As anniversary of Edmund Fitzgerald disaster approaches, Amazon Prime has a great Lightfoot doc

[hlthe2b]

As fall approaches and winter storms begin to loom, I always think of that song and that disaster as told by Gordon Lightfoot's amazing lyrics. I've been a fan of his for many years, so I was pleased to find this documentary with lots of sometimes unexpected appearances from those who likewise appreciate him. I just watched it and found it worthwhile. ("Free to Prime subscribers or you can rent it)

https://www.amazon.com/Gordon-Lightfoot-Could-Read-Mind/dp/B08HC5SQVK


Honestly, I remember his horrendous abdominal aortic aneurism and its complications in the early 2000s that almost killed him and the stroke years after and I wasn't sure how he was doing (now 82 yo), but he is still making music & doing some tour dates. I hadn't even seen a performance of his since his 2005 Live 8 concert appearance. This documentary was a real blast to the past with a lot of clips of Gordon at his best.

[Bayard]

1. He is an amazing poet

I was able to see him live many years ago when I lived in Minneapolis. Unpretentious. Letting the music speak for itself.

[luvs2sing]

2. Gord is the greatest.

I still remember where I was and what I was doing when “If You Could Read My Mind” first came on the radio on New Year’s Day 1971, when I was thirteen. The combination of his voice, lyrics, and the intricate melodies and chord progressions of many of his songs effect me like no other music I have heard before or since. I’ve seen him perform live at least fifty times and have worn out more copies of his albums than I can count. I even walked by his old Yorkville house once while on vacation in Toronto.

I loved the documentary and also Nicholas Jennings’ biography that came out several years ago. He is a complicated man, and a great artist, and I wish him many more years of doing what he loves.

[Eko]

3. I lived in Michigan for a while,

and took a trip to Mackinac Island with my girlfriend and her parents. I didn't really know where we were going when we left just that we were going on a trip. I had been into bluegrass for a while and was a big fan of Tony Rice and one of his albums that was my favorite was Tony sings Gordon Lightfoot. I wasn't paying too much attention to the signs on the road but I saw one that said Mackinaw bay and was like, whao, what? Mackinaw bay? We are going by there and they were like thats where we are going. We got to go to the museum for the Edmund Fitzgerald and it was a very touching experience.

[slightlv]

4. Thanks for posting this with the link

Just finished watching it. Bittersweet, for me... Seeing the aging we've done in these intervening years brings. But at least we're still here, considering how many greats we've lost, even this year alone.

Was really surprised at one point to see Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge partying... but then, I did remember, Rita is Canadian...

I was SO in love with Kristofferson when I was a young whippersnapper! (LOL)

Thanks again, for all the memories!!!!