Former The Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman is featured in the new documentary ‘The Quiet One,’ which explores the ‘quiet’ Rolling Stones icon, who doesn’t get nearly as much attention as former bandmates Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Helen Highly‘s review of the film reveals how Wyman cried after rejecting an offer to record with Ray Charles.
The final scene we see Wyman tape is his standing with his wife, telling an old story of his dramatic encounter with his idol, Ray Charles, and how it shook him to his core to hear him play “Georgia,” live.
Then we see Wyman actually shed tears as he recalls that Ray Charles said he was a fan of Wyman and invited him to play with him on an album he was recording. But Wyman turned him down – said no to recording music with his hero.
“I’m not good enough,” he said, as he choked up. (Yup, that’s the end of that story. It doesn’t get better. Wyman never did record with his hero. And no further commentary is provided.)
I didn’t make notes about exactly how The Quiet One ended. But here is how I will remember the ending: Younger Wyman questions whether it’s worth it to make any effort in life.
He wonders if his best years are behind him, but he decides he would not want them back. And then the tape runs out. The movie ends with elderly Wyman staring at nothing while the tape plays only silence.
