While country troubadors have been around for pretty much the entire history of our country, a little group of them sprung up in the 70's and saved what was left of country music. They are the subject of a beautiful documentary called Heartworn Highways.
Some of them found a niche in the industry (Rodney Crowell), Some of them burned out (Townes Van Zandt), some narrowly escaped self-destruction to find a second wind (Steve Earle), and some just sort of kept on keepin' on (Guy Clarke).
When I saw Crazy Heart advertised, it brought this group of musicians to mind. The main character, an alcoholic country legend way past his prime and out of ideas, could have easily started in the same place as any of these artists.
For that reason, and because of the involvement of Jeff Bridges and T-Bone Burnett, I expected to enjoy this movie.
Ruthie and I watched it on Saturday, and when it was finished, Ruthie said, "That was sad."
Which was true. It was. But it was the kind of sad you hear in this kind of music. The kind of sad that comes from trying to keep your story interesting, trying to sing and make something beautiful while the world shifts, breaks, and rebuilds itself around you.
I always liked country music for this reason. It often seems to find a good mix of heartbreak and hope. And when you mix those things in right proportion, and keep the tone honest, you end up with a song or book or movie that strikes a chord. Crazy Heart was that kind of a movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment