Paul Simon is a great example of a musician who made a difference in the world. He says the goal was to create a dreamscape of life both here and in the past.
The five-year odyssey that led to the film, "In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon," was the result of which shows the sprawl of Simon's seven decades in music. The docuseries will be broadcasted on MGM+ on Sunday and March 24. Robert Hilburn wrote a biography called "Paul Simon: The Life," which detailed Simon's history. In documentary form, you can see the magic of the 1981 Central Park concert when he returned with Art Garfunkel, the evolution of his landmark 1986 album, and Simon as he recorded last year's "Seven". The three-and-a-half-hour project with one of music's headiest songbooks as its centerpiece was created by Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney, who has directed award-winning documentaries about Scientology, Enron and the killing of an Afghan taxi driver. It is not an information drop, but an emotional experience.
The film has some highlights.
The elevator shafts and bathroom are shaped by Simon and Garfunkel.
The Beatles used unconventional recording methods such as reverse guitar solo, double tracking of vocals and more. Roy Halee's guidance was crucial on songs such as "Cecilia," which features a tape loop of percussion created by banging pots and pans, and "The Boxer," for which the drums were recorded at the bottom of an elevator shaft. On the song "The Only Living Boy in New York", Simon and Garfunkel repaired to an echo chamber to record their vocals. Simon plays the guitar and recreates the moment. He was coming from a different place musically, and he would record and integrate it into a larger vision rather than starting with a guitar and notebook.
Garfunkel didn't want to be interviewed for the film. In order to include his voice, Gibney relied on archival interview clips with his former musical partner, who added irrefutable vocal beauty to classics including "The Boxer" and "The Sound of Silence."
In old footage, Garfunkel says, "We were best friends until 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', but it began to be abrasive to be forced together." It takes two sides to break up, so it was important for him to show both sides of the relationship.
Paul Simon has hearing problems.
Simon has a hearing problem and is frustrated when he puts on his headphones. It was very touching to see one of the greatest songwriters of all time struggling with a key element of his skill and letting us in.
In the film, Simon is given some relief through the use of a mouthpiece that focuses on frequencies. Paul Simon is seen by Wynton Marsalis.
The film was not going to be turned into a parade of talking heads, but it was going to be based on observations from three people closest to Simon. In the documentary, Simon hugs Marsalis and the pair immediately start talking. The bible and mysticism are topics that the two frequently discuss, and it's clear that they have more than musical genius in common. I couldn't believe he came up with that list off the top of his head.
Simon and Brickell have a compound in Texas, where Gibney spent time with them.
In the film, Simon, wearing a flannel shirt and faded red baseball cap with glasses dangling from his neck, greets Brickell with, "Hey, beautiful."
She gives the most succinct and thoughtful insight into Simon as a man and a musician.