Be Here to Love Me (2004) User Reviews

Answers Don't Come Easy

[ferguson-6 · 9/10 · 15 March 2006]

Greetings again from the darkness. The wait for this one to hit Dallas has been long and painful. Just mentioning the name Townes Van Zandt gets me all weepy and longing for those many nights in Austin between the mid 70's and early 80's. Although I only saw him perform live three times, his influence on the Austin music scene was unmatched.

Margaret Brown's directorial touch on this bio-documentary is filled with love, admiration, respect and a harsh dose of reality. Townes was not the typical inflated ego icon so familiar in the music business. Yes, he drank entirely too much and yes, he did way more drugs than any one body could possibly handle. But hearing fellow musicians, three wives and numerous children talk about him, affirmed one thought that I had always clung to: the man had soul.

There are some fascinating film clips of Townes both living life and on stage at various times throughout his "career". When we hear the spoken words "he is here for the music", it all makes sense. We see him unkempt, living in a lousy trailer and in his constant state of gauntness. This man was born to write songs and he did it better than anyone. Near the opening, Joe Ely tells the story of how listening to Townes' first record, forced he and Jimmie Gilmore to totally change their approach to songwriting. Folks, that is talent and power.

The reverence in the voice of Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Steve Earle (three fine songwriters in their own right) as they recollect how Townes touched their music is very base and raw. This is no Hollywood love fest of a dead character actor. This is pure respect from those who truly understand the gift.

The documentary is pretty well paced, but my one quibble is that we do not get to hear Townes perform a song all the way through until he sings "Marie" sometime past the midpoint. Also, I don't believe we had a single track from the "Carnegie Hall" show. That said, there are so many songs included, even if only for a verse, that it will provide a tremendous overview to anyone not already touched by the man's music.

We cannot help but be saddened as the talk of his shock therapy and subsequent change in personality are detailed. Also, hearing his kids speak of him is almost invasive, but what a remarkable gift to the film this is.

One of the producers is the great and under-appreciated Louis Black. He was involved in a film class I took at the University of Texas many years ago and has since gone on to edit an Austin paper and found the SXSW music and film festival. I feel certain his insight was invaluable to the film and sense that Townes Van Zandt music impacted his life the way it did many of us.

Surpasses your average Vh1 documentary AND THEN SOME! Great film.

[b1lskirnir · 9/10 · 3 November 2005]

Even if you're not a fan of documentaries, hell, even if you're not a fan of folk/country, Be Here To Love Me is a beautiful and well-directed story of the life of singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt. More than just a movie for hardcore fans of the genre and the artist, the impeccable visual style of the movie keeps the average movie-goer enthralled within it's heartfelt and hilarious interviews of friends, family, and musical contemporaries give dialogue almost too good for a movie.

But then you're reminded that it's a documentary; it's fairly easy to forget. The only narration is the actual audio, be it phone calls (such as in the amazing opening sequence to "At My Window"), home movies, live performances, or the music itself. The camera pans across montages of midwest scenes: old men in the old mens' bars, truck driving, wandering through the desert, and so many others that play like one gorgeous, intermittent music video. Some of the dialogue is unforgettable, be it Townes discussing his addiction to airplane glue, Guy Clark laughing at him hitting on his wife, or his own mother expressing sorrow for exposing him to shock treatments early in his life.

The overall pace of the movie becomes disrupted near the last 20-30 minutes, as the overall flow of themes in Townes' life unfold less and less precisely and with as much organization as the beginning, but that's basically the only flaw to an otherwise brilliant documentary.

Not knowing much about Townes as a person, I can say that this movie helped me fall in love with his music and find new respect for the genre. I recommend it to anyone who loves this man, loves these kinds of quirky stories, loves country/folk, or... well, I recommend it to anyone!

Very powerful

[Austin392hemi · 9/10 · 13 October 2006]

Having lived in Austin back in the 70s when Townes played here all the time, I have to say we really took him for granted. I never knew any of his history or that he had such an impact on so many performers. In some ways, I wish I was still naïve. Be prepared for an extremely depressing movie. Yet, the movie has stayed with me for over a week now. The film was very powerful but I just cannot put in to words how. Everyone who heard his music knew his songs were sad but somehow I envisioned him as being OK when the show was over. For the most part, it was not. At one point in the movie someone ask him, "Why are your songs depressing". Townes simply looks at he guy and says ". . . life is sad. Don't you think"? Such a perfect answer for anyone who experiences melancholy. Another powerful scene shows Townes oldest son fishing as he pontificates on the road that his father had chosen. We all hear over and over how this performer or that celebrity gave up everything to follow his heart but gosh it was all worth it. Yet JT somehow describes how there are so many other simple everyday aspects of life which are equally important and his father missed a lot of those moments. This is such a profound perspective from such a young man. The movie has many memorable moments. I'd recommend it for anyone who likes sad songs like one might hear from Iris DeMent or John Prine. Everyone else should go rent a Ben Stiller movie.

