Born Into the Gig
directed by Kate Davis and David Heilbroner
Thin Line
It’s easy to forget pop divas have real lives as well. In this sometimes funny and sometimes sad documentary we look at the adult children of big rock stars and where life has led them. When you grow up in a home consumed by music (or anything else) there a strong pull keeping you in the family business. But not everyone is gifted enough to succeed.
Here we follow six scions of the truly great: Ben Taylor, Kori Withers, Chris Stills, Sally Taylor, Skip Marley. The stories aren’t exactly sad, but they are a reminder entertainment can chew you up and spit you out along with everyone you love. We get quality times with each of them. someone builds a stone bench in his side yard. Carly Simon and her daughter still hang in Martha’s Vineyard with the other rich folks. Bob Marley’s grandson has the best performing career; he sounds exactly like grandad and draws crowds. The toughest story comes from David Crosby’s son. His dad toured constantly, lived the rock and roll life, and when asked for musical advice from his son, he replied: “Hell, we had a hit right out of the box, I have no idea how we did it.” It’s not exactly a craft, rock and roll. My favorite interview came from Bill Withers and his daughter. They seemed the most grounded and realistic, and they seemed the tightest emotionally. Here’s a solid documentary that extends the idea of “what are they now?” to “Did they mess up their kids, too?” Everybody sells their soul the Devil, but some people make better deals. Yes, rock and roll carries a high price, but it always looks like enormous fun. Where do I sign up?
This film was presented as part of the 2020 Florida Film Festival.
http://https://thinline.us/born-into-the-gig/; https://bornintothegig.com/;www.floridafilmfestival.com
