I was reading about Glen Campbell today, thinking . . . man, I hope I can show a fraction of that strength . . .
Do you know Glen Campbell?
Younger readers might not. But his list of credits is a mile long, as a sessions player for The Monkees ("I'm A Believer"), The Champs, The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra ("Strangers In The Night") and many others. And that's before he logged one of the most successful country-to-pop crossover careers of all time, racking up hit after hit in the 70s.
So that's Glen Campbell.
But did you know that he has Alzheimer's Disease?
Diagnosed while working on his current record, Campbell was afforded the opportunity to craft a farewell album, and follow it up with a farewell tour.
So here's this 75 year old guy, with Alzheimer's, out on the road singing for you.
I was reading this quote, and it made me think:
And while his guitar-playing was flawless, a jazzy solo on this blue fender on “Galveston” and a chunky run on “Try a Little Kindness,” he seemed a little disoriented, quoting Minnie Pearl several times about “being proud to be here,” then lost it completely on “Dreams of the Everyday Housewife,” the first single from his 1968 album Wichita Lineman, seemingly confused by the Teleprompter. As he recovered with aw-shucks aplomb, the audience responded with a standing ovation, and the entire room seemed to exhale. He stumbled telling a story about being cast in True Grit by John Wayne, then laughed as to how sometimes his thoughts simply trail off, before singing the title song.
Roy Trankin, from Hits Daily Double
I dunno. When faced with such an inevitable fate as a decline into Alzheimer's, I can't say that I would want to get up in front of an audience, with the possibility of stumbling my way off the stage of life.
But if you are committed to saying goodbye, I guess you don't let that bother you.
The hurdle, no matter how low or how high, is simply a roadblock if you don't even attempt to jump it.
Hear the song on Youtube.
Hear the Westerberg original on Youtube.
A special bonus about this song--it's written by Paul Westerberg, and includes the wonderfully Westerbergian line:
"Ring around the rosary/pocket full of prose you read."
Glen Campbell is a music legend. If this album is his last, then it is a fine one. "Ghost On The Canvas" is a pretty love song. This song has a relaxed tone with goregous musical arrangements. This song reminds me of a poem with all the different images of ghosts and a wheat field. This tune is very romantic. "A Better Place" is a beautiful song that features Glen playing the acoustic guitar. This is a song about coming to terms with his mortality. It is a song about having a spiritual faith that I like very much.
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