kvmpi.blogg.se

The structure of the memoir is another fascinating aspect of the book.

I don’t like making the discussion all about how terrible my dad was," Wilson writes as he presents both the horribly abusive side of Murry Wilson as well as the loving side. "I have said how hard it is for me to talk about my dad, and that’s partly because I want to get it right.

The chapter centered around his father is gut-wrenching, but what's more stunning is the endearing perspective Wilson takes on his father. Even with Landy, it just seems he's being up front and honest about his bitterness. With the possible exception of perhaps Eugene Landy, the psychiatrist whose controversial treatment upended Wilson's career in the '80s, Wilson is very objective and honest about his mixed emotions with other damaging figures in his life. They are a way of life, and this book is written with that in mind. Love and mercy are more than a song or a movie to Wilson. Wilson looks back with wonder, fear, fascination, love, and mercy. He's a humble genius whose biggest struggle has been with himself and those he trusted the most, a man who has only wanted harmony his entire life, a man whose life has been dedicated to making musical mythology, whose life, in turn, has became mythical. Not only is Brian Wilson not made for these times, I'm not sure if he was made for this planet in an era. After just finishing it, the impression of his existence is overwhelming. There is the sheer childlike charm to I Am Brian Wilson, which is again reflective of the man himself as well as a credit to ghostwriter Ben Greenman for assisting in capturing Wilson's character in book form. It is an amazing body of work and one of the more unusual memoirs for more than the narrative. It feels authentic, not only for its tone and style but for its flaws, since that's how Brian talks and thinks and acts. The conversational style of the book makes it a quick read, because it literally feels like he's sitting across the table from you connecting the dots of his own life story as he writes it. Through its pages, he tells the tale of more than 50 years of making music, falling in love, facing countless losses, and wrestling with severe mental illness. How he tells stories is embedded in every sentence. The entire book reads in Wilson's voice and the very nature of how he talks. This is the discussion that every music enthusiast and admirer of the man would want to have with Brian Wilson that would never be possible over the phone or face to face. In fact, it's more like having a conversation with Brian Wilson than having an actual conversation with him. Reading I Am Brian Wilson is like having a conversation with Brian Wilson.