1
How did this guy stay alive? How did he pay the bills?
That's what I was thinking watching this movie.
Then...
This stuff is always pure hagiography. The worst was that Bee Gees documentary that said in the sixties they were as big as the Beatles. I lived through that era and that's laughable, the brothers Gibb had a number of hits, but so did a bunch of other acts. There were not rabid Bee Gees fans showing fainting at gigs, but if you pay for your own movie, you get to tell the tale you want to. Oftentimes leaving out the negative. It was clear sailing and...
For a minute there, I got caught up in the reality distortion field. I asked myself whether I'd missed it, whether Garland was bigger than I perceived. But nah, that's just the way the story is spun.
However, I was completely surprised when they told the truth at the end, that Garland had mellowed, was happy where he was at, proud of his work and doing house concerts for his fans.
That's the truth. Or was, before Garland retired from the road, after all he's now 81.
Now it used to be completely different, you were no one if you didn't have a record deal. And if you did...you were a god.
You've got to remember, unless you were living in New York and Los Angeles and actually bumped into these people, you were caught up in the hype. The magazine articles, the advertisements. The one for Garland's A&M debut said it contained the legendary "Wild in the Streets." Legendary WHERE? But reading the rag you thought it was happening somewhere and you just missed it. Everybody was not so cynical. There was no access, you were always trying to get inside, never realizing that inside wasn't so special.
It's a business. Jerry Moss signs Garland and ultimately drops him. If you don't make the company money, they don't need you.
And it was completely different from today, when acts make most of their money on the road.
Timing counts, and if Garland Jeffreys came out today he'd be bigger than he was back then. He wouldn't get the same press attention, but people could listen to his songs online, spread the word and then he could cement the deal live. And today the road can keep you alive, especially if you're better than the average bear.
Which Garland Jeffreys definitely was.
But he wasn't good enough.
"Greetings from Asbury Park" got a lot of press but stiffed upon release. Sure, ultimately Manfred Mann had a hit with "Blinded by the Light," but radio airplay was nonexistent and the record sounded just like the hype, another folk singer in the mold of Bob Dylan. I purchased the LP and loved "Spirit in the Night" and liked "Growin' Up," and based on that I purchased the follow-up, "The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle." And suddenly there was a BAND! I went back to "Greetings" and realized the band was there, but turned way, way down. It was all about the second side, "Incident on 57th Street" segueing into "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)," which sped up and became intense and was even self-referential, talking about the record company giving Bruce a big advance, and based on this I went to see the band at the Bottom Line, a year before "Born to Run," months before Jon Landau said he'd seen the future of rock and roll.
I'd already seen it. And was energized and spread the word.
So it was that second record (but let's not forget "Kitty's Back" on side one either), the live shows and Landau's endorsement that sealed the deal. To a great degree it was luck. Then again, if you saw the live show, it was undeniable.
But almost all the acts DIDN'T break. They might have had a good song, or were good but not great live or didn't get the promotion they deserved, but it's a crapshoot. I give props to those who give up. If you're putting bread on the table, if you're doing it on a lark, that's cool. But if you're forty and married with a family and you still think you're going to have a hit...it's sad and delusional.
Because the ugly truth is the public didn't want you, and will never want you. It's different for every act, but usually the hit just isn't there and never will be.
2
I bought "Ghost Writer." I liked "Wild in the Streets," the attitude, the groove, the lyrics, but the bottom line is it was never going to be a radio hit. The sound was a bit thin. It just didn't have that je ne sais quoi. As for the rest of the album, it was listenable, and I listened to it, but it didn't have that one track I had to listen to over and over again.
But I went to see Jeffreys at the Roxy. He gave it his all, he was a very good performer, but the material was not up to his performance.
And it never was.
So this documentary starts off starf*cking, with testimonials from the household names Garland knows/hung out with. He went to Syracuse with Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson endorses him. The Boss. Other less well known people.
And then the story begins.
Is there an issue of racism?
ABSOLUTELY!
But a hit is undeniable, and Garland didn't have one.
I bought the follow-up album, "American Boy & Girl," it was solid, but not the kind of record that called out to be played.
And then I stopped.
And Garland started to fall off the radar screen. The eighties came along with MTV and wiped out so many acts. Sure, Garland was authentic, but he was not the only one. Do you know "American Gothic" by David Ackles, produced by Bernie Taupin? Takes a while to get into, it was out of sync with the times, but it was cinematic and ultimately Ackles taught musical theatre at USC. I mean you have to pay the bills somehow.
Jeffreys was bigger than Ackles, but where's the money? (As Dan Hicks so famously asked.) The film talks about "Matador" being a hit in Europe, and Garland speaks about the mailbox money it generated. Is this how he's survived all these years? Maybe I'm out of the loop. But I just checked Spotify and "Matador" only has 7,999,815 streams, and that doesn't pay the rent. And in the physical era, good luck finding a store that stocked Jeffreys' records. As for airplay money... Were they really playing this track so much over the decades?
No, it's a positive spin.
Not that Garland is not likable. But a friend talks about him being angry, and how people don't want to deal with angry people. This is kinda true, or you need a buffer between the act and the business people. They want the music to be angry and powerful, but not you, how does that work?
It usually doesn't. But when it comes down to business, people want it to be easy, or easier, if you're a troublemaker they're usually out.
So Jeffreys loses his A&M deal. And that's his fourth label, Arista didn't even release any music, and that's a good run, but Jeffreys is done. Until he ultimately gets deals at Epic and RCA.
More than one outfit gave Garland Jeffreys a chance, and no one could break him.
Add up all the reasons why, and it always comes down to the music. Jeffreys says the label didn't promote "Matador" in America... But all those record companies? They gave Garland a good shot, and it never worked.
3
So sans commercial success how do we judge someone's career?
Well, in many cases we don't, because we just don't care. Sometimes acts are unjustly passed over, even though they're truly great, but dem's the breaks. And like I said above, the less than stars get much bigger breaks today. The indie share of the pie keeps growing on Spotify.
But people want a return to the old days.
But how good were they?
The labels kept Garland Jeffreys alive, but when they were done he was years older without much at all. No way to contact the fans he did have. There was no social media.
But this is where the film takes a turn. Garland is thrilled with his family. Happy able to just continue to make and perform music.
They're dropping like flies. Jerry Moss is gone. Soon not only will Jeffreys be gone, but those who lived through his career.
It ultimately becomes meaningless, everything is plowed under.
So what is life about?
Well, if it's about leaving a legacy, trying to force people to remember you, that doesn't work and it's creepy.
But ultimately this documentary doesn't do that, and I was very surprised. I stopped thinking about how the bills were paid and was more intrigued by Garland's acceptance of his career. Proud of his output, thrilled to play to the fans that do care and...
He's not the only one.
But Garland came closer than most. And he was an original. And he went through all the steps, even had a band that played the Fillmore East.
But he ended up an also-ran.
However, according to the movie, he's happy with that.
If only we all were.
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