Monday, December 19, 2011

A Strange Thing

I'm reading this book about Phil Spector, convicted murderer and "boy genius" record producer.  I got the book mainly to read up on Spector's production techniques and his work on some of the great rock & roll albums and singles during his recording career.  And the book is very rewarding on that front.


But I think I need to go back to my Freud and Jung books.  Sheesh.  Spector is a case.  David Lynch should do a movie. It's not surprising Spector ended up in prison, I suppose the real surprise is that he was a visionary and perfectionist in the studio.  It was the one realm where he could channel all his fear, madness and unhappiness, and where he did his best to elevate pop music to a high artistic form.


Another example of a supremely and deeply flawed human being  somehow transcending the madness, or maybe using his madness to create beautiful and powerful music.  


Spector was a visionary in the studio and a complete train-wreck in life.  What a strange thing is a human being.