Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road

God bless Jason Fine for being a friend Brian can trust and for creating this peek into his life. I watched this on a trans-Atlantic flight and had plenty of time to pause, rewind, and repeat segments that piqued my interest. Overall I loved the pacing and details wrapped inside this documentary, and as a journalist myself, I could understand Fine's style of questioning. But after awhile it seemed that this was less of a conversation between two friends and more of a "mobile interview" for the cameras. Granted, that had to be done to create the documentary and cue things up for clips, but when Brian reveals that he's often scared and that Fine's voice helps calm him down, you want Fine to reciprocate by letting down his guard and being more compassionate.

Nowhere was I waiting for this more than in the segment when Fine tells Brian that a mutual friend had died. Brian is at first shocked and, as the news sinks in, begins crying softly. Instead of pulling the car over, getting out, and asking Brian if he wants a hug so Brian can cry it out and process his emotions, the drive continues and the tone of the dialogue is as cold as if he had told him he'd found a quarter in the street. You feel Brian's pain as he is left grappling with the news on his own. It seemed to be the perfect place to forgot the roles of interviewer/subject and reveal some compassion for your friend. That's a feeling that lasts each time you see Brian -- you want to reach through the screen and give him a hug just to help alleviate his turmoil..

Aside from that indelible moment (and missed opportunity), Long Promised Road is a wonderful introduction into the life and mind of an extraordinarily resilient man. If there was a magic wand that could restore someone's mental health, Brian Wilson would be the perfect candidate. For all he's gone through and all he's given, he deserves it.

Beach Boys die-hard fan here.

There is a lot that has been covered before. However, if you have a living genius, each chapter needs to be chronicled. Imagine having Beethoven on a horse-ride in one of the last chapter's of his life, reflecting on his life and career.

Brian is the ultimate survivor and has given the world so much joy.

LONG PROMISED ROAD is a very intimate documentary on Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson. Taking it's title from an appropriately titled Beach Boys track, filmmaker Brent Wilson (no relation) provides a basic overview of Wilson's career and there is a decent amount of performance footage (most of it of fairly recent vintage). There are interviews with musicians like Don Was, Elton John and Jakob Dylan. Still, the focus here is clearly on Wilson's personal life.

The Doc is structured around car trips with Wilson and Rolling Stone writer Jason Fine (Riding Around In Cars With Brian - as it were). The pair visit the past homes of the musician while chatting and listening to old songs. The most fascinating - and painful - portions concern Wilson's long history of mental illness which emerged just as the Beach Boys were ascendant. Parts are difficult to watch as Wilson opens up about how even the simplest things "scare" him. It got so bad that for a long period in the late 60s and into the 80s he was barely functional. A discredited therapist, Eugene Landy, held him almost under detention. Wilson was so disconnected that when the camera witnesses him listening to his late brother Dennis' 1970 solo album, it's supposedly for the very first time.

With that backdrop, it's all the more amazing that Wilson continues to record and tour even if his releases only have met with sporadic success. Those expecting a more traditional music doc or one centered on The Beach Boys, may be disappointed. There are some nice bits of historical footage, and a good bit about the recording of Pet Sounds; But LONG PROMISED ROAD is about Brian Wilson, the man, more than as a musician. Uncomfortable at times, one can't help but appreciate what he has accomplished all the more.

Different take on the interview process totally enjoyable ,music speaks for itself. Never tire of listening to his sounds. Seems like a special bond between the two of them.

I consider The Beach Boys to be one of my top-three musical groups of all-time. Their compositions and overall energy stand the test of time decade after decade. Brian Wilson is a big part of that, though a journey not without both triumphs and tragedies.

For a very basic overview, Long Promised Road sees Jason Fine--a Rolling Stone writer who happened to strike up a relationship with Wilson that slowly evolved into a friendship--conducting a series of interviews with the songwriter/producer, covering all stages of his life/career. This mostly happens while driving around Los Angeles, showing Wilson some of his old haunts.

The A-1 reason I can give Long Promised Road the full 10 star-treatment is because it doesn't flinch when confronted with the elephant in the room: Brian Wilson isn't 100% cognitively "normal", if you will. It is clear from the way he walks, speaks, and emotes that something is just a bit off. However, instead of turning Wilson into some sort of tragic figure, Fine (and director Brent Wilson) rationally explore his past (taking the good with the bad) while also showing viewers that Wilson is by no means an invalid and still has a lot to give the music community.

Some of the topics covered here include:

-Psychological abuse from Brian's hard-driving father.

-Brian's supreme musical talent (he's a true savant in that area) that also makes it hard for him to relate to the rest of the world.

-His drug & alcohol addictions and how he was taken advantage of for many years by a quack physician.

-His relationship with the fellow Beach Boys bandmates, specifically brothers Carl & Dennis, and how special it was for them to make music together.

-His solo career that continues to this day!

While the history lessons are all well and good--providing crucial context--the real meat of this doc comes from seeing Wilson process everything that Fine talks with him about. Sometimes inspiring, sometimes heartbreaking, but always fascinating to see him recollect the key moments of his life (that are now iconic to millions of Beach Boys fans).

So, while the flashback clips and solid music catalogue selections were probably going to always endear Long Promised Road to me, it is the emotionally relevant interviews/conversations between singer and writer that truly moved me enough to give it 10 stars. After the credits rolled, I now feel like I have a far better understanding of Brian Wilson the human being--not the myth or legend.