In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon

Let me begin by saying some thought Paul said at the end of episode 1 that Garfunkel was a person he never wanted to see again. But that's not what he said. He was talking about himself never wanting to "see" or be that person again. Himself, being that way..

I really enjoyed it. They were truly a unique duo and so talented. Still are, really. Unfortunately, and also ironically, Paul has lost most of his hearing but he's still writing songs. Reminds me of Johnny Cash at close to the end of his life, and his reflecting on his life through song.

It brought back a lot of memories of troubled, but good, times in a lot of ways.

Let me begin by confessing that Simon was a source of tremendous comfort during my adolescence, my primary guitar teacher, me being a self taught guitarist, and the single most direct influence on my own musical creations. I can do a few things on the guitar because of learning by ear (no tabs, no internet) that few guitarists can do. And the backdrop to all of this was what I believed to be a strongly human ethic as evidenced in at least a few of his songs. Alas, the fire disappeared over the years. No one writes anything like the protest songs of old. Remember that Scarborough Fair had an antiwar counter melody? I will refrain from reciting the obvious reasons for this. However, there is still a weird thing that is bugging me. The transformation of Sounds of Silence from a folky niche piece to a gigantic hit is covered in this documentary, and it is covered wrong. Simon did not know they were doing it, he sure as heck did not give anyone permission, and the entire coverage discounts the massive luck or divine destiny which he was blessed with. There are also bizarre issues regarding Simon's recognition of the inspiration for the Seven Psalms, but, hey, we all get old. Why am I being so hard on Paul?

To whom much is given, much is expected.

A 2023 comprehensive & some might say exhaustive documentary (running 3 & 1/2 hours) on the musical career of one Paul Simon. Tracing his roots from Queens & his hit or miss early days in the industry, things started to click when he hooked up w/an old school chum, Art Garfunkel (heard via audio interviewers), who provided the perfect vocal accompaniment to his songwriting (something he remarks over & over again, he wrote all the songs). Soon enough, especially after the Graduate came out, the pair became the duo par excellence for the age but as the 70's encroached & Simon soon ventured into acting (appearing in Annie Hall) w/many appearances on Saturday Night Live (he became close friends w/producer Lorne Michaels so much so Michaels was his best man when he married Carrie Fisher) but after his 1st marriage dissolved & his one foray into starring (& co-writing) in a film named One Trick Pony failed to find an audience, he was in the doldrums which finally broke when he released his world music tinged Graceland in the 80's which proved to be immensely popular along w/his vaulted reunion w/Garfunkel for a free concert in Central Park, he managed to conquer the world again. W/his song lyrics & on camera musings sprinkled in w/his visual history, filmmaker Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side/Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) follows Simon around his Texan studios which is occasionally frequented by his wife & fellow singer Edie Brickell as he talks out his process & we get an insight into this consummate songwriter & performer.

The documentary is almost faultless; its editing and concept make it one of the best documentaries I have watched. Paul's story is told and weaved within a contemporary narrative as he works on his new album, 7 Psalms. There are no talking heads, all the voice overs or narration is done with people that are introduced through archival footage and it is therefore seamless. The documentary ends with him and Edie (his wife) ,in his studio, singing a couple of verses of a song from his 7 Psalms album. This sets up a sense that he realizes that he may be reaching the end of his creative journey, and then it fades to the credits. But if you wait until just after the credits roll on episode 2, you are treated to a haunting version of Sound of Silence, recorded during a rehearsal. It is night, and he is singing to an empty hall, and in the distance people are walking along the footpath and just casually gazing towards the sound as they walk past. It is a slow and very moving and neatly provides a bookend to an amazing career as it was this song that launched his career all those years ago. The versions are worlds apart; his youthful version launched his career was a driving folk rock version with twanging guitars and drums, this version, matured and just reflecting where he is now.

I am a huge fan of Paul's and he has been part of my life since almost the beginning. I learnt to play the guitar by emulating his style and have memories of spending many, many hours trying to master songs like Kathy's Song, and this documentary is an is an absolute enjoyment from start to finish and tops everything off.

This is a great documentary and it gives a very nice insight on the way Paul Simon shapes his latest (last?) album. Along the way we see the story how Simon's career started with it's ups and downs. It is a great miss the film maker stops around the succes of Graceland (okay, we got a few minutes on the follow up album "Rhythm of th Saints" in the movie as well.

This film is missing out on the second half of Paul's career. The description of the movies mentions the six decades Paul Simon's career is spanning. Too bad the great works from the last 3 decades are not mentioned or talked about.

This makes that this film feels like incomplete. There is life after Graceland! Very much so. Too bad this was not included.

Basically this film is about "7 Psalms", Simon & Garfunkel and Graceland. Highlights in Paul Simon's career, but not doing right to the career itself.

Still a joy to watch and listen to!