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| A few weeks ago in these pages we dissed Disney. Upon further reflection, we might have been a bit harsh with our criticism. After all, what is Disney's crime other than owning all the money in the world? There apparently is no truth to the rumor that they will soon purchase what remains of California and rename the state Disneyland. Besides, this past week they did have the good sense to air an important documentary about one our times' most creative musician/writers, Brian Wilson. | |||||
| The documentary, I Just Wasn't Made For These Times was produced and directed by Don Was. Was, from the group Was Not Was, did and did not do a good job in chronicling Wilson's gifts and demons. The story told is moving and often as achingly sad as some of Brian's best work. Was does a good job at mixing Brian's own words, his music, with interviews with various musicians such as Linda Ronstadt, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Lindsay Buckingham, and Tom Petty as well as Brian's mother, brother Carl, ex-wife and two daughters. | |||||
| The difference between the old images of a young Brian contrasting with the current version of what's left of the man is stunning. The effects of the breakdown, the years of drug abuse and the depression of professional and personal heartaches, show a man who has a hard time with his speaking, with his motor movements and whose thought patterns seem a bit scattered. Yet when listening to new versions of some of Brian's better songs, seeing the therapy and meaning of music to the man, and the musicianship that obviously still exists, one senses there is still something great underneath the shell that remains. | |||||
| The one hour length of the documentary prevents any in-depth look at any specific period in the story of Brian's life. We learn of the Beach Boys rapid rise to stardom, of Brian's troubles with his oppressive and competitive father, and his own private obsession with musical perfectionism and the need to recreate for the world the complex sounds that rang in his head. Perhaps the most interesting part of the story is Brian's breakdown following his artistic differences with the rest of the Beach Boys and the thundering failure at the apex of his creativity, the legendary Smile. | |||||
| Was' direction at times, also gets in the way. His decision to film the documentary in black and white and the off framing of some of the interviews comes across as distracting and pretentious. The musical re-recordings of some of Brian's most moving songs, are frustratingly shown in short clips. It's great to see Brian sing some of his old songs, particularly a stunning Caroline No, yet disappointing that none of the songs are shown in their entirety, and are marred by the quick cut style of an MTV video. Parts of Brian's life are glazed over in all too obvious ways. When talking about Brian's troubling relationship in the 1980's with his psychiatrist for some reason the decision is made not to identify Eugene Landy by name. Thus we hear people speak of "the guy" who dominated Brian's contact with the others in his life. Besides Carl, none of the other Beach Boys are interviewed. Brian's daughters, Carnie and Wendy are interviewed for an all too short period of time at the very end of the documentary. Indeed, one of the most uplifting parts of the documentary is when Carnie and Wendy back Brian on a rousing version of Do It Again. | |||||
| A comparable problem is found in another current documentary about an artist of our times, Crumb. Both documentaries use intellectual analysts to describe the importance of non-conventional artists' work. This analysis is condescending and silly. We don't need the cultural elite trying to justify the relevance of Brian's or Crumb's art. We can judge for ourselves the tortured genius of both men's work. Great art speaks for itself. If there is one thing I Just Wasn't Made For These Times makes clear, it is that Brian's music comes from some deep place within all of us that transcends pain and time. | |||||