There is little doubt in my mind that in spite of the name of this documentary most people know who Harry Nilsson was. If you were around in the 60s and 70s you no doubt heard his music repeatedly on the radio. Sad to say that maybe the younger generation doesn’t know who he is. I know of young people I’ve talked to who have no clue who John Belushi was. So this documentary, WHO IS HARRY NILSSON (AND WHY IS EVERYBODY TALKIN’ ABOUT HIM) is a great way for them to learn about Nilsson.
The film looks over the life and times of this magnificent performer and composer, the ups and downs, the good times and the bad as well. With a combination of interviews, clips of musical performances and behind the scenes footage we learn about the life of Nilsson.
As all documentaries about celebrities go this one follows the tried and true path to inform us. We go back to the childhood of Nilsson where he grew up fatherless and later found his ability to compose and perform songs. He arrived in California with a friend and they performed Everly Brothers covers. He took a job at a bank in order to fend for himself working the swing shift and peddling his music during the day.
Eventually it paid off when Davy Jones of the Monkees liked the song “Cuddly Toy” and recorded it. That provided him the chance to drop the night time job and devote himself to his craft. And Nilsson was a craftsman, writing song that fluctuated from heartbreaking to humorous. Rather than follow whatever was the popular style of the day he made his unique style his own and one that few if any could repeat.
The first success that Nilsson had on his own was a few years later with the song “Without Her”. Then his song “Everybody’s Talkin’ at Me” was used in the film MIDNIGHT COWBOY. That resulted in the song becoming a single and his first huge hit. He also continued writing for other artists like Three Dog Night who had a hit with his song “One”. The successes continued and eventually he became the stereotypical rock star indulging in too much sex, drugs and rock and roll.
Nilsson became close friends with both John Lennon and Ringo Starr of the Beatles who once claimed that Nilsson was their favorite American musician. While neither of them are interviewed for the film numerous other celebrities are. Mickey Dolenz, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Ray Cooper, Al Kooper, Randy Newman, Yoko Ono, Paul Williams, Robin Williams, Brian Williams, the Smothers Brothers and more are all on hand to talk about the man they considered a friend and colleague.
We get a glimpse into the demons that haunted Nilsson and his struggles with those demons. He came out on the other side thank goodness and found a new focus in his life with his family. Then sadly in 1996 he passed away at the young age of just 52, the victim of a heart attack.
The movie gives us the chance to find out about the man and to rediscover the music he made. Other songs he had hits with include “Jump into the Fire”, “Coconut”, “Without You”, “I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City” and “Me and My Arrow” the hit song from the animated film he made with Ringo Starr THE POINT.
It’s sad to think of all the music that he never got to
create with his early passing. It’s also sad to think that there is a whole
generation that has no clue who Nilsson was. Perhaps the re-release of this
film on disc will correct that. One can hope. In the meantime it might be time
to go back, pull out those old albums of his and give them a listen once again.
His music is timeless and never gets old.
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