We’re big Harry Nilsson fans here at Dangerous Minds and were thrilled to hear that director John Scheinfeld’s long-awaited documentary Who is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)? would finally be getting a theatrical and DVD release.

If you’re under 45-years of age, you might have little idea of who the great singer/songwriter/hellraiser Harry Nilsson was, but surely almost everyone has heard his biggest hits “Everybody’s Talkin’” (from the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack), “Without You” (a Badfinger cover given its devastating emotional impact by Harry’s plaintiff three octave vocal range, later recorded by Mariah Carey) and “Coconut” which was used in dozens of movies (normally during a drinking scene) and in more than one 7UP advertising campaign.

Harry Nilsson was also responsible for co-creating the much-loved children’s TV movie, The Point, a Ringo Starr-narrated fable about a boy named Oblio, born with a round head in a land of pointy-headed people. (”Me and My Arrow” and “Are You Sleeping” are two of the best remembered songs from the project. Scratch someone in their 40s and trust me, they’ll be able to sing both from childhood memories of The Point)

Another important thing to know about Harry Nilsson is that he was the favorite American musician of both John Lennon and Paul McCartney, no small achievement, that! After Apple Corps press officer Derek Taylor heard Nilsson’s autobiographical “1941” (from his 1967 RCA debut Pandemonium Shadow Show) siting in the car waiting for his wife, he bought a box of the album and gave it away as presents, including to all four Beatles. The story goes that Lennon listened to the album for 36 straight hours before calling Nilsson in Los Angeles and telling him how much he loved his record. McCartney did the same soon after. Nilsson became a part of the Beatles inner circle, becoming close friends with both John (who would produce his 1974 Pussy Cats album) and Ringo (who was the best man at Nilsson’s second wedding).

The documentary, which features stellar interviewees such as Brian Wilson, Jimmy Webb, Van Dyke Parks, Yoko Ono, Paul Williams, Mickey Dolenz, Ringo Starr, The Smothers Brothers, and Pythons Terry Gilliam and Eric Idle, sees release in Los Angeles and New York City during the month of September and release on DVD in late October.  I can’t wait to see this! You can watch the six-minute trailer for Who is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)? below:
 

But when?

As a lifelong HarryHead, I just had the good fortune of seeing a screener.  Big bittersweet fun, chock full of my musical heroes like Al Kooper, Van Dyke Parks, John Lennon, and Harry hisself.  It opens in NYC on Friday, September 10th at the Cinema Village and LA on Friday, September 17th at the Laemmle Sunset 5. 

And no, I have no connection to the production, I just love Harry!

Oh Richard, how could you write this and not mention Harry Nilsson’s wonderful score for Skidoo? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skidoo_(film))

I’ll have to forgive Mr. Metzger for this comment because he is promoting the majesty that is the late great Mr. Nilsson but I have to say something to this: “If you’re under 45-years of age, you might have little idea of who the great singer/songwriter/hellraiser Harry Nilsson was…”

It may be true to some extent but suggesting that anyone under 45 might have little idea about Harry is absurd. I suppose the operative word is ‘might’. Not only is this comment slightly ageist but it’s also a gross underestimation of the tastes and musical knowledge of myself and my peers and perhaps some of your readers born in the 70’s. I am 37 and have been a massive Harry Fan since my mid-teens. Perhaps I’m a unique case and chalk it up in part to my parents incredible music collections but I take credit for having exceptional taste. I know more than just the Pedestrian landmarks; ‘Coconut’ because it was in Reservoir Dogs. Give your non-baby booming readers a bit more credit.

Wanna mention that the original narrator of <i>The Point</i> was Dustin Hoffmann, not Ringo Starr.

Mr. Nilsson was in a movie, “Son of Dracula”, which had it’s world premiere in Atlanta. The story of that night is here:
http://chamblee54.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/world-premiere/

Nobody knows when this is getting released? I think ive had this in my saved Netflix que for like 3 years now.

Blackalicious sampled him on “Blazing Arrow”. It’s from the jungley story album I had as a kid

FanTASTIC film on the troubled man with the lyrical/musical genius and shimmering vocal chops. Find it on Netflix or at your local store, and treat yourself.

Schoolboy error!

Now the comments thread is just gonna be full of people under 45 saying how old they are and how much they love Nilsson

(I’m 26, I love Nilsson!)

His two top albums for me: Nilsson Schmilsson, The Point. I find him unusual in that his two ‘best’ albums are also his most famous. Any lesser known gems? A lot of his more whimsical stuff leaves me cold…like the album where he burps in the middle of a track, and has a bunch of old people singing. Almost verges on Frank “horseshit” Zappa territory.

@Richard,

Re: second paragraph, you mean “plaintive,” perhaps?

Should point out that Nilsson did not write “Everybody’s Talking.”  The songwriter that wrote it is the great Fred Neil.

Trailer for an upcoming Fred Neil doc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXKNueaQkRc