<\/p>\n
I knew Billy Preston pretty well over the years. He never discussed his personal life, whether he was straight or gay or anything else. He was extremely private and everyone who knew him understood that.<\/p>\n
So why for some reason would a filmmaker make an intrusive film about the \u201cFifth Beatle\u201d call it a tribute? I don\u2019t get. But that\u2019s what Paris Barclay has done with \u201cThat\u2019s the Way God Planned It,\u201d opening in very limited locations today.<\/p>\n
Billy was a rock star, yes. He was the first musical guest on \u201cSNL\u201d in 1975 after having massive hits like \u201cWill It Go Round in Circles\u201d and \u201cNothing from Nothing.\u201d He played on Beatles sessions for \u201cLet it Be\u201d and \u201cAbbey Road,\u201d all of which you can see in Peter Jackson\u2019s \u201cGet Back\u201d documentary. He\u2019s the only artist credited with the Beatles, on \u201cGet Back.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s lots more music in Billy\u2019s life. He gave Stephen Stills the title \u201cLove the One You\u2019re With.\u201d Keith Richards credits him for the riff in the Stones\u2019 \u201cMiss You.\u201d<\/p>\n
You feel in the documentary that Barclay is less interested in all than whether Billy might have been molested as a child musician, or whether or not being secretly gay turned him into a drug addict. Billy would be mortified to see this movie, and to see people he thought were friends making wild guesses just to satisfy the director. That\u2019s not a way to show respect to a great musician.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just that Barclay makes these points once, but he keeps circling back to them. I\u2019d have rather seen more clips of Billy singing, and playing the organ, and dancing. His contribution to the Beatles\u2019 stunning last albums was even more than just music. As they say, his presence in the studio made them straighten up and get work done, and not bicker or get sidetracked.<\/p>\n
So take \u201cThat\u2019s The Way God Planned It\u201d with a container of salt. Don\u2019t forget, Billy co-wrote \u201cYou Are So Beautiful\u201d and \u201cWith You I\u2019m Born Again,\u201d two incredibly romantic, hopeful songs that represented him the way he wanted, not someone else\u2019s concept of him.<\/p>\n