Blaze Foley may go down in musical history as the great coulda, woulda, shoulda – a charismatic performer and incredible songwriter who self-destructed long before he could achieve the fame his supporters believed he deserved. Now the first trailer for his life story, directed by Ethan Hawke, has arrived.
Blaze debuted in Austin to a packed Paramount during SXSW, and will return to Austin in August before opening nationwide in September. Starring musician Ben Dickey as the duct tape messiah himself, Alia Shawkat (Search Party, Arrested Development) as his partner/biographer Sybil Rosen, and Austin’s own Charlie Sexton as Townes van Zandt. Now it’s been scheduled for a release later this year by Sundance Selects.
Much of Foley’s history and his original recordings have been lost over the years (find out more about some of the musical archaeology required to unearth much of his back catalog here). Read our interview with Rosen about Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze Foley, her memoir on which the film is based, as well as our review of the book. But now, here’s that trailer.
This article appears in June 22 • 2018.
