See Hear Episode 116 - Lost Angel: The Genius Of Judee Sill

We all have musicians that we wish everyone else knew about. THAT
person who deserves a wider audience, but life circumstances didn't
allow for it. Knowledge of that musician seems to be like the
secret handshake into a special club. Nick Drake was one of those
people until a TV car advertisement that used his music got more
people curious....thank goodness. Judee Sill's music is not likely
to be used in a car ad. Welcome to episode 116 of See Hear Podcast.
When people talk about the musicians of the American West Coast in
the early 70s, they talk about Jackson Browne, Carole King, James
Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, CSN or Bonnie Raitt. Few people beyond the
faithful have spoken about Judee Sill. This leaves fans of Sill
scratching their heads because even among those more well known
musicians, they recognise Judee was a master songwriter,
orchestrator and arranger. Her early life was one filled with
abuse, drug use, prostitution, armed holdups, and prison time. It's
amazing to think that the lady who lived that life wrote some of
the most beautiful music of the pop era (I'll stand on my soapbox
and suggest The Kiss is one of the most beautiful songs ever
written – change my mind). She mixed country and Bach and gospel
into one beautiful package. Sounds unworkable? Check out her albums
and get back to me. A new documentary was released this year about
Judee called Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill. This episode of
See Hear features guests associated with the film. Kerry, Tim and I
chat with one of the two directors of the film, Brian Lindstrom. He
describes the process it took to make this great film, working with
Judee's relatives, the nature of creativity, what her music has
meant to current performers, and a lot more. This could easily have
been a dark film (and it has its moments), but it really is a
celebration of Judee's life and work. Brian and his co-director
Andy Brown have made a wonderful tribute to an artist that will
hopefully now find a wider audience. But wait.....there's more. The
film's music supervisor is Pat Thomas. Pat has quite a few strings
to his bow – drummer, album reissue supervisor, historian and
author. He joins me for a discussion on the role of a music
supervisor in film and specifically what he did for this
documentary. Kerry, Tim and I are hugely grateful for the time
Brian and Pat gave to us. Give this a listen, then absorb yourself
in the albums of Judee Sill. As of May 2024, the film is streaming
on Prime, in North America only (grrrr), but I am informed that
moves are being made to get a wider distribution for the
film....and of course you can always get the DVD anywhere in the
world. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us
a favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our
show exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to
tune in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of
the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other
wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us feedback
via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at
http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show
by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour
(except Spotify). Proudly Pantheon. Learn more about your ad
choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices