http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/23/opinions/keach-glen-campbell-courage/index.html
The courage of Glen Campbell
By James Keach
Updated 10:21 AM ET, Tue June 23, 2015
Editor's Note: James Keach is a producer and the director of "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me," which airs at 9 p.m. ET Sunday, June 28, on CNN. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.
(CNN)—Who would have thought a 77-year-old man with Alzheimer's would make a music video, win a Grammy for best country song and be nominated for an Academy Award? This is the legacy of the inimitable Glen Campbell.
Directing and producing "Glen Campbell ... I'll Be Me" changed my life and that of my producing partner, Trevor Albert.
Julian Raymond, who had produced Glen's past two albums, asked us in the summer of 2011 to do a short film documenting Glen's final five-week tour, which would promote his new (and last) album, "Ghost on the Canvas."
Glen had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and his family and management team were worried about sharing this news. Glen and his wife, Kim, knew it was risky to go public with the diagnosis and for Glen to perform live while showing growing signs of the disease.
Glen wanted to tell his story and not shy away from the reality he was facing.
The Campbells learned that millions were coping with the fatal disease (5.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's; every 68 seconds, someone new is diagnosed). Glen was showing increasing signs of dementia, but he loved the stage and hoped to keep performing as long as he could.
Julian told the Campbells that I had produced a movie about Johnny Cash, "Walk the Line," and that Trevor had produced great upbeat movies such as "Groundhog Day."
He stressed that we could be trusted to protect Glen's dignity. That said, Trevor and I were very reluctant to make the film. All the other films we had seen about people with Alzheimer's were dark, depressing and tough to get an audience for. Julian insisted that we all get together and discuss it in person.
We were excited about the idea of meeting meet Glen and his family, having always loved his music and country-boy humor, but we really didn't want to lead the Campbells on. We told Julian to make sure they knew we might not do the film. Then we met the Campbells.
It didn't matter how bleak we had found the other movies that addressed Alzheimer's. With the Campbells, we knew immediately that we could make a unique film on the subject -- one with music, laughter and faith -- that would show Glen's beautiful and caring family encouraging him to sing and entertain and embrace life even as his disease progressed.
Glen and Kim were still playful and in love after 30 years of marriage, and music filled their lives. Our decision was an instant YES.
Kim was and is devoted to Glen, and we quickly recognized that she was one of the strongest, most compassionate and most level-headed examples around of the millions of caregivers who support loved ones every day. Their children, Ashley, Cal and Shannon, were cut from the same cloth. They all knew that what we were doing made Glen and the family vulnerable, but they wanted to do it because Glen wanted to do it.
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Who would have thought a 77 year-old man with Alzheimer's would make a music video, win a Grammy for Best Country Song, and be nominated for an Academy Award?
Glen asked us to do a movie that showed the gnarly truth. He knew what he had and what he faced. Glen, calling the illness "part timers," announced "I ain't done yet!" and responded the opposite of a person given the news he had a disease that would take his mind, his memory and eventually his life. He wanted to sing, laugh and celebrate life until it was taken from him.
We thought the tour would last a few months at most. Glen was able to defy all the odds and perform 151 shows over a two-and-a-half-year period.
The highs far outweighed the lows, but there were lows. Everywhere we went Glen radiated love and light, and even in the dark times of his confusion, he always showed signs of his true self. He was surrounded by loving family and fans who lifted him up when he was at his most exposed.
After 151 shows, the disease had taken its toll and Glen and his family decided he should take his final bow. But the movie will allow generations to come to appreciate Glen's incredible courage, talent and spirit.
We have come a long way from being reluctant filmmakers to starting a fund to help those suffering. Along with the Volunteers of America, we have now formed the I'll Be Me Alzheimer's Fund (IBMAF.org) to raise money to find a cure, restore the spirit of the caregiver and bring media attention to the Alzheimer's tsunami that we are all facing.
It is so profoundly sad to see a person lose the memory of their life and family. Taking the journey with Glen and his family will forever be one the most important personal experiences and films of my career. He was our teacher on how to face life on life's terms. He was and is a true hero.
Glen risked compromising his image by doing this movie and showing Alzheimer's up-close and personal. No celebrity or family has been quite so public about the effect of Alzheimer's. The Campbells' courage and honesty has allowed millions of caregivers and those suffering from the disease to be seen and understood as never before in an uplifting and inspirational way.
We offer unending gratitude to the Campbell family.
I am looking forward to watching this documentary of Glenn's journey. I have seen first hand what this terrible disease can do to a family. I lost my good friend and long-time next door neighbor to this condition a month or so ago. His five year journey took him from being a robust healthy retiree who was the first to arrive to help with whatever chore you had going on, to a state of complete reliance on his wife to complete the simplest of tasks, even writing his name. He was a machinist, who could do anything with the proper tools. His wife will always be a hero of mine, as she dedicated herself to doing whatever-it-takes to keep him at home and make his time of passage to the next phase as comfortable and as normal as possible. If your life and family have not been touched by this disease pray that it never has to be and for those whose lives have been affected! RIP Samuel Charles Kochenour!
Thanks for the alert. I sent an email to many friends and family members. We have it in my family and several friends also.
His wife was here in Kalispell MT this week giving a talk at an assisted living center. In an interview, she said Glen is in good spirits, but one can't understand him at all. His verbal abilities are gone. So sad. She said he is an example of making the best of what you have, and I liked that.
I watched the film twice already. I was ... impressed on a couple of levels.
Glen Campbell is (was) an incredibly talented person. I saw him on TV once playing alongside George Benson ("Breezin") and remember being stunned that he hung with George note for note, playing as an equal. I knew about some of his session stuff (uncredited on Beach Boys records), but I didn't realize what a real player that he was.
Applaud him for his courage and cooperation in allowing this documentary to be made. Great work by the film makers in keeping cameras unobtrusive. For the most part, Glen seems unaware that he is being photographed. There are those moments where he mugs for the camera. The man has a great sense of humor!
A lot of the concert and rehearsal stuff ... real to the max - no doubt. I often read and watch between the lines. I am not 100% sure that Glen was doing this for himself or if certain folks weren't trying to shake one more egg out of the golden goose before it was too late. There are moments where Glen appears to NOT want to be doing the shows and rehearsals. He did appear to be enjoying himself most of the times.
If you haven't seen the film and intend to do so, you can stop reading now.
The final show ... you can't sugarcoat it. Train wreck - complete with near melt down on stage by Glen. The only difference between this last show and those by the late BB King his final time around was that Glen's younger age gave him a little more spontaneity and vibrance. At the same time, he was noticeably just lost on stage in several moments.
The movie was sad and bittersweet. There were some great clips from Glen's prime included.
I've seen several family members pass through these gates. When I was a little kid, I watched my grandfather degenerate in a cinder block, county-run nursing home. Back then, there wasn't even a name for the disease.
