Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road - Director's Take

Brian Wilson was the co-founder of the seminal 60s rock group The Beach Boys, as the leader and creative genius behind the band’s many hits. Brian Wilson has influenced generations of pop stars, including Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Taylor Hawkins and other pop royalty. 

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Brent Wilson joins us for the second time to discuss his new film, Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road. The film follows Brian on a journey, both literally and figuratively, of Brian’s old stomping grounds and memories which include over a half-century of battling mental illness.

Brent explains how he was able to bring a new angle to the rock legend that is Brian Wilson, all while exploring what it means to be human.

Watch the full interview at https://www.alamopictures.co.uk/podcast/brian-wilson-long-promised-road/

“Brian Wilson doesn't think in a linear fashion, so he's not going to start with the beginning of his life…and we ended up with 70 hours of footage in the car.” - Brent Wilson

Time Stamps:
00:00 - The trailer for Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road.
05:50 - A synopsis of the film. 
08:50 - The unique approach Brent took in the making of the film and the difficulties with interviewing Brian.
13:26 - How he came to the idea to film Brian driving around LA.
16:26 - The challenges of making a documentary from unstructured camera footage.
22:56 - How Brian’s mental illness has affected his life.
30:46 - How music acts as a release for him, and why he is so self-conscious about his music.
37:43 - The ways Brian’s creative genius has continued through his later life.
41:16 - The soundtrack that is coming out with the film.
45:02 - The next projects Brent is working on.
48:30 - Comments on our episode with Anne Rapp, the director of Horton Foote: The Road to Home.
51:12 - The way some buyers took advantage of independent filmmakers during Covid. Resources:

Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road (2021)
Streetlight Harmonies (2020)
Horton Foote: The Road to Home (2020)
MovieMaker Magazine
Innersound Audio
Alamo Pictures

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Streetlight Harmonies: The Lasting Legacy of Doo-Wop
Horton Foote: The Greatest Playwright You've Never Heard of