VARIOUS > Larger Than Life: A Celebration of Steve Goodman and His Music

Only thing missing here is another three, four hours of footage. Boy, that’d be something. As is, this glowing tribute to the Windy City’s songwriter laureate-a 60-minute affair held at the venerable Old Town School of Folk Music in 1997-beams with the same generosity that Goodman offered as an artist.Label: Oh Boy
[Rating: 4 stars]

Only thing missing here is another three, four hours of footage. Boy, that’d be something. As is, this glowing tribute to the Windy City’s songwriter laureate-a 60-minute affair held at the venerable Old Town School of Folk Music in 1997-beams with the same generosity that Goodman offered as an artist. Chicagoan Studs Terkel serves as the evening’s host. “This morning I’m walking to the bus, and it’s a rotten Chicago morning in November. Yet for a moment, that sliver of sun was coming through and it’s hittin’ my face and it’s springtime. That’s Stevie Goodman,” he says. Arlo Guthrie opens with a tender “City of New Orleans,” followed by spirited readings by Todd Snider (“This Hotel Room”), Emmylou Harris (“Yellow Coat”) and Jackson Browne (“Grand Canyon Song”). Of course, John Prine, Goodman’s great friend and devotee, provides the most poignant moment. “Steve wrote this about his father, Bud, after Bud passed away,” Prine says, introducing “My Old Man.” “A lot of times when I sing this song-I know the words to it-but when it gets to the part about ‘my old man,’ I always think about Steve, my old pal.” Make time for this documentary. Then watch it again.