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Rating:  - Out of Kindness I Suppose
I thought this was a very good documentary. I didn't know much about Townes Van Zandt at all except that he wrote Pancho and Lefty. I thought it was shot really well and put together in an entertaining way. There was enough footage of Townes and interviews with him as well as concert footage to keep you interested. I also enjoyed listening to people tell stories about him and what he was like.
I recommend this to all of his fans and fans of country music. I also think there is enough there and it is entertaining enough for people who aren't necessarily fans of this type of music.
Rating:  - This story has been told before...
Van Gogh, Hank Williams, Janis Joplin, Townes Van Zandt. Why are the greatest artists often so disturbed and self-destructive? I saw Townes play live once or twice around 1971 in Austin, and although I later became a music publisher and saw hundreds of singer-songwriters perform, I always rated Townes the best. He was young, happy, funny, chatty, and rolled out tunes that were captivating , stunning, hilarious, amazing. In the restroom with a grin on my face, the hippy next to me said, "Are you digging Townes?" Yeah, I was digging Townes. 25 years rolled by and I wondered what ever happened to him. I heard some of his songs on the radio but I never saw him play live again. Rumors had it that he had an alcohol problem, and when he died his friends didn't seem surprised. Another 10 years later, I saw this film on the Sundance channel and it broke my heart. If you were expecting a concert, well, go live your life a while and then come back, because it's not so much about music or even about Townes, it's about all of us and what it means to be human and our need to be connected to others, and about mental illness, and how lucky we are to survive each day, and how badly we need people like Townes to inspire us and show us the truth.
Rating: - Tragic Life, Fantastic Music
I drank a beer with him in 1975 in Bolder, CO.
Rating: - The True Genius of Townes
Sadly we have very little on tape of this magnificent Texas artist. But you should rejoice that this small sampling of his genius is here for you to love. Townes bled onto the page of his songwriting. He gave his life completely to the task of providing humanity a glimpse into the heart of a true "bluesman". His careful study of blues great Lightnin' Hopkins, for one, and knowledge of music history and study of well known poets gave considerable weight to his endeavor to bring these mediums together. He practiced daily to breathe new life into this brew of personal interests which formed onto the page and shine a light into the dark corners our hearts. Never mind personal faults, for we all have them. He lived in pain and wrote songs that resurrect the spirit. His love of life is characterized in his lyrics but he could not restore his own while searching for the poet's words and heartfelt melodies. You will want to visit with Townes again and again for as many reasons as you can imagine.
Rating: - townes van zandt - be here to love me
Not what I expected...
I assumed that it was a concert. I should have looked at it closer...
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