Townes Van Zandt Had Issues

A few nights ago, I got hooked on a movie called "Be Here To Love Me." It's a documentary about the brilliant singer-songwriter, Townes Van Zandt. Even if you're not familiar with the name, you may know a few of his songs without realizing that they're his. (My personal favourite is "If I Needed You," made famous by Don Williams and Emmylou Harris.) However, like most geniuses, the man had issues. The film discusses his personal demons and his struggle with alcohol, but there was one little nugget of information buried in there that I found far more shocking. According to Steve Earle, Mr. Van Zandt became "obsessed" with Morning Glory. He went through a phase in which he would plant it everywhere. To me, this is a sure sign of a troubled mind.

Morning Glory has been the bane of my garden life for quite some time. Up until last year, when I saw a seed packet sitting innocently amongst the other flowers in a store display, I didn't realize that some people put them in intentionally. I suppose the flowers are quite delicate and rather pretty, but the plant itself is so insidious. Morning Glory will creep into every area of you garden and choke out any living thing in it's path that doesn't move fast enough. I've spent years trying to abolish it from one area of the yard, but have only succeeded in keeping it relatively contained. I'm sure it's prolific nature is a good thing if you really, really like Morning Glory, as did Mr. Van Zandt. Moreover, if you hate all the rest of the plants in your garden and want them to get swallowed in an ominous mound of little green leaves and trumpet-like flowers, then Morning Glory may be for you. However, on the advice of my attorney (and based on a deep, personal loathing) I would hesitate to buy another house that had Morning Glory somewhere in the yard. Once it gets in, it's almost impossible to get out.

So while I can't recommend Morning Glory, I can absolutely recommend the movie "Be Here To Love Me." Especially if you like music in general, Townes Van Zandt in particular or just enjoy good documentaries. Perhaps even if you like Morning Glory.