Review: IN RESTLESS DREAMS: THE MUSIC OF PAUL SIMON – An Exceptional Look At A Musical Icon
Folk star, musical icon and world music pioneer – Paul Simon has been many things across his long career. From his early days playing teenage pop alongside childhood Art Garfunkel as Tom & Jerry to their breakthrough Simon & Garfunkel success and then his work as a solo artist, Simon’s career has encompassed many forms and sounds over the decades. Alex Gibney’s new documentary film, In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon pulls all this together in a fascinating three-and-a-half-hour documentary.
Using the recording of Simon’s 2023 album, Seven Psalms as an entry point, there’s a melancholic retrospection to the film as it dips back in time, weaving the present and the past to tell Simon’s life through the trajectory of his musical career. As an album, Seven Psalms is about retrospection and the acceptance of the passage of time, knowing that the end is approaching – and we begin with an older Simon dealing with hearing loss as he makes the album in his Texas recording studio. It’s a fitting way for Gibney to bring his subject into focus as a man and as a musician. Using an exceptional array of photographs and archive footage to show Simon’s rise from a would-be teeny-bopper to a fully-fledged rock star – there is a fascinating array of material that shows Simon growing as a man and a musician.
The first portion of the film covers his relationship with childhood friend Art Garfunkel – a relationship that would define a large part of his life and career through its fractious nature. The partnership ultimately came to an end (the first time) following the extraordinary success of the Bridge Over Trouble Water album. Irked by the general belief that Garfunkel had serious creative input into the album (particularly the title track), along with the fact that Garfunkel was beginning to focus on his burgeoning acting career, Simon decided to quit the duo and go it alone.
His years as a solo artist in the 1970s culminated with the release of the album and film One Trick Pony in 1980. A somewhat semi-autobiographical tale about a musician – Simon wrote, produced and starred in the film. The soundtrack album was a success but the film – perceived by critics as a vanity project – bombed at the box office. This commercial failure left Simon reeling and he went and sought refuge by reuniting with Garfunkel for the record-breaking Concert in Central Park and its subsequent tour. The reforming of the partnership was supposed to lead to a new album, but Simon ditched Garfunkel’s vocals – and released the material as a solo album.
Despite being one of his strongest releases, Hearts and Bones was another failure for Simon – and this coupled with the breakdown of his relationship with Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher saw Simon look for creative and personal introspection. This took him to South Africa where he recorded the backbone of the Graceland album. Following its release, it became a massive commercial hit – as well as a cultural phenomenon. However, with success comes backlash and it caused controversy because some claimed that Simon had broken the cultural boycott that existed against South Africa at the time as well as accusing him of musical and cultural appropriation. These were baseless claims and Simon followed the album’s rhythmic stylings across to South America for his Rhythm of the Saints album in 1990.
Interwoven through this past is the present recording of Seven Psalms, and the juxtaposition of Simon in his youthful prime with a man in his 80s recording a philosophical album about life and death adds serious emotional heft to Gibney’s film. These sessions in the recording studio show Simon at his most human – and his most fragile – be that seeing him massaging his aching wrist after playing guitar, or gently holding hands with his wife, Edie Brickell – who first met Simon on the set of Saturday Night Live in 1988.
In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon is an excellent look at a truly fascinating musician. Throughout his long career, Simon’s work has always been musically and melodically unique. Songs like Cecelia, 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, Late In The Evening and You Can Call Me Al all have hooks to capture a listener and make them hits. However, many often overlook his exceptional skill as a lyricist. Simon isn’t just a songwriter – he’s a poet in the truest sense of the word. Alex Gibney’s film captures this – and more. His selection of archival footage is perfect in telling the Paul Simon story, while his narrative of the Seven Psalms recording gives it a firm structure on which to frame it. The epic three-and-a-half hours fly by and the film ends in the early 1990s following the release of Rhythm of the Saints. There’s much more of Paul Simon’s story to tell – from the Broadway musical, The Capeman to another tour with Art Garfunkel in the early 2000s and beyond.
In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon is a great documentary about a fascinating figure – and I was left wanting more – and that’s the sign of a good film. I just hope that Alex Gibney is willing to give that to me in the future.
