Alzheimer's Canyon: Sky: Glen Campbell

Monday, August 14, 2017

Sky: Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell died last week. He lived a public struggle to continue his musical career in the face of Alzheimer's. He and his musical family arranged a five-week farewell tour after his diagnosis that quickly grew into a fifteen-week extravaganza of over 150 concerts.

A documentary film crew follows along on the tour, recording the ups and downs of the shows as well as the Campbell's home life. As the tour became more and more intense, the film crew becomes more and more a part of the odyssey. Several family members are also part of the back-up band, and as Campbell’s condition grows more severe, there are some tense moments as “the show must go on,” even if the star of the show doesn’t know where he is.

Overall, the feeling is one of a family rising to the occasion with love, support, and musical talent. Tens of thousands of fans, all aware of Campbell’s condition, cheer him and his family on, night after night after night. He even co-wrote for the movie, one of the most chilling songs I have ever heard about dementia:

I’m Not Gonna Miss You

I'm still here, but yet I'm gone

I don't play guitar or sing my songs

They never defined who I am

The man that loves you 'til the end

You're the last person I will love

You're the last face I will recall

And best of all, I'm not gonna miss you

Not gonna miss you

I'm never gonna hold you like I did

Or say I love you to the kids

You're never gonna see it in my eyes

It's not gonna hurt me when you cry

I'm never gonna know what you go through

All the things I say or do

All the hurt and all the pain

One thing selfishly remains

I'm not gonna miss you

The movie is called: I’ll Be Me. It is available on YouTube.

It’s great at showing the ups and downs of deciding to be “out” about the diagnosis.

1 comment:

MaryAugust 16, 2017 at 2:35 PM
These lyrics are haunting. It was interesting and somewhat frustrating to me that in the reports of Glen Campbell's death little was said about the documentary he made about his journey with Alzheimer's. So glad you told me about it, Sky. Mary Y.
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Tips on Reading Alzheimers Canyon

As of May 2018, there are now over 100 subscribers to our blog. And by "our" we mean not just Sky and Jane, but also everyone who reads and generally follows along with this journey into dementia. We read every single comment you all add with great interest. Please feel free to chime in.

We've learned a lot from your comments and expect to learn more as the journey unfolds. We've found it is too much try to reply individually to each comment on the blog, especially in a timely manner.....remember... some of these words, like the brain behind them, may have "loosed their anchors to time."

For new or bemused readers, this blog has two simultaneous threads going on at the same time. Some written by Sky, who is living with a diagnosis of "Probable Early Alzheimer's Disease." Some are written by Jane, who has been living with Sky for over 30 years. She holds the complicated position of primary care-partner.

The bulk of the posts are reflections on real-life challenges, adventures, surprises and their attendant emotions and changes. When you open the blog you will see a small selection of a small selection of the most recent posts. Most of these lead to a READ MORE button which will get you to the rest of the post. Feel free to jump around.

The other part of the blog is a more fantastical story, called Alzheimer's Canyon, about a regular guy, innocently traveling life's highway, who unexpectedly ends up in an exceedingly bizarre place called Alzheimer's Canyon. It is important to read these episodes in order. Here's how: Scroll down to the list called LABELS, on the right-hand sidebar. Click on the Label called Alzheimer's Canyon and you will see all the episodes. Don't forget to visit them in order, starting with "The Arrival." All the other episodes will be obvious from the number in their titles.

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