Yesterday evening I was given the honor of seeing the screening of the film "Still Bill", the story of the man behind such classics such as "Ain't No Sunshine", "Lean on Me", and "Grandma's Hands." I walked into the dimly lit theater enthused at the prospect of learning about the man whose music I listened to so much as a child. My mother was and still is a huge Bill Withers fan, his worn out tape stayed in my mom's car like there was no ejection button, so from a young age to my adult life I'd gained a great deal of respect and admiration for the man and was eager to learn about who he really was.
The movie opens with a picture of a smiling seventy year old Bill Withers; his grin radiates with kindness, wisdom, and graciousness. The picture fades out to the musician preforming "Ain't no Sunshine" live in his youth, eyes closed while his unique voice carried the soulful sound over the strings of his guitar. I closed my eyes as as well, drifted back to the memory of being in my mom's passenger seat while the music played on my way school, remembered how I tried to connect the words to the song to my elementary crushes while purposely evoking a sense of sadness to capture the song's sentiment. When the music faded I was back in the theater smiling, thankful for the memory.
There isn't too much I want to say about the rest of the movie, I feel that it's a film that people should see who wish to learn about someone who pas provided the purest form of music. I walked away from the film thinking deeply about music today, about its delegates, its soul. I was able to witness a passion that I rarely get to see in artists today. Far too many musicians are compromised by financial aspirations to the point where their product is diluted and reshaped by the slave masters who call themselves record companies. I watched a man go 25 years without recording a word or play a guitar string due to his respect for the art form, unwilling to conform to the constraints "blacksperts"(Bill Withers quote on white "experts" on black music). In contrast I see artists pumping out albums lacking substance, drive and meaning. I witnessed a man who never compromised his integrity, yet today there are those whose principles are attached to a price tag.
Times are different today; the industry was always ugly, but it has taken on a form much more appalling than anyone could have ever predicted. There are a number of good artists and musicians out in the world; they work outside the "matrix" patiently waiting to be sought out by listeners craving for something in contrast to the status quo. Bill Withers' story reminded me of a forgotten past. We cannot continue to make excuses for those who persist in massacring the very music that our hearts beat to, that our minds create to, and that our souls move to.
The movie opens with a picture of a smiling seventy year old Bill Withers; his grin radiates with kindness, wisdom, and graciousness. The picture fades out to the musician preforming "Ain't no Sunshine" live in his youth, eyes closed while his unique voice carried the soulful sound over the strings of his guitar. I closed my eyes as as well, drifted back to the memory of being in my mom's passenger seat while the music played on my way school, remembered how I tried to connect the words to the song to my elementary crushes while purposely evoking a sense of sadness to capture the song's sentiment. When the music faded I was back in the theater smiling, thankful for the memory.
There isn't too much I want to say about the rest of the movie, I feel that it's a film that people should see who wish to learn about someone who pas provided the purest form of music. I walked away from the film thinking deeply about music today, about its delegates, its soul. I was able to witness a passion that I rarely get to see in artists today. Far too many musicians are compromised by financial aspirations to the point where their product is diluted and reshaped by the slave masters who call themselves record companies. I watched a man go 25 years without recording a word or play a guitar string due to his respect for the art form, unwilling to conform to the constraints "blacksperts"(Bill Withers quote on white "experts" on black music). In contrast I see artists pumping out albums lacking substance, drive and meaning. I witnessed a man who never compromised his integrity, yet today there are those whose principles are attached to a price tag.
Times are different today; the industry was always ugly, but it has taken on a form much more appalling than anyone could have ever predicted. There are a number of good artists and musicians out in the world; they work outside the "matrix" patiently waiting to be sought out by listeners craving for something in contrast to the status quo. Bill Withers' story reminded me of a forgotten past. We cannot continue to make excuses for those who persist in massacring the very music that our hearts beat to, that our minds create to, and that our souls move to.
Looks like a great movie!!Bill Withers is a Great!
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