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Product Description:
This definitive biography chronicles a Southern Gothic saga and is a fascinating look at "The Grievous Angel" and the heartbreakingly beautiful music he created. Dispelling myths that have grown to surround Gram Fallen Angel shows us the essence of his artistry; it is a truly revealing account of his life and ongoing influence.On September 19 1973 the musician and heir to a million-dollar fortune died under the influence of drugs and alcohol near his favorite place--the Joshua Tree National Monument in the California desert. As the founder of the Flying Burrito Brothers; a member of the hit-making legendary Byrds; an important influence on the Rolling Stones; and the man who catapulted Emmylou Harris to fame Gram Parsons made music histor in only a few years.Fallen Angel features music from Gram Parsons' groundbreaking career with The International Submarine Band The Byrds The Flying Burrito Brothers as well as his highly acclaimed solo albums.The film was made on location by director and musician Gandulf Hennig and American music journalist musician and biographer Sid Griffin. Friends contemporaries and devotees of Gram Parsons talk about the importance of his work and the bizarre circumstances of his early death. Rare footage of his performances shows why Parsons has become a legend.Featured interviews include Peter Buck James Burton Emmylou Harris Chris Hillman Phil Kaufman Bernie Leadon Avis Bartkus Parsons III Gretchen Parsons Carpenter Diane Parsons Polly Parsons Keith Richards Dwight Yoakam and more.Format: DVD AUDIO Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS UPC: 603497042227 Manufacturer No: 970422-2 Amazon.com:
Cynics have suggested that death is a shrewd career move for some artists, and when it comes to singer-songwriter Gram Parsons, whose life, work, and demise are chronicled in Fallen Angel, they may be right. Although undeniably talented, Parsons never had a hit and made just six albums, and only one of them (the Flying Burrito Brothers' The Gilded Palace of Sin) is a bona fide classic. That's one reviewer's opinion, anyway. Yet three decades after he died (in 1975, at age 26), Parsons is revered as a country rock pioneer, a significant influence on Keith Richards and the Rolling Stones, and a colossal talent who never got his due. While that may all be true, what's beyond dispute (and it's confirmed by the great majority of those interviewed in director Gandulf Henning's documentary) is that Parsons was a screw-up, a drunk and drug abuser who squandered his opportunities and dug himself an early grave, even by rock star standards. It wasn't all his fault. Any kid with a family background like his (his father committed suicide and his mother died from the ravages of alcoholism… possibly with the assistance of her second husband, Parsons' stepfather, who was a big drinker himself) is bound to have, shall we say, issues; Parsons was also well off financially, a fact that many interviewees (most notably Chris Hillman, who played with him in the Byrds and the Burritos) suggest might have attributed to his lack of driving ambition. Richards, duet partner Emmylou Harris, and other former bandmates are on hand to tell the tale, along with his widow, various surviving relatives, and close friends and associates. There's lots of Parsons' music on the soundtrack, as well as excerpts from a couple of Burritos promo films and some interesting footage of him singing with Harris. In the end, the film's most haunting moments concern the events that followed Parsons' death, when road manager Phil Kaufman commandeered (stole, actually) his casket and drove it to California's Joshua Tree National Monument, where he set it on fire, apparently according to the singer's wishes. Now that is the stuff of legend. --Sam Graham + Read more.... |  |
- Great history of Gram.