When Memphis rock band Big Star released its debut album #1 Record in 1972, the critics sang their praises. The title of the album, however, turned out to be pretty ironic, as #1 Record
received a very limited distribution and sold fewer than 10,000 copies.
It wasn't until decades later that Big Star acquired a cult following
and re-emerged on the rock 'n' roll scene.
The limited success but enduring legacy of Big Star is the subject of Drew DeNicola's upcoming documentary, Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me.
In the documentary, the two living members of Big Star's original
lineup discuss the band's origins, their disillusionment after
experiencing commercial failure, the death of lead singer Chris Bell,
their role as precursors to the '80s and '90s alternative rock movement,
and the reformation of the group in the 1993.
In anticipation of the film's July 3 release, Magnolia
Pictures has released a new trailer. With never-before-seen footage and
interviews with modern rock royalty (in the trailer alone we see the
likes of R.E.M., The Flaming Lips, and Cheap Trick), Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me promises to offer a fascinating look at the short-lived '70s band that Rolling Stone once called "the greatest stuff we've ever heard."
Charlie Gillett Collection/Getty Images
If you think you aren't familiar with Big Star, think
again. In the past 20 years, the band's music has been featured in
countless movies and TV shows. If you were a Gilmore Girls fan,
you may recall the scene in the first season when Rory and Dean walk
around Stars Hollow after the Chilton dance. The nostalgic acoustic
guitar-driven song playing in the background is "Thirteen" by Big Star
(a song that has also been featured in How I Met Your Mother and That '70s Show).
Or perhaps you've heard one of the many Big Star covers by artists like
Wilco, The Velvet Undergound, or Elliot Smith, who have all cited the
band's influence on their music.
Big Star was a force ahead of its time, and so much of the
great music that came after their commercial failure owes its success
to the Memphis rock group's influence.
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