A Sound from Home

So I thought this one deserved a posting instead of a mere journal entry. Today Ryan took me up to the Filmmaker's lodge, where there was a viewing of an interview with Neil Young. I listened for a while, and then they mentioned that the film had been filmed in Nashville. I rushed over to the library and got in line for the wait list. I was number 10. You see, Nashville is near my hometown, and I spend the majority of my time at home in Nashville. When the movie started, I was overjoyed to see sights like the Ryman, Tootsie's, and many other downtown Nashville sites. And I was even more overjoyed to see that Emmylou Harris was in the film. My father, before he became a preacher man, co-owned a record label in Nashville, and I grew up on stories of how he used to drink a beer or two at Tootsie's with the likes of Willy Nelson. And Mrs. Harris just happens to be one of his favorite musicians whose music he raised me with. The entire film is simply a well-edited performance of Mr. Young's concert at the Ryman in August 2005. The Ryman has been played by the liked of Hank Williams, Willy Nelson, Emmylou Harris, and many other greats. I myself have been there for several concerts that some of my childhood friends played in. The director, Jonathan Demme, did a wonderful job of capturing not only the magic of Neil Young and Emmylou Harris on stage, but the magic of the Ryman itself. Its walls still seem to echo with the sounds of Hank William at times.

All in all, I cannot say enough about this film. Besides being a wonderful tribute to the music of Mr. Young, it gave me a small taste of my home, and reminded me of many childhood memories of my father. It was well worth the two and a half hour wait.

Also, Mr. Young himself stopped by before the film to say hello.