A compelling life. And I wouldn't want to shortchange the film as a simple narrative of a manic-depressive musical genius.
One comment that struck me most from the film was how Townes said he knew he pretty much had to "blow it all off"...family, friends, even life itself to be absolutely great in music. It does seem that ultimately for Van Zandt the music really was all it was about.
I'm not a huge fan of the music, but his passion for it was inspiring. My only difficulty with the film was that it was hard to sync with the hero worship that seems to pervade the film, but then again, this film is for and by those who loved the man.
It was especially touching to see the impact he had on his children, who despite his shortcomings seemed to want to do right by those he loved.
Definitely a great film for the fans, and the narrative style kept me intrigued despite my complete ignorance of his body of work.