It never hurts to burst on the music scene fully equipped with a legend.
Gary Wilson unwittingly spent 24 years crafting the perfect comeback
scenario which, if you didn't catch the journalistic feeding frenzy last
year after the release of 'You Think You Really Know Me,' goes something
like this: young Gary, 24, records said record in his basement and
self-releases a run of 2,500 copies, many of which end up at college radio
stations, some destroyed in Gary's own live show, and the rest presumably
sold here and there. Gary goes on to release several more odds and sods-
all flops. After failed attempts to 'make it in the biz' in New York and
Los Angeles, Gary gives up on his dreams and settles into the obscurity of a
San Diego lounge act and a weekend-gig as a cashier at an adult book shop.
Meanwhile his legacy is kept alive in the bunkers of those same college
radio stations, where he is officially promoted to the status of a 'cult'
hero (which culminates in a name-check from Beck). A couple of label owners
hear the record and decide to track him down with the help of a private
investigator. One lucky break and the hounddogs find the phoneless Wilson
in San Diego and he agrees to the reissue of his long-out-of-print
'masterpiece.'
'Forgotten Lovers' collects the self-released singles and a couple of
languishing masters delivered to the label after Wilson made a pilgrimage
back to the basement where the original recording were made. It also comes
after1 flour-spattered comeback show in New York and his reunion with his
long-estranged father. So where, you ask, does the actual music fit into
all of this? It's hard the see beyond the biography. 'You Think...' is a
gorgeous bit of post-punk proto no-wave pyschedelia. It's uniqueness comes
from a distinct lack of context, of Gary working in a parallel but separate
universe from what was happening in New York in particular. Gary was no naif
(which is where the comparison with Daniel Johnston crumbles). He met with
John Cage, listened to Christian Wolff, the Fugs, MC5, and Zappa, among
others. His fusion of rock, jazz, funk, and punk is not atypical.
'Forgotten Lovers' is obviously the work of an able musician, but has not
dated as well as 'You Think...' Some parts sound like they came straight
out of a CHiPs soundtrack, the jazz and disco interpretations are equally
flat. Where Wilson really excels are when he croons and moans about those
girls he knew, and like a true bluesman, manages to make the lyrics both
innocent and infinitely nasty. 'In the Midnight Hour,' 'Chrome Lover' and
'I Wanna Take You on a Sea Cruise' are standouts in this vein.
Wilson's music has definitely benefited from its unwilling subjection to an
extended aging process. The very lack of context which may have stunted his
chances in the beginning has allowed him to stand out as a very singular
figure in hindsight. 'Forgotten Lovers,' while it has its moments,
threatens to throw him back in the muddle. We wish the revitalized Gary the
best of luck in keeping pace with his own legend. |