Without Getting Killed or Caught

'Without Getting Killed or Caught'

Guy Clark, the dean of Texas songwriters, struggles to write poetic songs while balancing a complicated marriage with wife Susanna, and a deep friendship with writer Townes Van Zandt, on whom Susanna forged a passionate dependence.

Guy Clark, the dean of Texas songwriters, struggles to write poetic songs while balancing a complicated marriage with wife Susanna, and a deep friendship with writer Townes Van Zandt, on whom Susanna forged a passionate dependence.

Runtime

95 minutes

Type

Feature

Genre

Documentary

Keywords

musician, townes van zandt, folk singer, songwriter, guitarist

Movie poster image
Without Getting Killed or Caught

Paul Whitfield, Tamara Saviano,

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General Information

Rating

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Aspect ratio

16:9 HD (HD 1080p)

Color

Color (hd)

Awards

SXSW Film Festival

Nominated

2020

24 Beats Per Second

Audience Award

Storyline

Guy Clark, the dean of Texas songwriters, struggles to write poetic songs while balancing a complicated marriage with wife Susanna, and a deep friendship with writer Townes Van Zandt, on whom Susanna forged a passionate dependence.

This 90-minute documentary follows Guy Clark, Susanna Clark, and Townes Van Zandt as they rise from obscurity to reverence: Guy, the Pancho to Van Zandt's Lefty, struggling to establish himself as the Dylan Thomas of American music, while Susanna pens hit songs and paints album covers for top artists, and Townes spirals in self-destruction after writing some of Americana music's most enduring and influential ballads. Based on the diaries of Susanna Clark and Saviano's 2016 book Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark, the film tells the saga from Susanna's point of view, with Academy Award-winner Sissy Spacek voicing Susanna's narration. Saviano, a longtime figure on the Americana scene as journalist, publicist, artist manager, and Grammy-winning producer, had the complete cooperation of Clark, who sat for interviews on and off camera. Without Getting Killed or Caught (the title comes from Clark's song, "L.A. Freeway") also offers poignant reflections from ...

Summary

Guy Clark, the dean of Texas songwriters, struggles to write poetic songs while balancing a complicated marriage with wife Susanna, and a deep friendship with writer Townes Van Zandt, on whom Susanna forged a passionate dependence.

Synopsis

This 90-minute documentary follows Guy Clark, Susanna Clark, and Townes Van Zandt as they rise from obscurity to reverence: Guy, the Pancho to Van Zandt's Lefty, struggling to establish himself as the Dylan Thomas of American music, while Susanna pens hit songs and paints album covers for top artists, and Townes spirals in self-destruction after writing some of Americana music's most enduring and influential ballads. Based on the diaries of Susanna Clark and Saviano's 2016 book Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark, the film tells the saga from Susanna's point of view, with Academy Award-winner Sissy Spacek voicing Susanna's narration. Saviano, a longtime figure on the Americana scene as journalist, publicist, artist manager, and Grammy-winning producer, had the complete cooperation of Clark, who sat for interviews on and off camera. Without Getting Killed or Caught (the title comes from Clark's song, "L.A. Freeway") also offers poignant reflections from ...

Logline

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Cast & crew

Cast

Jo Harvey Allen

Actor/Actress

Terry Allen

Actor/Actress

Guy Clark

Actor/Actress

Crew

Director

Director

Tamara Saviano

Screenwriter

Bart Knaggs

Screenwriter

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