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Rating:  - Beautiful
I saw this movie in a theatre, and got a copy of the DVD because I liked it so much. It's beautiful. I don't think I would enjoy it if I were not already a fan of his music, however.
Rating: - The best singer/songwriter you never heard of
In depth, touching, disturbing, beautiful portrait of a tortured genius. See and hear the genius of Townes Van Zandt, the best singer/songwriter you never heard of.
Rating:  - Townes Van Zandt fans...
This is a pretty good video for Townes Van Zandt fans...it pretty much covers his life and has a lot of footage of him. It has some rough language throughout...but all in all a good dvd for fans.
Rating: - A great film, showcasing a great talent.
I have been a fan of Towns Van Zandt for quite some time. It was great getting to know him better through this film.
His music was poetry. He was a true legend when it came to song writing. A rare talent that he was able to showcase with wonderful songs.
It was great hearing about the different stories of his life, and hearing the people closest to him give their input of the master. From the great Guy Clark, to Willie Nelson, to Steve Earle, to who declared TVZ the best song writer in the world.
This movie was wonderful. If you are a TVZ fan, this is a must watch! He will be missed, but his songs live on! Happy watching!
Rating: - Makes You Shake Your Head and Wonder
I saw Townes Van Zandt in concert twice. The first time I was in my senior year of college, and Townes came through town (Nacogdoches, TX) and put on a simply captivating show. His voice was fine, his guitar playing was good, and he told story after story that were side-achingly funny. (And the girl I took to the concert thought I was really smart for knowing about this great "folkie" that she had never heard of.)
Five years later, I saw Townes at some little bar/mexican restaurant in Austin, where he was so drunk (and high, probably) that he could just barely perform. And it would have probably been better for everyone if he hadn't, or if the manager of the place had pulled him off of the stage.
At first, I thought the second concert was just an anomoly. But then the tales his his substance abuses and bouts with depression came to be widely known. I thought it was a shame, because he definitely was a wonderful songwriter, and should have had a much more prominent career that he did.
This DVD is very well made, in my opinion, and helps to explain the two vastly different Townes Van Zandts that I witnessed in concert. It pulls no punches about Townes and the demons he fought throughout his life. The people interviewed in it loved him and were amazed by his talent, but couldn't really understand him. Sadly, this is often true with people who have the kinds of personal troubles that Townes did.
There is enough of the good Townes and the bad Townes in this documentary to show you that neither side was a fluke. But it is disturbing to hear about his self-destructive behavior, and even to hear him talk about doing things that make no sense -- while at the same time he seemed not to have the desire or self-discipline to bring it to a halt.
I prefer to think of Townes as the guy that wrote "Poncho and Lefty" and "If You Needed Me". But he also wrote "Nothing" and "Waiting Around to Die". Steve Earle's description of Townes playing Russion roulette during one of his visits is very disturbing. It leaves you asking yourself why someone would do that to a friend, and what was missing from his life that made his behavior so unfathomable?
This documentary tells you just about everything there is to know about Townes' life, but outside of spiritual beliefs, there is and never can be an answer as to why it seemingly had to be that way. If anything is missing from this documentary, it would be any hint at all of a spiritual influence in his life. As well made as it is, however, my guess would be that there was no such factor that could be honestly included. And that also adds to the sadness.
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