Author Archives: Baron Lane

Townes Van Zandt was a Texas singer/songwriter who’s talent equaled the tragedy in his life. “Be Here To Love Me” is a wonderful id heart-breaking documentary of Townes by Director Margaret Brown.

Born in Fort Worth, Texas to an oil-wealthy, aristocratic family, he traveled during his youth around Texas and Colorado. He was the third-great-grandson of Isaac Van Zandt, a prominent leader of the Republic of Texas. Van Zandt County in east Texas was named after his family in 1848.

Townes was diagnosed early in his twenties with manic-depression and was treated with insulin shock therapy, which erased much of his long-term memory. Much of the isolation and passion that ran as themes in his songs seems to be somewhat attributed to these treatments.

The film features a stellar cast of alt.country legends that knew Townes or have recorded his songs – Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark, Joe Ely, Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris – along with Townes’ three wives and four children, all tell tales of brilliance, loneliness and heartache of a man bent of destruction that died far too young.