Paul Simon - Graceland documentary

[remmet]

If you haven't seen it already, I highly recommend the documentary "Paul Simon: Graceland." It was made in 1997, and I watched it again on Netflix last night and found it truly inspirational. The film covered the making of the Graceland album, the recording process, Paul Simon's writing technique, and the then newly-developing cross-cultural interchange with South African music and musicians.

Listening to Simon describe his writing process, I was struck by his conscious awareness of both the micro and macro elements of his creative process. The attention he pays to decisions about rhythm, melody, lyrics, storyline, etc., is remarkable, and it isn't dependent on mere inspiration. Though he goes through the same types of struggles the rest of us go through in the writing process, his mastery of the craft allows the end results to sound almost off the cuff and stream of conscious, while at the same time embodying multiple and ever-expanding layers of meaning.

Anyway, the film is definitely worth checking out.

Richard

[kclements]

Thanks. I put it in my queue. Look forward to watching it soon.

Cheers
kc