Graceland Notes

• 25 years ago, Simon released Graceland. 
• The album broke open musical boundaries and brought together diverse cultures
• it split public opinion as Simon was accused of breaking the United Nations’ cultural boycott of South African
• The album went on to be widely celebrated for its revolutionary fusion of musical styles
• bringing the gifts of under-exposed South African musicians
• sparking a brave new musical world of mixes, mash-ups and globe-hopping collaborations
• What is the role of the artist when society is in upheaval?
•  Who does music belong to?
•  Whose rules, if any, should artists play by? 
• Do cultural collaborations matter? 
• What will be the legacy of Graceland’s indelible songs in a world that has since been politically, and musically, transformed?
•  Each man has his own passionate reasons, and without taking sides
• Berlinger allows the audience to see all the angles and come to their own conclusions 
• even as the music that triggered indignation and exultation comes to life again.
• “This is a film that doesn’t smash a particular POV over the audience’s head – and I think it is interesting that Paul Simon allowed that kind of film to be made. Some people might walk away feeling Paul made the wrong decision 25 years ago, while I think many others might come away feeling it was more complex – that it was worth the controversy to have musicians from opposite worlds finally able to share, as Paul says, ‘the deep truth that artists speak.’ Either way, what is remarkable is that apartheid now lies in the past, yet the music lives on as a great achievement. The power of the music is that it is still bringing people together.”
• The power of the music is that it is still bringing people together.”