JERRY LEE LEWIS: TROUBLE IN MIND
Wednesday, July 10, 2024 at 07:58PM Jerry Lee was the ne plus ultra of terrifying redneck speed freaks lost in the transcendent sin of rock & roll. Nobody could remotely do what he could do, and he invented a genre that contains only him, yet remains rock ‘n’ roll in its absolutely purest form.
This is the polar opposite of that unbelievable piece of shit Little Richard film. Directed by Ethan Coen and edited by his wife, Tricia Cooke, there’s not one word of narration or voiceover that doesn’t belong to Jerry Lee.
They contextualize Jerry Lee’s impenetrable - and clearly psychopathic - genius through the various incredibly stupid condescending clueless assholes who hosted him on their television shows over the decades.
Jerry Lee’s essence is his pure Jerry Leeness, which defies any attempt at definition. Coen and Cooke recognize that and find the grace in Lee that he was always searching for himself - through performance footage and interview snippets.
Though the film is a compilation of standout moments, there are moments that stand out for me.
One is the awe and reverence in Jerry Lee’s voice as he describes hanging out in a backwoods Louisiana Black juke joint as a young teenager listening to BB King. Jerry Lee says it was like walking in heaven.
The other is one of the favorite musical moments of my life, Jerry Lee, playing guitar and singing I Will Follow with a Black gospel quartet.
There’s nothing in American music like it…