Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt

"Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world, and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table and say that!" Big words from the country-legend Steve Earle.

Movie director Margaret Brown has made a documentary about this legend. This is the synopis from the official movie website:

"The ultimate songwriter’s songwriter, Townes Van Zandt had a profound impact on generations of musicians from Bob Dylan to Norah Jones, yet he avoided the commercial success enjoyed by many of his own fans. Billy Joe Shaver calmly stated “As far as I was concerned, he was the best songwriter that ever lived. And that’s it. Lucinda Williams called him “Too Cool to be Forgotten.” And Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Emmylou Harris have had #1 hits with his songs. Be Here To Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt provides an intimate portrait of the legendary artist’s haunting music and life. Although a native Texan, Van Zandt always viewed himself as a traveler. His father, a wealthy oil man, moved the family constantly — Montana, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois,
among other places — which accounted for Townes’ ongoing sense of restlessness. But a more tragic influence on Towne’s music came later in his life. Van Zandt, labeled as a problem child from the get-go, was given shock therapy in his early 20’s after he
fell backward from a four-story window “just to see what it felt like.” This treatment burned out all of his memories of childhood and made it difficult for him to connect to those around him for any length of time. Arguably it was this disconnect from the sources
of his most deeply-held emotions that gave his songs their melancholy, redemptive power."

The movie "Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt" is coming to theatres in North America on December 2nd. But if you are in Copenhagen on the 5th or 13th of November you can watch it at CPH:DOX.

www.townesthemovie.com

Download songs written by Townes Van Zandt / unfortunately the download from this site is a bit slow - so - right click - and - save as :

Marie - Paul K. and the Prayers (mp3)
Sanitarium Blues - The Walkabouts and Gary Heffern (mp3)
Nothin' - Calvin Russell (mp3)
To Live's To Fly - The Cowboy Junkies (mp3)
Buckskin Stallion Blues - Mudhoney & Jimmie Dale Gilmore (mp3)
Snake Mountain Blues - The Walkabouts (mp3)
A Song For - Jonell Mosser (mp3)
Highway Kind - Lyle Lovett (mp3)

www.townesvanzandt.com