Van Zandt movie a fine documentary

[dhelling · 10/10 · 3 June 2005]

I just returned from watching this documentary at the Seattle film festival, and it was wonderful. It should be required viewing for fans of Townes, and it's highly recommended for anyone interested in the phenomenon of an artist giving over his life completely to his art. The director does a great job of presenting the balance between the often tragic events and circumstances of his life and Townes' wonderful sense of humor. There are some bits, musical and otherwise, that Townes fans will probably already have seen, but quite a bit of new footage as well. The director was given access to a wealth of material to put together into this glimpse of the complicated life of Townes, and the interviews done specifically for this film were extremely well done. Some of my favorite bits: Previously unpublished outtakes to the wonderful film Heartworn Highways, showing a much younger Townes. Fascinating sound clips from a box of taped phone conversations, taken by a journalist over a six year time period. Great filmed interviews of Townes's children, including a very spooky clip of Katie Bell, his young daughter, recounting a dream she had about her father that ended in a gravestone being made. And very interview segments with his friends and fellow musicians, notably Guy Clarke. The film goes into general release in the states in December, and a DVD will follow a couple of months after that.

A Fine Tribute to America's Best Songwriter ever!

[Pithybrid · 17 September 2004]

I was lucky enough to view this film at the Toronto Film Festival. As a longtime, and pretty rabid Townes Van Zandt fan, I was very impressed with the film. Director Margaret Brown did a fantastic job. Her film showed the tragedy, humor and beauty that made up Townes. I had a chance to talk to her briefly after the screening, and you could tell that this was really a labor of love. The interviews in this seem like a who's who of singer/songwriter music, featuring Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Guy Clark and many more. Hopefully it will find some sort of distribution on DVD. It is the type of film that deserves to be seen. Anyone who considers themselves a music fan should take any opportunity they have to see this film.

Townes Van Zandt: The best songwriter of the past 100 years

[reverendtom · 10/10 · 26 November 2006]

I can say without a doubt, that Townes Van Zandt is simply best American songwriter of the past century. He owes a lot to classic bluesmen like Lightnin Hopkins and country balladeers like Hank Williams, but for my money, he's the greatest. He has an economy of words and a poetry that none of his competition comes close to. Many people would site Dylan as the greatest, but I think Townes blows him out of the water. There is a rawness, and realness to Townes that you very rarely hear in music, period. You can feel the pain and longing that haunted this man, also the genius poet at work and occaissonally goofy fun lover in all his songs. I discovered Townes thanks to this movie, so I feel indebted to it for introducing me to some of the best music I've ever heard.

Nice archive material, but lacking depth and analysis

[Stavros_the_Sheep · 7/10 · 26 June 2007]

There is some great coverage of Townes Van Zandt, both interviewed and in performance, but the film fails to get under the skin of the man. His obsessively egotistical approach to his life, work and play (at the expense of his wives and children) is simply accepted for what it was and there is very little speculation as to whether it was Townes' background or something intrinsic in the make up of great musicians that made him thus. It might have been interesting to compare him to other singer-songwriters from similar backgrounds who have followed the same path (Woody Guthrie immediately springs to mind). What we have is some nice archival commentary and some rather fulsome comments from his friends, but you come away not feeling you know Townes any better than you did before.

The most touching comment comes from his younger son, who chokes as he tells us that tuned into his fathers music, immediately turned his back on rap and found a new perspective on both his father and his own musical understanding. I almost expected him to say "I have put away childish things".

One more niggle, but it is a complaint I have about the filming of guitar players generally - why do the directors never focus on the fingers? You get at most a couple of bars and then they cut away to a facial expression or to a mid-shot of the band. More guitar-playing directors needed I think.

