Blues Man: The Life and Times of Sean Costello
Producer: Elaina Archer
Editor: Todd Friedrichsen
Advisor: Allison Anders
Website: http://www.sarahbaker.org/
I had these dreams of being able to get by playing music and I was determined to make it happen one way or another. --Sean Costello
As Levon Helm said, "[Sean] was one of those artists who knew that playing music was a calling. It wasn't just a damn job, it was a calling and he had no choice. It's sinful not to, if that's what you're supposed to do."
For Costello, the blues was indeed a calling, and he played it against considerable odds. Using Costello as a protagonist, BLUES MAN explores the livelihoods of modern musicians. How do they survive? How do they get gigs, tours, and radio airplay? What role did Sean play in the development of his own career?
Costello also battled personal demons, bipolar disorder and social anxiety disorder, that made it nearly impossible at times for him to perform. And yet, day after day, year after year, he followed his calling. Even when he was sick, even when he was broke, even when his bands fell apart, he managed to pull it all back together for one more gig.
For his fellow musicians who face these issues too--the stress of performing and the struggles of mental illness--the problem goes beyond making it out on stage every night. Most musicians cannot afford health insurance, which forces them to give up their calling, go broke, or go untreated.
"Whiskey, dope and wild women didn't kill him and that's for damn sure," Levon Helm said of Sean. BLUES MAN will explore these issues, and how they affected Sean, and how they affect other young musicians who choose to play the blues.