Film Info
In Search of Blind Joe Death - The Saga of John Fahey

Film Information

Exhibition Title	In Search of Blind Joe Death - The Saga of John Fahey
Director	James Cullingham
Country
Year	2012
Format	HD
Colour	Color
Duration	58'

Cast:

Pete Townshend, Chris Funk, Joey Burns, Melody Fahey, Li Robbins

Credits:

G: James Cullingham
F: Igal Hecht
E: Caroline Christie, Jessica Anne Cullingham
P: James Cullingham, Monica Szenteszky, Tina Witham
PE: James Cullingham, JoAnn McCaig, Doug Whyte
CP: Tamarack Productions

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Synopsis

John Fahey was born in 1939, he bought his first guitar when he was 13 years old and taught himself to play by listening to records of finger picking blues artists from the 20s and 30s. Over a 50 year career Fahey became a hugely influential figure in the classic American music scene and created a highly individual sound known as “American Primitive”. Inspiring generations of musicians, Fahey’s fans include Beck and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, and the film also features interviews with the likes of Pete Townshend from The Who, and Chris Funk from The Decemberists. Fahey himself was a beguiling presence: he passed away in 2001 but crops up across this documentary in various interview clips from throughout his career, showcasing a dry, self-effacing sense of humour. There is something strangely deferential about Fahey –he states at one point that nobody is really an entertainer by choice, and suggests that his creative impulses are as in control of him as he is of them. It is this feeling perhaps that contributes to the distinctive sound of his music: a hypnotic mix of beauty and sadness.