Feed Your Curiosity: Norman's Rare Guitars Documentary
In Bill Burr's latest comedy special, Drop Dead Years, he jokes that Guitar Center is "the number one place to see sad men." But if you want the opposite, you'll probably experience it at Norman's Rare Guitars in Tarzana, California. As Joe Bonamassa describes the store and staff, they are the "purveyors of cool."
As far as objects go, I fell in love with cameras first. But the minute I picked up a guitar, made it scream like a cat whose tail got stepped on—sorry for all the noise, mom—I was hooked. Growing up, there weren't many guitar stores around, but even if there were, I was too self-conscious about my abilities. So, I toiled away in my basement, learning riff after riff, trying to emulate my guitar heroes.
Over the weekend, I was looking for something to watch and came across Norman's Rare Guitars Documentary, a film by Devin J. Dilmore. I hit play and was transported immediately into the world of Norman Harris. As he played in bands, he would become known for his obsession with finding rare guitars and building a world-renowned collection. Sure, he rubbed shoulders with celebrities and guitar gods, but I loved learning that he treated everyone the same.
What's magical about Norman's Rare Guitars is that people come not only to look at guitars, but to play them. They hang out. They discover new musicians and experience Norm's taste for vintage gear firsthand. In a world that wants people to shop and then get the hell out of the store, this feels personal and desirable.
One thing I love about music documentaries is that they are time capsules filled with voices of artists no longer with us. This film is no different. It features Taylor Hawkins and Robbie Robertson sharing their love and admiration for Norm beyond the grave. But more importantly, this film will serve as an important extension of Norm's legacy when he passes into legend.
Norman's Rare Guitars Documentary is currently streaming on Netflix, but it will be available on other platforms in April.
Newsletter Notes:
In the spirit of guitars, my sonic soundtrack was G3: 25th Anniversary Reunion Tour featuring Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson.
I set the "Feed Your Curiosity" type in Boris Bold, a delicious font by Deadbolt Design.
I have watched a few videos about Normans Rare Guitars and the people who show up there are pretty amazing. There was one short piece that had Dweezil Zappa and the burned Jimi Hendrix guitar that was given to Frank. Dweezil had it restored, just the internals not the face of the guitar itself, and continues to play it. That is pretty cool. I will check out this film. Thanks man.