Emmanuel Itier

Interview with Andy Brown and Brian Lindstrom directors of LOST ANGEL: THE GENIUS OF JUDEE SILL.

Before any of the folk singers we all adore like, Joan Baez, there was an amazing lady whose life was cut short due to her fight with her inner demons. ‘LOST ANGEL’ give us an honest and moving portrait of the fragile soul of singer Judee Sill. Judee was a jewel who never encountered the success she should have received. She dedicated her life to create and inspire others. Today her songs are more relevant than ever, and she is more alive than ever. Go see ‘LOST ANGEL: The Genius of Judee Hill’ and stream some of Judee Sill’ songs: pure healing food for your soul!

By Emmanuel Itier

Q: How did it come together and what is the meaning for the title ‘Lost Angel’?

Andy: I discovered about Judee a while ago and when I was reading an interview with the band XTC. It was circa 2000 and I started to check out her music. And then when YouTube started her video of ‘The Kiss’ was posted, and it blew me away. I showed it to Brian afterwards. And he also was blown away.

Brian: And that’s when we became obsessed with Judee’s music. And then we went to look into her life. The more we looked at it, the more we became interested with her, and we thought we should make a film about her.

Andy: And luckily for us nobody had started a movie about her.

Q: What were the various challenges you face putting this documentary together?

Andy: The main challenge was to find archival material. There was not much out there. Especially in term of Judee performing or being interviewed. We wanted to tell her story in her own voice. It became a real challenge to find the resources to allow us to do that. This is why it took us ten years to make this film. But it was worth the wait because when you see the movie you will see it’s told with her own voice.

Brian:  By the way, you asked for the inspiration about the title. What I like with this title ‘Lost Angel’ is that it is opened to interpretation. Judee has been “lost” in the shuffle of history. And we are trying to re-introduce her to people. I hope her music will be re-discovered.

Q: In what ways is she so unique and different from other singers. What did you discover about her that surprised you?

Brian: We did a deep dive in all of her journals and various letters. And we never found an instance of Judee lying about how she truly felt and what she did. It surprised me to find out how honest she was. She was incredibly devoted to her craft and her calling. She wrote up to three days before her death. Even in her darkest time she would keep faith with her muse.

Andy: Judee is always associated to the Lauren Canyon crowd. Her influences were very different and the music she was making was so unique. She was very influenced by some classic composer like Bach. But she also loved Ray Charles and gospel music. She also loved Texas folk music. She had the technical chops to pull it off and bring together all these influences to create her own style. In terms of her lyrics, I was very impressed the way she expresses her true feelings and how we navigate between the light and the dark forces. These was the theme of many of her songs.

Q: She was indeed a person of faith, and she talks about her spirituality and her relationship with God. Was it a surprise to you she was such a spiritual individual?

Brian: That’s a great question. Initially I was surprised about her spirituality. But then I started to understand the impact her childhood had on her, the trauma, the sexual abuse from her stepfather. Even to find out about the armed robbery. She was numbed because of all these traumas. She found music and it was a way for her to connect with something bigger than herself and share something with the world.

Andy: And also, she was working with music as a mathematical language. Math is about perfection. And perfection comes from God. She thoughts she was doing God’s work. She thought she was channeling the almighty. But at the same time, she had this psychic pain in the seeking of relief and answer. Her spiritual search was also about that until the end of her life.

Q: What are the one or two songs that represent her the best?

Brian: For sure the song that represent her the most if ‘The Kiss’. It was the first song that allowed us to become aware of Judee.

Andy: Same for me: ‘The Kiss’. It’s amazing the way she performs it. But I also love the song that we use to close the movie: ‘Looping along to the cosmos’. I can very much relate to that one.

Q: What do you think is Judee’s legacy? How is she relevant today more than ever?

Andy: I agree that sadly she didn’t resonate that much in her time. Much more today. Her music is really timeless. Her music style was not popular at that time. Also, people can discover music more easily. It’s easier for good music to be heard by people today. She is probably more well know now than in her lifetime.

Brian: There is also a deep connection between Judee and Adrianne Lenker. Maybe this is how Judee’s legacy lives on.

Q: What is the final takeway with this film? Final message? What do you hope people take away from watching ‘Lost Angel’?

Brian: I hope people get that we need spiritual resilience. Judee had to deal with a lot of challenges and even before the notion of “recovery” was part of our norm. At her time nobody talked about childhood traumas and sexual abuse. She had to deal with all these traumas. She did as best she could. Even with all that weight on her she managed to dig deep and make these beautiful songs. And she is still inspiring so many people today.

Andy: Indeed, it’s the idea of resilience through suffering. She is trying to heal people through her songs while we all are bouncing between light and darkness. There is a path forward. Whatever you choose is up to you. Judee was able to authentically represent her own pain. I think it’s clear in those songs and it offers a way to move forward.