Garland Jeffreys: The King of in Between

I have been a fan of Garland since the 1970's. This film is long overdue. The editing is wonderful and the only thing wrong with this film is I wish it was longer. Garland's influence is widespread. He is the songwriter's songwriter and the musician's musician. A must see if you love music. He has impacted and influanced rock, rap, punk, new wave, you name it. This film documents his years in the music industry, mostly under the radar but noticed by those in the know. The interviews are all very interesting and his peers give him great accolades. The film includes rare video and photos unseen before now. So see this documentary where everyone you can.

What an interesting story...Garland Jeffreys is an amazing musician who's written a lot of great songs in a lot of different genres. (Hell, Bruce Springsteen and a lot of other fantastic people say so in this documentary, so it must be true.)

So learning about Garland's life and music is really cool. But what elevates this doc to something more is the exploration it does into the question: What does it mean to be "successful"? How famous do you have to be, how rich do you have to be? Or is it possible to NOT achieve all your dreams and goals, and yet still be successful?

Yeah, that's a question that I think most of us can legitimately ask ourselves. And this doc shows us that success means a lot of different things. I left this thinking that Garland Jeffreys, despite not becoming a household name, was very much a success. He had a great career, wrote songs that mean a lot to a lot of people...and at the same time was able to be a loving dad to his daughter. THAT'S success.

So, in short...while I'd specifically recommend this doc to music lovers, I'd really recommend it to anyone, since the questions it asks are relevant to everyone.

I saw this film at Doc NYC in 2024 where it also won the audience award! I've lived in NYC for over 30 years and had never been exposed to Garland's story or his music - This documentary is a hidden gem. It's a powerful, deeply human portrait of an artist who never fit into a box -

The film captures Garland Jeffreys' passion, honesty, and undeniable talent with such heart. It's a music doc - but it's also about identity, perseverance, and staying true to yourself no matter what. It's an inspiring story especially for anyone who's ever felt like they didn't quite fit in or had to carve their own path.

Highly recommend.

Garland Jeffreys is such an great talent that not enough people know about. Hopefully, this documentary will help change that. Running a University program this will be a great resource for our music history course. I look forward to turning many more people onto Jeffreys. The documentary gives a great overview of his career and life. Also touching on the cultural history of the era he grew up in and started his career. It was interesting to see why he was on so many different record labels. Also, I didn't realize how "Matador" was such a worldwide hit for him. It's interesting to see how many artists are fans of his work and admire Jeffreys.

This is a fascinating and educational film that takes us through the life and career of an often unfairly overlooked singer songwriter. Told through intimate interviews, footage and of course the amazing music of Garland Jeffries, the film portrays a struggling artist who searches and clearly finds his place in the musical world. Although that place might not be at the top of the charts, it is a heartwarming to see the love and support of family and the musical community clearly proving that it is a life and musical career well played! Moving and beautifully told, the film will introduce many to the talent and creative genius of The King of In Between. Kudos to Garland's wife Claire for lovingly crafting and weaving together this amazing film!