Harry Nilsson’s birthday was on June 15. I had it marked it my calendar and I had meant to do some long post about him, but just wasn’t with it back then. The thought occurred to me today, “What if I die without ever making a long post about Harry Nilsson? I think it would kill me.” Now I might not be the best person to write about Nilsson. I didn’t read a book about him or watch a movie or nothing. I just listened to his music and read Wikipedia. But I feel called to do it, so here I am.
Quick bio: Harry Nilsson was born in 1941 in Brooklyn. His biological father left the family when he was a baby and yes that does seem very relevant to the rest of his life if you ask me. You could probably find at least one reference to an absent dad in each of his albums. Yes, Popeye counts.
As a teen, he moved to California and eventually started hanging out around recording studios. I imagine he basically lived there, selling songs to other groups and coming up with things just for fun. Eventually, he became an act all on his own and was heavily promoted. There’s just one thing, he hated performing in front of a crowd. He might’ve hated fame too, idk, there’s certainly a lot of self-sabotage in his life to account for that.
Yadda yadda yadda, the Beatles say he is their favorite group, he makes a song about coconuts, tears his vocal chords while on a bender with Lennon, and his career basically fizzles out after that. He did keep recording though and there are some beautiful songs.
It’s strange, when I first heard his music in college, I didn’t think he was that great. He’s clever and has a beautiful voice, sure, but I didn’t get how he had a cult following. Well, 10 years and change later, I realize he is one of my favorite musicians and one I can listen to constantly year after year. He’s the rare musician who can make me laugh while listening to his music. He’s always winking with his delivery. He loved being funny.
He was also capable of performing songs that are so hauntingly beautiful, the spell hasn’t worn off for me all this time.
There’s a whole world that unfolds within his best songs. Listening to him feels like meeting a person and recognizing them as a friend, a buddy, a prize. There’s loneliness in his music, but there’s always a hand reaching out.
Some years ago, I wanted to make an RPGMaker adaptation of The Point. I still think I have that idea in me and I probably won’t feel satisified until I get it out.
