Image from the Shannon Hoon Film : A Danny Clinch Documentary Copyright Danny Clinch
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20 Years After His Death, Shannon Hoon Co-Directs Danny Clinch’s Upcoming ‘Blind Melon’ Documentary Through Never Before Seen Footage
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Grammy award nominated filmmaker Danny Clinch released a first-look at his upcoming documentary about Shannon Hoon, the late lead singer of the band Blind Melon, Tuesday April 7th as part of a four-week Kickstarter campaign ending Tuesday, May 5th. The film is uniquely told through the eyes of Shannon Hoon, who is given a ‘co-director’ credit in the film post-mortem. Clinch, who often photographed the band best known for their 1993 hit song ‘No Rain’ and accompanying video featuring a dancing bee girl, was given over 200 hours of personal, never before seen footage filmed from Hoon’s own camera during the band’s rise to fame in the early 90s. Hoon tragically died in 1995 from an accidental overdose.
Image from the Shannon Hoon Film : A Danny Clinch Documentary Copyright Danny Clinch
Image from the Shannon Hoon Film : A Danny Clinch Documentary Copyright Danny Clinch
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Hoon filmed and narrated his life relentlessly, taking a hand-held camcorder everywhere he went. He began filming when he moved to Los Angeles, meeting Christopher Thorn, Brad Smith, Rogers Stephens, and Glen Graham, who soon formed the band Blind Melon. Hoon captured the band’s entire journey from being anonymous L.A.transplants to 90’s rock icons, which was practically unprecedented for that period of time. In this documentary, we watch the fantasy of fame be realized through the eyes of the person it is happening to.
Image from the Shannon Hoon Film : A Danny Clinch Documentary Copyright Danny Clinch
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Hoon’s footage also captures a cultural era just before the Internet, in which MTV and the music video ruled supreme. It includes iconic news coverage of events of the early 90s, like Kurt Cobain’s death, the Rodney King trials, and Clinton’s campaign for presidency.
Image from the Shannon Hoon Film : A Danny Clinch Documentary Copyright Danny Clinch
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Shannon’s commitment to documenting his life resulted in an impressive body of work that rivals his output as a musician. He wanted people to know him, hear his music, and understand the times in which it was being made. He wanted it to be made into a film when the band got famous and “all of their memories were burned out.” Clinch, along with director Colleen Hennessy, are working hard to maintain the integrity of Shannon’s story.
Image from the Shannon Hoon Film : A Danny Clinch Documentary Copyright Danny Clinch
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Danny Clinch
Clinch has established himself as one of the premier photographers of the popular music scene, and has had work appear in various premiere publications such as Rolling Stone, Spin, Esquire, Vanity Fair, GQ , and more. Clinch’s most recent exhibit, “Walls of Sound,” showcased rare and candid photos from the music scene at MILK Gallery in New York City in association with Aether Cone.
Image from the Shannon Hoon Film : A Danny Clinch Documentary Copyright Danny Clinch
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As a director, Clinch has received three Grammy Award nominations: in 2005 for Bruce Springsteen’s “Devils and Dust,” in 2009 for John Mayer’s “Where The Light Is,” and for the short film “Get Up” with Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite.
Image from the Shannon Hoon Film : A Danny Clinch Documentary Copyright Danny Clinch
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First Look At The Film
An in-depth first look video is now available on the film’s Kickstarter page. Never-before seen footage, interviews, and photos will be released throughout the duration of the campaign, which ends on Tuesday, May 5th. Kickstarter link to view the video. Follow the campaign on Twitter @shannonhoonfilm.
