Thoughts After Watching the Glen Campbell Documentary “I’ll Be Me”

Folks, I just watched the documentary on Glen Campbell’s life, I’ll Be Me. And I need to talk about this, because what Glen Campbell is going through is important.

You see, Campbell has Alzheimer’s disease. He was diagnosed in 2011 at the age of 75.

But rather than quietly go into a nursing home, he, his family, and his doctors agreed that Campbell’s music was still with him. So they decided on one, final tour…with I’ll Be Me recording every step of that tour, along with the decline in Campbell’s memories and mentation.

Bluntly, to do something like this with what remains of your mind and talent is extraordinary. It shows fearlessness, a bit of humility, and maybe even compassion for the self, while it also showcases glimpses of still-brilliant musicianship and excellent vocal control.

Campbell in some senses was very fortunate, you see. He didn’t lose his vocal quality in his age — at least, he didn’t lose much. (Some smoothness, maybe. But it’s recognizably the same voice and he still has much the same range in I’ll Be Me.) He was always an excellent musician, and knew exactly how to sing his songs…and that’s still there, up until his final song, “I’m Not Going to Miss You.”

As a musician myself, I don’t know if I could do what Campbell did. I don’t think I could’ve walked on stage and not known if I could play my clarinet or my saxophone as well as I wanted. (Much less what the clarinet or saxophone even was until I started playing.) I don’t think I could’ve risked going on stage and not knowing what the songs were, or losing track of the music as I went…I think it would’ve been too difficult to even contemplate.

Yet Campbell could still play his guitar at times with a fire and passion that was astonishing.

The last thing that went for him was his music. It was imprinted on his brain and soul in such a way that while he started to lose language, he could still sing — and sing with feeling.

His youngest three children joined him on that tour, as did his wife. They all did their best to support their father, and helped to create some magical memories for not only themselves and their family, but for the concertgoers as well.

I’ll Be Me is both a heartwarming story of courage and redemption along with extraordinary musicianship, and a heartbreaking story as Campbell starts to fumble and lose control of his final gift.

I was very moved by I’ll Be Me. And I hope that this movie, now that it’s been shown on CNN, will somehow help to spur research into Alzheimer’s disease.

Because not everyone will be as lucky as Glen Campbell, and still be able to make beautiful music into the twilight of his life, nor will they be as fortunate to have an understanding and empathetic family around them.

We need to find a cure for this terrible disease. So our musicians, like Glen Campbell, can keep doing what they love until the day they die — rather than be placed in an extended-care memory facility (as Campbell apparently now is, no doubt because that’s where he needs to be).

Blog Exchange with N.N. Light on Monday…and Bristol Palin News?

Monday, June 29, 2015, will be a very interesting day, folks.

Why?

Well, N.N. Light will be “exchanging” her blog for mine, meaning she’ll be here tomorrow and I’ll be over at her place (the Princess of the Light blog) instead. (Mrs. N., I’ll try not to disturb the furnishings. Promise.)

Why are we doing this? Well, we did this once before, and we enjoyed it so much we thought we’d try it again.

Besides, Mrs. N. always has very interesting things to say.

So do look for that tomorrow, will you?

Now onto the Bristol Palin news.

Late last week, Ms. Palin announced her new pregnancy on her blog over at Patheos. And by the way she announced it, she must be expecting a firestorm of controversy.

Here’s a bit from her blog regarding her pregnancy:

I know this has been, and will be, a huge disappointment to my family, to my close friends, and to many of you.

But please respect Tripp’s and my privacy during this time. I do not want any lectures and I do not want any sympathy.

As I said to my Mom once I heard this, “Well, she’s not leaving a whole lot of room there, is she?”

Look. Ms. Palin is a full-fledged adult now at age 24. She is no longer the innocent child most of us got to know during her mother Sarah Palin’s run for the Vice Presidency in 2008.

She has a right to make her own decisions, her own choices, and to do whatever she wants with her life.

To my mind, becoming pregnant again at age 24 is not a terrible thing. (Yes, she’s unmarried. Yes, this will be her second out-of-wedlock pregnancy. But so what?)

I don’t know Bristol Palin, obviously. She’s made one hard choice already in keeping her first child, Tripp; now, she’s made another hard choice.

Ms. Palin has already said she wants neither lectures nor sympathy. But I hope she’ll accept something from me anyway.

My respect.

And my wish that she’ll realize just how strong she is, inside, to be able to make this choice. (Because if she realizes her own strength, nothing the rest of the world says will ever be able to harm her.)