Great look into a songwriter whom will be hard to surpass

[brendan_ocuin · 10/10 · 10 December 2005]

I went to see this film with a limit knowledge of the mans music and next to nothing on the life of the man. This film give a great look into a songwriter that has the ability to put into word, what many people will fail to feel in their lifetime. The mix of footage from the Townes own home footage to live performances and interviews with the people who know him make the whole experience a full one and as you leave you will understand how unique he was, his talent was and his effect on people. The film has been made is such a way that it provides a full spectrum into the life. You will both laugh and feel sorrow at the events that made up the life of Townes Van Zandt.

A must see for music lovers.....

For fans this is a must see classic. for the rest of us this is an okay look at a guy who wrote songs

[dbborroughs · 7/10 · 2 October 2006]

The life and times of songwriter Townes Van Zandt told through clips, interviews and his music.

I always knew the name but never had any idea what he wrote. The one song you're probably most likely to know is Poncho and Lefty which was a hit for Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson And Merle Haggard. This documentary filled me in, to some degree, on the man and his music, but it never really made me understand the man any more than I did before. The film certainly didn't turn me into a fan of his. Townes was an amazing songwriter who said his songs were "mostly sad and the rest are hopeless". He wrote, performed and then drank and did drugs in order to deal with his personal demons. I'm really not to sure what those demons were, they just were sort of there, or so it seems from the movie. The movie isn't clear about many details in Townes life, its really just a portrait of the man as a person you might meet on the street, it doesn't really give you any sense of what he did (other than write songs) or when he did it. He had some kids and he had some wives, but there isn't really any attempt to sort that out, nor is there any attempt to give you any sense of what he did other than write songs (this is not a movie to see if you want dates and places) Its a good movie. Its not a great one. It does give you a sense of who this person was as if he were a random person, but it doesn't really tell us why he is so important and so well loved. For me its a bunch of people telling his story and saying he's great, but not explaining why. I enjoyed it, but I really wish I knew more about him other than he wrote songs.

"A Singer & Songwriter that you must know about!

[JEVizzusi · 8/10 · 12 August 2006]

Margaret Brown's story of Singer and Songwriter Townes Van Zandt is a wonderful tribute and heartfelt autobiography. In her own retro film style, I felt like I was part of the story of a struggling Musician trying to make it in a world that cared more about the record deal than the songs they produced. Van Zandt stuck to his guns and never sold out and recorded some of finest lyrics and haunting acoustical guitar work anyone has ever heard. The interviews really take you inside this guy's life - head and soul... and raw footage of Townes is aplenty in this film. One comment that will stay with myself forever was a interview with a Tour Manager whom stated: "He was moving up the Concert Tour Circuit... almost to a Motor Coach, YEA, he was ready to go! Van Zandt could care less about so-called fame, and just wrote and played what he felt. And this film sends the message to do whats in your heart, even if it kills ya at a young age. For any Artist, a 'Must See Documentary Film!

John Vizzusi, Behind the Indie Camera / Florida Film Monthly

Words can be powerful. Truth IS stranger than fiction!

[lucius_420 · 10/10 · 3 July 2010]

Woah! Had to chop several chunks of my full review to make it fit into the 1000 word limit. I read every word of every review at time of posting and I'm slightly disgusted by seeing only 18 reviews 5 years after release and that the writing is not more persuasive. Oddly, I was unimpressed with favorable reviews by Townes' admirers only because their eloquence with words was few and far between, even though there were some good bits. My favorite review was the worst rated one, because of these words: "nor is there any attempt to give you any sense of what he did other than write songs". Well that is Townes Van Zandt in a nutshell. He didn't really do much with his life except for "write songs" and even his own family barely knew him after they approved the electroshock therapy.

'Heartworn Highways' documents the true birth of the scene called "outlaw country music". There's not as much footage as I'd like, but the stories about him by people who knew him well are a river of carefully crafted words that any appreciator of a good story should love instantly. Music and poetry are Townes' breath and blood. His life is many peoples' stories, and everyone knows parts, but no one knows the whole thing 100%. Susanna Clark might know more than anyone else possibly.

