Monk

weekend at parsons': new film promises to do to Gram Parsons what 'Almost Famous' did to Lester Bangs

If there's a dead rock star about whom you could make a decent film it would be Gram Parsons. I have a feeling, though, that Grand Theft Parsons won't be it. The movie portrays events following Parsons death, in which his road manager and best friend Phil Kaufman stole his body and burned it in Joshua Tree National Park. Even a film limited to these events has the potential for greatness, but everything I see about it leads me to believe that they've turned it into a madcap romp that has little to do with Parsons, his wonderful music, or his complex intelligence. Apparently there are only a few snippets of Parsons' music, and I see nothing about the Burrito Bros., the Byrds, or the Stones in any of the material,so Parsons fans aren't likely to enjoy it, and since Knoxville is setting someone on fire who's already dead I don't see Jackass fans diggin' this film either- for whom did they make this thing?
I can imagine the trip this screenplay took through various human thrashing machines ("nobody cares about some damn hippy singin' cowboy- just cut right to the zany corpse heist- think you can get that Jackass guy to star?"). I bet it was great to begin with- I don't see someone wanting to do a GP movie who had no love for the music. But that music, and Parsons himself, was all about soul. Look at that trailer! And the title? What's next, a video game?
Of course I'll have to see it, and then I'll have to bitch about it some more, even though my inner Edith is going "Oh Awchie- yer docta says yer not supposed to get angry!".
Makes me wish Kaufman had allowed Gram to be buried so he had a grave to roll over in.

Posted by monk at 13.04.04 16:28