John Mellencamp - It’s About You
John Mellencamp has created a music career spanning more than thirty years, and in doing so has established himself as a rock and roll mainstay with his introspective lyrics that speak directly to the heart of blue collar America, and have firmly placed him in the same breath as music legends Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan.
So when Mellencamp headed out on tour with the aforementioned artists in 2009, a tour that would include stops to record tracks for his new record, "No Better Than This," at Sun Studios in Memphis and the hotel room in San Antonio where bluesman Robert Johnson recorded, he invited photographer Kurt Markus to chronicle these travels on film. The result, "John Mellencamp: It’s About You," is a raw, home-movie style look at the rocker, told through the lens of Markus, a documentarian who was able to capture the performer’s current musical journey, while providing us with a poignant view of the struggles of middle America.
The film is a mix of concert footage of Mellencamp and his band, performing both new material and some of his classic hits ("Pink Houses," "Paper and Fire"). The footage is interspersed with narrative from Markus documenting the life and times of the performer as he travels through the decaying cities of our heartland, while recording songs for his new album in the iconic locations where Elvis Presley and the bluesmaster Johnson made their seminal recordings.
Mellencamp chooses to do his speaking through his music, allowing Markus - armed only with a Super8 camera and his son, Ian, as his assistant - to provide the everyman’s comment on this musician who has made a career speaking through both his resonant lyrics and his philanthropic causes (including the "Farm Aid" concerts) for the middle class farmers and businessmen who continue to struggle to make ends meet during our challenging economic times. The resulting piece is a unique take on the standard rock and roll documentary, fitting for this artist.
"John Mellencamp: It’s About You"
mpi Media Group
DVD / Blu-ray™
$24.98 / $29.98