The film centers around a few tapes recorded by a friend whom Townes confided in over the phone. Director Margaret Brown shows that she has brains simply by her choice of subject. In one tape, Townes clearly recaps his early musical birth, that when he was 8 years old he saw Elvis Presley (on the television at his home deep in the heart of Fort Worth, Texas, unlike Gram Parsons and Tom Petty who both met Elvis in person) and the next Christmas his father bought him a guitar. He remembered something about learning some songs and going to the school and making all the girls go crazy and then going home a hero. He details how he penned his first country/western single 'Waitin' Around to Die' when he had been "locking myself up in the closet for weeks on end with the phone off the hook and listening to early Bob Dylan and Lightning Hopkins". There is so only one biography I know of in print (on my shelf) called 'To Live is to Fly'. It is only able to tell part of the story. Much of it is unknown or not very well documented. The author states that he tried to interview Susanna Clark and got rebuffed by her because she is writing her own book about him or something like that. Guy says that Susanna and Townes were kind of like soul mates.

Townes said Doc Watson was the first person to officially cover one of his songs, told everyone that Lightnin' Hopkins gave him his first joint (possibly true), and the last major band he tried to produce with was Sonic Youth. Something I discovered while researching online was that Townes died tragically on January 1st, 1997 and the great country music legend Hank Williams also tragically died on January 1st, 1953 exactly 44 years to the day. You must watch the bonus interviews on the DVD to see his bonus interviews where Guy Clark says, "Even though sometimes there's a lot of words, there's a lot of phonetic hot licks going on, it's the holes you leave, you know, emotionally in the story line and Townes was like...he was so good it sounds unconscious. I don't believe it was...he knew what he was doing...I knew Townes, he's a smart S.O.B., and he's the coolest guy that ever walked, BUT he was not unaware of how good he was and what he was doing...It wasn't magic. It was (expletive) hard work and paying attention." Guy Clark talks about when Townes was at his best and could perform songs that would just take your breath away. "That's our goal as songwriters, is to try to hit that mark."

There are hilarious stories in the DVD extras from Leland Waddell about trying to once-and-for-all cure Townes of his suicidal tendencies by actually giving him a loaded shotgun, driving backward 40 miles to a gig in Lubbock that was already canceled because of the rain, and letting the tramps take his nice shirt and moccasins while picking a grave site because he drove off after they saw him drag an passed-out drunk Townes to the grave site. Johnny Guess says he was Townes' witness inside a little trailer when Bob Dylan wanted to meet Townes and they met in a blocked off part of Guadalupe street (the "drag" in front of the University of Texas) and when Bob Dylan got to meet Townes Van Zandt and hear him play and sing, Johnny Guess said his jaw was dropped wide open because he got to meet Townes Van Zandt. "That was Bob Dylan. It doesn't get any better than that." There are many great arrangements of words a person can have ingrained upon their memory after watching this movie. I think my favorite quote from Townes in the film is from the 1995 Amsterdam interview where he says, "I try to write about things that matter and make every song good." The best part of the film for me is when John Lomax III calmly tells us (with tears flowing down his face) about when he tried to manage and get to the bottom of the business affairs of Townes Van Zandt and put an advertisement out for fan mail to "America's Greatest Songwriter" and the letters he got from tons of people said that listening to this guy's music had saved their lives, that they were on the verge of suicide and his music brought them back, or they had lost a loved one and his songs had helped them get through a tough time.

In a word - Frustrating

[wildwood66 · 5/10 · 13 February 2007]

Reading through the other reviews, obviously the majority are massive fans of Townes Van Zandt (as I am) and their views are from the side of people who were already very familiar with Townes and his combination of self-destructiveness, married with some of the most sublime songwriting ever heard. However, what about if you were one of the people who had never heard of Townes (and lets face it, he was largely a cult figure)and you watched this film from the perspective of trying to learn something more about the man. Would you know more about what made him so selfish, so distant to those that he professed to love. Would you have learnt about why he chose to play guitar, what he read or absorbed to be able to write such perfect prose. Who were his musical influences apart from Lightning Hopkins? In my opinion this film does not answer these questions satisfactorily, if at all. In that way I found the film lacking depth and substance. Make no mistake, I loved being able to see Townes play live. I loved hearing largely gushing comments about his talent (Steve Earle excepted with his story about Townes playing Russian Roulette), but somehow this film left me uninvolved and without any deeper knowledge about the life of Townes Van Zandt. As I said in the title - In a word - Frustrating.

To live is to die

[tieman64 · 13 April 2008]

"Well, many of my songs, they aren't sad, they're hopeless." - Townes Van Zandt.

"I don't envision a very long life for myself. I think my life will run out before my work does, you know? I've designed it that way." - Townes Van Zandt.

