That Magical Man
By RJF
Whenever I hear a song by The Beach Boys, I immediately think of my dad and am transported to the countless summer beach camping trips that my family would take. Driving down the freeway in our blue Ford Astro Van, the nearby beach air running through the car, and a cassette of The Beach Boys playing on the speakers while my dad sang along to all their hits is something that I will always remember. It also just so happens that my best friend is obsessed with Brian Wilson, so when I was looking for a movie to go see with her, it was a stroke of fate that I saw this film, Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road, was showing at our local independent movie theater. I didn’t even know that it existed, but after I saw the trailer, I knew I had to go see it with her. If the movie was good, I also knew I would need to tell my dad about it.
This documentary takes the audience on the ride of Brian Wilson’s life. The premise is Wilson is being driven around the greater Los Angeles area by Rolling Stone editor and friend, Jason Fine. Fine takes him to where his childhood home used to be, the location of The Beach Boys’ first album cover shoot, his old homes, and some other spots, all the while talking about his life. There are clips from old film footage thrown in, as well as concert footage, and interviews with musicians and producers all hailing the genius of Wilson and the magic he created for The Beach Boys. It’s a non-traditional way of interviewing someone, but necessary for Wilson because of his anxieties about being interviewed. There were times in the documentary where I found myself tearing up listening to and watching the old footage of Wilson and his brothers, along with the other bandmates. It reminded me of watching old reel-to reel movies of my family from before I was even born.
Looking at Wilson sitting in the passenger seat of a car, being driven around to various locations that are important to his life’s journey, telling stories about his past, I couldn’t help but think about a few things:
1) He’s an old man now who has outlived both of his brothers by many years. As he talks about them in the film, you can clearly see that he is still affected by their deaths. Grief over the loss of loved ones sticks with you forever, and Wilson is not immune to this. We tend to forget that musicians are just people who suffer the same tragedies as us “normals”.
2) He is still pretty sharp when he’s talking, despite his schizoaffective disorder and years of drug and alcohol abuse. When Fine is asking him questions about his life, Wilson can remember intricate details and relay them clearly.
3) When he gets in the studio, he is as amazing as ever! His voice is not what it once was, but whose voice is at 79? Sitting at the keys of a piano, he starts and stops his band if he hears any instrument or voice off key, or not playing in the way that he finds suitable for the songs. It was awesome to see this virtuoso, in his ripe old age, still command a recording studio like he was 25 years old. You can see the respect and admiration that his new bandmates have for him.
After the movie, I dropped off my friend, and immediately went over to tell my dad about it. I showed him the trailer, explained the style of the documentary, and made him promise to go see it before it leaves the theater in two days. I know that he will love it, and I want to share this documentary experience with him. I don’t know if my dad realizes that by him playing The Beach Boys throughout my childhood, he created a fan of them in his daughter. He unknowingly introduced me to one of the most prolific musicians to have ever existed, and I am forever grateful for that, just as the world is forever grateful to and for Brian Wilson.
