OTHER LANGUAGES
German: Film information (in German), including synopsis.

TITLE
Blaze Foley: Duct Tape Messiah

GENRE
Feature-Length Music Documentary

TAGLINE
Stars burn out, legends live forever.

SYNOPSIS
Blaze Foley was shot to death in 1989, defending an elderly friend. The duct tape loving songwriter-musician was homeless and died with no records, but plenty of recorded material. More than 20 years later, his legend is growing with eight solo albums posthumously released and covers of his heartfelt songs by Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, John Prine, Nancy Griffith, and Lyle Lovett. Lucinda Williams wrote Drunken Angel about the doomed poet and Townes Van Zandt wrote Blaze’s Blues for his running buddy. Born in a tree house, killed in a friend’s living room, and 86’d from his own funeral, the bigger-than-Texas Blaze Foley is now a bona fide legend. The sad, funny, and beautiful story of a tragic life well lived is brought into sharp focus in this film.

FILMMAKER BIO
Kevin Triplett grew up in a family of photographers in Texas. He made films in childhood until the local department store stopped selling Super8 film cartridges. He went on to study electrical engineering, became a software developer, and worked all over the southern United States before landing in Austin where he rekindled his love for motion picture storytelling with DUCT TAPE MESSIAH. He is currently working on a short documentary about a celebrated software programmer who committed infosuicide in 2009.

RUNTIME
78 minutes

YEAR COMPLETED
2011

FORMAT
HD, 1080, 1.78:1

LANGUAGE
English

PRODUCTION PERIOD
January 2001 to June 2010

FILM FESTIVALS
SXSW Official Selection 2009
Memphis On Location Official Selection 2011
Chicago International Movie and Music Official Selection 2011
NXNW Official Selection 2011
IDFA Play Competition 2011
Athens International Film Festival Official Selection 2011

EXHIBITION AND DISTRIBUTION
The film is being shown via non-traditional theatrical exhibition with Gurf Morlix, award-winning musician-songwriter who is also featured in the film. The filmmaker sets up a micro-cinema in songwriter music clubs to show an hour long version of the film then Gurf Morlix performs a full set of songs written by Blaze Foley. The show is very successful with 137 screenings in 2011 alone for 5,530 people in the US, Canada, Brazil, and Europe.

PROMO PHOTO

Film Promo Photo

Film Stills

Click on any thumbnail below to get a hi-resolution version. (Unless otherwise stated, photos are courtesy Abraxas Productions.)

Hi Res Film Still 1
Hi Res Film Still 1

Opening Title

Hi Res Film Still 2
Hi Res Film Still 2

From opening title sequence animation

Hi Res Film Still 3
Hi Res Film Still 3

From opening title sequence animation

Hi Res Film Still 4
Hi Res Film Still 4

Interview from one of the “Blaze’s Crazy Career” segments

Hi Res Film Still 5
Hi Res Film Still 5

Interview with Louis Black, Executive Producer for the film

Hi Res Film Still 6
Hi Res Film Still 6

Blaze Foley, from archival footage shot for access TV in 1988. (Photo credit: Hank Sinatra)

Hi Res Film Still 7
Hi Res Film Still 7

Motion graphics, showing our use of song lyrics on screen

Hi Res Film Still 8
Hi Res Film Still 8

Interview from one of the “Blaze’s Crazy Career” segments

Hi Res Film Still 9
Hi Res Film Still 9

Animation: Blaze Foley rescues Townes Van Zandt on stage

Hi Res Film Still 10
Hi Res Film Still 10

From Deputy segment, when he moved into a tree house and became a songwriter

Hi Res Film Still 11
Hi Res Film Still 11

The ill-fated Muscle Shoals recording session

Hi Res Film Still 12
Hi Res Film Still 12

Merle Haggard sings Blaze’s signature song, If I Could Only Fly (photo credit: Haggard Productions)

Hi Res Film Still 13
Hi Res Film Still 13

Animation, when Blaze gets ejected from a prominent folk music festival

Hi Res Film Still 14
Hi Res Film Still 14

Animation: Blaze pleased with himself after harassing a Nashville songwriter with an inflated ego

Hi Res Film Still 15
Hi Res Film Still 15

Animation: Blaze harasses a biker dude

Hi Res Film Still 16
Hi Res Film Still 16

An internal segment title card featuring Blaze’s artwork

Hi Res Film Still 17
Hi Res Film Still 17

Motion Graphics, showing our use of song lyrics on screen

Hi Res Film Still 18
Hi Res Film Still 18

Motion Graphics, showing our use of song lyrics on screen (Photo credit: Dana Kolflat)

Production Stills

Click on any thumbnail below to get a hi-resolution version.

Kevin Triplett no smile
Kevin Triplett no smile

Director/Producer not smiling

Kevin Triplett smiling
Kevin Triplett smiling

Director/Producer smiling

Mike Nicholson
Mike Nicholson

Director of Photography, Motion Graphics and Co-Producer