The Music Documentary You *Must* See Before the Election

Once Upon a Time, there was an Ethnomusicologist President

I’m a music documentary fan— every kind of musician and cinema intersection— be it live, biographical, or on the road.

Cory, one of my rock-n-roll comrades, asked me, if I’d ever seen the “Jimmy Carter rock movie.”

I’d never heard of it.

Cory told me the film contained live concert footage that’s never been seen anywhere— jazz, rock, blues, country. Only the Carter archives had the rights. How intriguing.

Since I’m in bed with a broken foot in a cast, (argh!) this is the perfect time to take a peek.

What I discovered was quite amazing, a time capsule of a social moment that is hard to conceive of now. It is the perfect little movie to watch before the current election. I’ve watched it twice.

In some respects it was produced as a gentle hagiography of Carter. It was made long before his current 100th birthday that caused so much controversy, as he waited to vote for Kamala and demanded Israel get out of Gaza.

Carter turned out to be most admirable, hasn’t he? This movie will show you why.…