr. Wilson's sphere of influence who have not healed.
By that I do not mean Brian's brothers Carl and Dennis. Though both have since passed away, there deaths were different in many respects. Dennis Wilson died in 1983 at age 39 by drowning while searching for some keepsakes near his boat. Sad to say, Dennis Wilson was in a drunken stupor at the time. Carl Wilson, who had the least personal issues of the brothers, passed away in 1998 before turning 52 as a result of lung cancer. Yet, a musician that was part of The Wrecking Crew of session musicians who were a significant part of the Beach Boys sound has not faired so well.
Jim Gordon had also lived somewhat of a normal like yet dysfunctional childhood. Mr. Gordon had an uncanny knack for rhythm and arrangements; by age 18 he was drumming for The Everly Brothers. During the 1960s and 1970s, you could not listen to an album or hear the radio without hearing Jim Gordon drumming on a song. He became a part of The Wrecking Crew, and later on Traffic and also an Eric Clapton offshoot, Derek and the Dominoes. In fact, in one of Clapton's best known songs, Layla:
That is Jim Gordon playing the piano from the key change onward. Apparently, Mr. Gordon rewrote and arranged this section, what I like to call the Goodfellas section, as a release from the anguish of Clapton's lyrics. It is quite a beautiful piece of music, showing a hidden genius side not well known for a multi-faceted drummer.
Unfortunately, Jim Gordon was also a paranoid individual that heard voices in his head. And many of those voices belonged for some reason or another to his mother for reasons not entirely known. Yet, unlike Brain Wilson, Jim Gordon did not pull back from the brink. In 1983, on a June afternoon, Mr. Gordon went over to the house he grew up in that was still the residence of his mother. In order to get the voices in his head to be gone, Mr. Gordon hit his mother nearly 20 times with a bat, followed by stabbing her to death.
The only good that came out of it, if you can call it that, was the voices inside Jim Gordon's head stopped. This however left Mr. Gordon's fate to the laws of justice in California. With an insanity defense not viable, Mr. Gordon was found guilty of murder by a jury of his peers. For at least the past 31 years, Mr. Gordon has been incarcerated at a California state prison that also serves as a psychiatric ward. Twice he has been denied parole, still being considered a danger to society at large. Two years ago, it was revealed that Mr. Gordon's mental illness was still quite apparent, including refusing medication and still believing his mother was alive.
I do keep wondering what would have happened if Jim Gordon had gotten off of the drugs and alcohol, maybe take longer periods of time off at the height of his success, received medical care or even moved away from the scene. As well, it is hard to believe now; yet Brian Wilson could have gone that same path in some form or another. Both Wilson and Gordon are still alive, thank goodness. Yet, all the same, Brian Wilson has reclaimed his life these past 32 years or so. Jim Gordon had his life ruined by his own hands 32 years ago. Mr. Wilson has been able to enjoy the rewards and honors of a spectacular life. As for Mr. Gordon; we all know he will never be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If he was kept out from the induction ceremonies for Traffic, how in the heck could Jim Gordon reach the Hall on his own?
There is one other thing I am interested in discovering. Has there been any indication that Brian Wilson has Asperger's Syndrome and/or is on the autistic spectrum? I am not certain, yet the symptoms and traits are apparent, more so now than in his younger years.
Well, that is something that has been on my mind recently. It has taken me at least 2 drafts to get my ideas across yet I do hope this has been beneficial. More will be coming; including video blogs, Q&A matters, and yes I still have my drafts for a probable Doug movie to be considered. I also have updated my Microsoft Office software, so more writings and multimedia are forthcoming.
Talk to you all fairly soon,
Robert
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