An amazing talent, with a bent for self-destruction, Townes was a unique and singular voice. This film reuses much footage from "Heartworn Highways", an arty documentary made in the 70s. It conveys the pain and self destructiveness that plagued Van Zandt and reveals that he was a manic depressive and alcoholic, facts which would not surprise anyone who listened to his work.

The film focuses on the period between the late 70s and late 80s when Townes went into hiding. After producing a record called "7 Come 11" he literally vanished, refusing to release his music until 20 years later.

The film is peppered with interviews with producers and song writers, many touting him as one of the greatest singer/poets since Dylan, who sadly, because of his suicidal tendencies, never achieved the superstar status he deserved.

Townes inexplicable failure to promote himself and his music baffled the industry and pretty soon he began a downward spiral, creatively and personally. He'd play Russian roulette with a .357 Magnum, often talk about suicide, inexplicably avoid his family, stay up nights drinking and spent years locked away in a log cabin, away from the world.

It seems that these "lost years" contributed to Van Zandt's decline, although one gets the sense that Townes didn't know what he was looking for or what he really wanted to achieve. He was an intelligent man, but his pain was just too much to warrant living. When questioned in an interview about what his goals were, it seems Townes had never thought about it (or didn't have any), and he struggles with the question until answering with a smile, "I would like to write a song that no one understands, including myself."

It's a playful comment, until you see the look in his eyes and realise what he means. He'd like no one to understand or identify with the pain of his music, because sadly, to understand is to suffer too.

As the film nears its end, the shocking transformation of Van Zandt into a skeletal alcoholic is particularly disturbing. His cheek bones protrude like shards of broken pottery, his guitar skills deteriorating and his voice becoming torn and melancholy.

Van Zandt's music has been called folk and country, but on its deepest level it relates most comfortably to the blues. Over the past two years there's been a tremendous revival of interest in roots music. People initially turned to this music as a kind of protest against the childishness and soullessness of commercial, popular music. Then, after September 11th, roots music came to be associated with "Americana". A kind of cultural patriotism.

A couple years later and scepticism and anger raises it's ugly head. "Americana" was suddenly bad, and the old vanguard of roots music, those angry anti establishment folk guys like Dylan are suddenly popular again.

Zandt never had a revival. Aside from the Coen brothers using his song in "Lebowski" and paying homages in "O brother where art thou?", he's still relatively unheralded and unheard of. Like Van Gogh, he seems a tortured artist doomed to slow appreciation. One of those masters who, though hugely influential, remains remembered by only those in the industry. But at his best, Van Zandt is songwriter who could rival anyone. There is nothing cute, celebratory or charmingly old-timey about him. Far from reassuring, his songs are as unsettling as they come. And as one producer says in this documentary, "if you're serious about American music, eventually you're going to have to enter this darkness."

8/10- Great artists are sensitive people, permanently attuned to the world. Townes Van Zandt lived a tortured life, his music reaching depths few writers are able to plunge. I'm not a huge fan of country music or blues, but even I found this documentary to be quietly adventurous, visually poetic and emotionally devastating. "Be here to love me" is a sad meditation on the darkness and beauty of Van Zandt's life and the collateral damage such a life can have on those who live it with you.

Thank you Margaret!

[Cirlbeck · 8/10 · 1 July 2005]

I just came back from the Munich-Filmfest where I was lucky enough to see this wonderfully crafted documentary about one of the most interesting songwriters of the twentieth century. It's admittedly very painful to watch at times, cause it's honest to the core. Townes van Zandt was an Alcoholic, Drug-Addict and a Gambler and the movie does absolutely nothing to conceal this.(if you look closely) But first and foremost he was an excellent songwriter. He never had the success he deserved, but i guess he didn't wanted it enough because he knew exactly what it was that kept him going: It was the dark side of the human soul. It was hopelessness that made him write and sing those beautiful sad songs. He needed his addictions in order to keep his creativity alive, and that's the really sad thing about him.

Margaret Brown did a wonderful job in order to bring this to the screen.

waiting around to live

[SteveSkafte · 10/10 · 2 January 2010]

In this film, people talk about their experiences with Townes Van Zandt. Bit by bit, you get a slow sense of who he was, why he was, and most importantly, how he was in life. Townes was a profoundly injured person, a brilliant poet, a good friend, a bad friend, a drunk, a wanderer, the combination of so many contradictions that made up a basically straightforward person. The questions and confusion that surrounds Townes Van Zandt as a person has little to do with the quality of who he was, only how he lived. I grew up around my uncle, a man of similar mental history and makeup as Van Zandt. As much as he could turn your life upside down and cause you pain, there was a natural softness, a kind of charm. The lack of self-awareness just couldn't be helped.

