It is often said that music is the great uniter....people are connected by a common love of music. Whoever said that hasn't spent any time in an online music discussion forum. One person declares their love of a particular musician, and the next thing we see are anonymous posts from society's music experts on why that person's pick is rubbish. Music CAN unite us, but it can also divide us.
Welcome to episode 136 of See Hear Podcast.
Kerry and I are thrilled to welcome back our brother, Tim Merrill after a needed absence. Our trio are back to discuss any manner of music-films. Our first round table in a while is the 2011 film, The Music Never Stopped. It's based on a case study by neurologist Oliver Sacks called The Last Hippie. The central protagonist has a large but benign tumour removed from his brain. The damage done to his hippocampus means he struggles to make new memories, and can only speak in short bursts. However, it's discovered that when he is asked about music, he returns to some sort of normality, particularly when asked about The Grateful Dead.
The film differs from the case study in that it makes the story about the patient's (named Gabriel in the film) relationship with his father. We see Gabriel grow up originally engaged in his father's musical taste. However, as Gabe grows up during the late 60s in America during the era when teens were raging against the Vietnam conflict, the values of their parents, and were going in a very different musical direction, he storms out of home and is not seen for 20 years. When Gabe's parents rediscover where he is, Gabe's father (played by the wonderful J.K. Simmons) has to reconcile that to reconnect with his son, he has to forsake Bing Crosby for The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and The Grateful Dead.
Like all good music films, there's more tackled here than the power of music to unite or divide. There's generation gap issues, mental health, family bonds, and the fragility of the brain. Search for the film on American Tubi (point your VPN to the US if you live elsewhere).
It was so great to be reunited with Tim. I can assure you he's picked something very different for next month's film discussion....
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