On this day – August 25, 1986
In 1986, musician Paul Simon released the most successful studio album of his career, “Graceland.” (25 August)
AP
Paul Simon's remarkable career, from itinerant poet to engineer fusing pop melodies with world beats, is ripe for mining.
but Documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney I didn't want to reduce Simon's accomplishments to a rote resume. The goal, he says, was “to create a dreamscape of life both here and in the past. And they live simultaneously.”
The resulting film, In Troubled Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, is the result of a five-year journey that captures Simon's seven-decade span in music through archival footage and unrestricted access to the present-day Simon, who remains vital and influential. Creative at 82 years old
The two-part documentary series airs on MGM+ at 9 ET/PT on Sundays and March 24.
This is not the first time Simone's unusual career has been dissected. The 2018 biography, “Paul Simon: The Life”, written by famed music reporter Robert Hilburn with Simon's full input, also detailed Simon's history.
But in documentary form, seeing the magic of the 1981 Central Park concert when he reunited with Art Garfunkel; Simone's solo return to that hallowed land after a decade; The development of his famous album “Graceland” in 1986; That Simon recorded “The Seven Psalms” last year while suffering from hearing loss is revealing.
Gibney, who has directed award-winning documentaries about Scientology, Enron and the murder of an Afghan taxi driver, crafted the three-and-a-half-hour project using one of music's most important songbooks as its backbone.
“This is not a decrease in information,” Gibney says. “It's an emotional experience. The moment, but it's full of memory.
Here are some highlights from the film.
more: The star power of 'We Are the World' remains unparalleled: inside the dramatic recording of one night
Bathrooms and elevator shafts are shaped like Simon & Garfunkel strokes
As much as the Beatles used unconventional recording methods—reverse guitar solos, double-tracking vocals—Simon and Garfunkel resorted to some basic setups and beatmakers for many of their timeless songs.
Producer Roy Haley's guidance was crucial on songs like “Cecilia,” which featured a rhythmic loop created by the banging of pots and pans, and “Boxer,” whose drums were recorded at the bottom of an elevator shaft. (The song's string section had a more lavish recording setting: St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University.) On “The Only Living Boy in New York,” Simon and Garfunkel fixed up an echo chamber to record their harmonies.
Even “Mrs. Robinson,” the hilarious anthem composed for the 1967 film “The Graduate,” has an interesting backstory. In a TV talk show clip, Simon recounts how many words were created on the spot once it was determined that the song would be used in a chase scene Simon recreates the moment while playing his guitar.
Gibney also points to footage of jam sessions while recording “Graceland” in Johannesburg, South Africa, as an indication of Simon's ability to create “musical cross-currents.”
“He would write in a different way, recording it and integrating it into a bigger vision rather than starting with a guitar and a notebook. “He was coming from a different place musically,” Gibney says.
Art Garfunkel declined to participate, but was still heard
Gibney says Garfunkel declined to be interviewed about the film. But Gibney was determined Include his voiceSo he relied on archival interview clips with Simon's former musical partner, who brought indisputable vocal beauty to classics including “Homeward Bound,” “The Boxer” and “The Sound of Silence.”
After the duo broke up in 1970, Garfunkel described it as an “unequal partnership” because Simon wrote all the songs. “We were best friends until 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'… but it became difficult to have to live together,” he says in the old footage.
Gibney notes that it was important for him to present both sides of their relationship, because “it takes two sides to break up.”
Paul Simon's hearing problems unfold in real time
While recording “The Seven Psalms”, Simeon suddenly develops a serious hearing problem. He complains of distorted sound when he puts on headphones and appears frustrated.
Gibney says watching the issue unfold was “very poignant and powerful. Seeing one of the greatest songwriters of all time struggle with a fundamental element of his skill…it was very poignant that he let us in while it was happening and he was at a vulnerable point.”
In the film, Simon is given some relief through the use of a mouthpiece that focuses on frequencies.
Simon also accepts the reality of the situation, saying: “Maybe we're supposed to have an obstacle to give you insight into what you're doing.”
Paul Simon as seen by Wynton Marsalis and Edie Brickell
Gibney didn't want to turn the film into a parade of talking heads espousing Simon's greatness, but he asked for feedback from three of the people closest to him: his wife, Edie Brickell, fellow musician Wynton Marsalis, and “Saturday Night Live” emcee Lorne Michaels. , which cast Simon as the first person to host and perform as a musical guest in 1975, the year it premiered.
In the documentary, Marsalis is greeted with a warm hug from Simon and the pair immediately engage in a deep conversation. Marsalis recalls meeting at a benefit concert in 2002 and a decade later, performing together in the Jazz at Lincoln Center series.
Marsalis also displays a long list of topics the two frequently discuss, including the Bible and mysticism, leaving little doubt that they have more than just musical genius in common. “I couldn't believe he could come up with that list off the top of his head,” Gibney says, laughing incredulously. “You can imagine the conversations they had.”
Gibney also spent time with Simon and Brickell at their compound in Wimberley, Texas.
“She's a really lovely person,” Gibney says. “It's really grounded in Paul and she's an amazing musician in her own right. You can see that magic in their relationship.”
In the film, Simon, wearing a flannel shirt, a faded red baseball cap, and glasses hanging from his neck, greets Brickell with, “Hey, beautiful.”
It may later have provided insight and insight into Simon as a man and musician. “Paul has a way of looking at everyday life and making it poetic,” she says. “But that also makes him misunderstood.”
“Infuriatingly humble web fan. Writer. Alcohol geek. Passionate explorer. Evil problem solver. Incurable zombie expert.”
More Stories
Who does Whoopi Goldberg want to inherit her $60 million fortune?
Tales of Empire Review
Lenny Kravitz’s trainer talks about why the singer wears leather pants to the gym