Cheap Townes Van Zandt - Be Here to Love Me (DVD) (Margaret Brown (II)) Price

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Customer Reviews of Townes Van Zandt - Be Here to Love Me

Your Heroes Always Let You Down...
I had the date for this DVD's release on my calendar for months. I had read reviews of it's insights, and those combined with all the stories I heard about Townes Van Zandt over the years had me literally counting the days until I could see this documentary. I discovered Townes' music ten years ago, and as someone who plays guitar and writes songs I have always found his music to be some of the most inspiring I have ever heard. For years I have read about his legendary drinking and gambling, so I knew that this would be touched on in the film. However, I was unprepared for the sheer self destructiveness that plagued Townes Van Zandt's life. Even more disturbing to me was the senselessness of it all. I had always wondered what Townes was up to in the years from the late seventies to the late eighties, when his discography suggests that he literally disappeared. This film touches on this but never really answers the question. The film is clear that Townes began a follow up to "The Late Great Townes Van Zandt" which was titled "7 Come 11" (and should have given him the push into superstar status he deserved), and Townes' producer Kevin Eggers acknowledges that he did not release "The Nashville Sessions" until twenty years after it was recorded, but the exact reasons as to why were not made clear. This inexplicable failure to promote Townes Van Zandt's music is something that really bothers me, especially since it seems that he did nothing but begin a downward spiral creatively and personally from that time on. Steve Earle remembered witnessing Townes playing russian roulette on his porch in the late seventies with a .357 Magnum, and expressed his dismay and anger throughout the film at witnessing what was the world's greatest songwriter (and his hero) being so callous about his talent and his life. It seems that these "lost years" contributed to his decline, although one gets the sense that Townes didn't know what he was looking for or what he wanted to achieve. 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 he answered that he would like to write a song that no one would understand, including himself. As the film nears it's end, the shocking transformation of Townes into a skeletal alcoholic was especially disturbing to me, as was the obvious deterioration of his guitar skills and voice in the later live footage shown. Although Townes was definitely a complex individual and obviously a very funny man (the bonus interviews have a few stories that really cracked me up), this documentary left me feeling sad. I never realized that all these years of listening to his music had made me care so much about Townes. I guess it goes along with what Steve Earle said in the film, that its always your heroes that let you down. Maybe its because you find out that they are human beings with faults just like everyone else, but Townes Van Zandt had a gift for music that not many possess, and I'm sorry that his demons took him so early.

A Lost life or a life lost?
I waited months to view this film. Being a big fan of Texas based music and musicians I have heard for years what an inspiration Townes was on various Texas songwriters. After veiwing this film I did not know if I should give it 5 stars or 0 stars. This film is a horror story of a life that was unfilled. It is a story of a musical genius that not only lost his way, but may in fact never knew were he was going. His musical legacy and talent will forever be know to "true" musicians but in all never by the mainstream public. <
>His talent while undeniable was undiscovered because way down deep, he would not allow himself to be discovered. Townes surounded himself with people who protected him, but more sadily by people who encouraged, supported and promoted his self-demise. In interviews with 3 wives and multiple children at no time did one of them say stop, at no time did any of his so-called friends discuss the selfdestructive path he was on. The title of this film should not have said "Be here to love me", but rather "Be here to use me." <
>A tragic, jaw dropping film of a life lost, a talent unrecognized and demonstrates the true life of a musical genius, hopefully the next musician with "Townes" talent will suround himself with better friends.