Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill

In this most excellent of documentaries, you get to learn probably more about the subject, JS, that any other human being would likely want to get out there. However, it seems that was the way she would have wanted it. ALSO, we got to learn much about people like JD Souther, her guy at one point, and to see where she interacted with people in the LA music scene, both obscure, and the uber-famous.

I came about this person days before having heard a long play record by the Hollies which contained a song, Jesus was a Cross Maker. The song was very tuneful, but then having looked up the original artist, JS, I found that that version was a masterpiece. Other songs would continue to haunt the soundtrack especially, "The Kiss".

Her voice was recorded much in interviews and from personal diaries- a lot of revelations about touchy subjects, but that was her revealing the 'tortured artist effect', including misfortunes and also, bad choices.

We all are going to wish that she had obtained happiness and peace, but you get reality here.

This is a documentary of singer/songwriter Judee Sill. From a troubled life, she becomes a respected artist signed by David Geffen. While the other signings go on to superstardom, Judee never reaches those heights and falls back into her drug addiction.

I have never heard of Judee Sill or her music. Her songs are not my taste. They seem to be interesting for a certain crowd. There is a lot of musical influences and religious yearning in them. It's definitely not songs of its time or fit easily with any pop music. She did have an interesting life and I kept picturing someone doing a biopic of her. I see Maya Hawke as one of the executive producers and immediately wondered if that's the idea. Maybe Maya is looking to play her.

I had never heard of the artist before as its not a name that tends to crop in documentaries about music, probably because made what is basically folky guitar music. Which just doesn't have the same glamourous and dangerous image as rock does, so it's simply not sellable to a young audience. And there are very few young people in this documentary.

Unlike many docs this does not go into a massive deep dive into childhood from birth, but instead focuses on the career. Which is a welcome angle.

The documentary is enriched by audio of interviews and hand written notes from the artist discussing her music, in particular tracks which have significant resonance.

This artists story is very common however, as they say that on a record label, 90% of the artists never make it, despite the label spending on promotion. And of the 10% who do, they feel they should have been paid more, based on sale. However that money went on the other 90% of artists hoping they would make it. She was firmly in the 90% in terms of popularity. Her issue was her style of music didn't have the commercial edge and a record label is really just a band looking for commercial success.

This artist had issues with heroin use and likely mental health issues, which were never really addressed in the doc, nor did it seem by her. She was injured badly in a car accident, however there was scant detail as to why. A common pattern for substance users is they will use, have a significant injury through an accident, then spiral back into heavier use. This to me seems hinted at but not confirmed. Thought its a well know phenomena if you have worked in this domain.

While it is interesting to see that young people are taking to her music, its obvious that she could have been around today to see her new wave of popularity if she wasn't on drugs. Its hardly a spoiler as she passed away many years ago, like so many in the alternative scene.

Certainly an interesting watch and may spur some people to go and listen to her music, but this is still another doc about an artist who has passed on who had no say in its making.