BHTLM
Be Here To Love Me – I’ve loved the music of Townes Van Zandt for many years, so I was happy to find out that a documentary existed with his story on it. The documentary is formed out of archival footage, as well as recent interviews with his contemporaries and collaborators. Born into money, but an infamous substance abuser who had most of his teeth replaced after a glue sniffing incident, he lived in the gutter, sang, wrote music, and left a trail of destruction. At the end are interviews with his kids, some of whom hardly knew him.
First of all, Joe Ely, who was a musical partner from the very start, is interviewed, talking about alone-ness versus loneliness, broke versus poor, and how Townes was always the better, more Zen-like of the two. Guy Clark noted how Townes’ songs “are sparse, they don’t spell everything out for you. They allow you to use your imagination and allow you to be sucked in.” He also had a great sense of humor, as demonstrated with one show where he said “I’ll now play a medley of my hit.”
Townes got into glue sniffin’ in high school football, and signed in his yearbook “from one junky to another.” Recounts the story of willfully falling from his fourth floor apartment onto his back just to feel the sensation. Fran Lohr, his first wife, talks about their life together. He got “insulin shock” to the point where he couldn’t recognise his own mother. Burned out his childhood memories. Plays a beautiful version of “Dollar Bill Blues” live without the noise on the recording. First song he wrote was “Waitin’ Around To Die.” Townes and Janis Joplin hangin’ out. Ken Eggers, record producer, Tomato Records owner in Chelsea Hotel. Wrecks Bell, bass player, spoke of Townes’ fame after the Our Mother The Mountain. Lightnin’ Hopkins interviewed. David Olney – “a woman riped off her blouse at the start of the set.” JT Van Zandt looks like Townes, but with a cleft chin. Steve Earl, But and Susanna Clark. Townes “admired Susanna, and she looked like a pretty funky person when she was young. Professor Longhair also interviewed in movie. Guy was jealous of Townes, on camera he’s laughing but also angry. Was into heroin in Houston, never into it when he was elsewhere because he wouldn’t know where to get it. Interviewing him about glue sniffing while someone else fires off shotgun blasts, then tells the story of being DOA for 90 minutes before he came back to life. He was heart dead every 2-3 months. Weed made him neurotic, alcohol psychotic. Peggy Underwood, lawyer, saw him shoot cola and bourbon. Played “Waiting Around To Die”, an old black man next to him was in tears. Katie Bell Van Zandt, daughter, interviewed in Nashville in 2002. A French interviewer tells him “Blues is happy music”, he answers “oh yes, I agree.” “Gold And Mud” from a TV in a Texas bar, re-creating his life and sensibilities, hanging around in bars waiting to die… Steve Earle found a nice cabin for him, learned that he was fascinated with morning glories. Townes put Steve’s gun to his head, pulled trigger three times. Steve was pissed!! Townes wrote “If I Needed You” in his sleep – dreamed he was singing it, wrote it down when he woke up. Jeanene Van Zandt, third wife. Steve Shelly, the drummer of Sonic Youth, is on hand to tell the tales of Townes’ death. Lyle Lovett sings “Flyin” Shoes” at Townes’ funeral. Guy Clark gets the last laugh: “I booked this gig 30 years ago.