This film is of brilliant construction. Using conversational interviews, footage from the open road, different locations, archive footage, and of course the music of Townes himself, Margaret Brown creates a perfect example of the biographical documentary. Everything flows through like it should, like it only could. I can't really say any more. There's no flaws in this. You are taken in, you are convinced of whatever you need be, you live in his life. And that's all there is to it.

A Story about a tragic genius

[NYCDude · 9/10 · 4 December 2005]

This is a wonderful documentary about a songwriter almost universally acknowledged to be one of the best, if not, the best country/folk songwriter of the last 50 years. Many friends, including such notables as Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Steve Earl, Emmylou Harris and Guy Clark, give some of their remembrances and evaluations of his work. There are lots of interviews with Townes, as well a several performances lovingly sung by him and others. All in all, a beautiful documentary. Now for some personal gripes, mainly calling for another hour or so in a 99 minute documentary: 1) I would have liked more complete, uninterrupted, performances. The director clearly did not want this to be a concert film, but at least one complete, uninterrupted performance would have been nice. 2) The beautiful Tecumsen (Tecumseh) Valley song is not sung or mentioned. This was a great disappointment for me, having lived with Nanci Griffith's as well as Townes' version of this great song.

*** POSSIBLE SPOILERS ***

The depiction of Townes' mental problems as well as his drug and alcohol problems were frankly discussed by friends and relatives. One could be saddened by his early demise, but not surprised.

Listen to the lyrics and hear Townes' soul speak

[ms_jade_li · 10/10 · 24 November 2013]

I would encourage anyone who is a fan of Townes' music watch this. Townes Van Zandt was a man of deep and complex character. He spoke his soul through his lyrics. I can't help but wonder, throughout watching the clips of Townes himself and those left behind and their recollections, if anyone really "got" Townes. He literally sacrificed his health, his family, and ultimately his life trying to be heard.

The scenes with Townes' wives and children were the most touching. Looking into the great black pools of Townes' eyes, it's easy to see how those around him would be mesmerized and want to be near him. The film also handled the less glamorous side of Townes' life with grace.

It's clear that Townes rejected the privileged lifestyle of his family and sought the real gold, that which touches the humanity in each of us, which he did so well through his music.

Wonderful Film if You Love Townes Van Zandt.

[cowboysinindians · 10/10 · 9 December 2005]

I saw 'Be Here to Love Me' with some friends last night. The interviews and insights into this amazing man blew me away. I even had some tears a couple times during some of the concert footage. However, I do think the obscurity of the man can obscure the film a bit. A lot of people walked out during the middle of it. I don't think they were as fascinated by him as I was. Some close friends of mine didn't get quite as overwhelmed as me. Obviously, they weren't Townes fans like me either. To sum it up, its a wonderful film if you love some of the saddest, most beautiful music ever written and want to see some top notch footage and interviews with his closest friends.

no one like townes

[haverslick · 20 November 2006]

If you aren't absolutely amazed by Townes' songwriting, finger picking, and singing, all you have to do is pick up a guitar to realize how difficult it is to do what he's doing. He's actually doing three or four things at once: Plucking a bass line with his thumb, a melody with his remaining fingers, and to top it all off, he sings absolutely hauntingly over this intricate accompaniment.

When Kristofferson called Townes a "songwriter's songwriter," this is made even truer by the fact that most of his biggest fans are musicians, because of his dedication and the perfection he achieves in his songs. It is truly songwriting rocket science. After I discovered Townes, I hardly ever strummed my guitar anymore, but rather try to keep it mostly fingerstyle.

Townes' greatness stemmed from what is the lifeblood of most all great musicians: persistence and dedication (and drugs), at least to his art, if not to the business side of things. Like he said; "You've got to lock yourself in your apartment, take the phone off the hook, and listen to Lightnin' Hopkins for two weeks."

A legend...

[christel-85422 · 9/10 · 25 June 2022]

...unfortunately still not well known nowadays... The kind of extreme and genuinely human song-writer and singer... His voice over the yard is the best Witness of his rambling life... "Hopeless, not sad"... A must see Doc ....especially to get a glimpse on a major musical world from the late sixties and 70s...on the road, adventurous, without calculation and personnal interest... The story of a man "who lived like a rake and a young man"...