Saw this last Thursday. It was fantastic.
Was drawn in by the fact that my uncle edited it. Came for the family support. Stayed for Simon - an infectious, gifted creator, but yet undeniably complex as well.
One of the more interesting parts, the tension between differing views of what Simon had created in Graceland. Nearly all the instrumental parts are played by a South African band he commissioned. It's a collage of moments where he takes others' musics, and throws his own lyrics and melody on top. Is this honest? Is this, as a Howard student calls Simon out with, yet another example of white people stealing from black creators?
Simon, rightly, doesn't care much for the criticism. He sees himself as poet, wordsmith, singer, and a creator and collaborator in that way.
Not to mention the political backdrop of apartheid in South Africa and the U.N. boycott.. which, again, Simon doesn't care much for criticism about. He's obviously the star of the show here. And he presents as quite complex.
I'm not doing it justice, but this is definitely worth a watch.
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