The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico

Back in 1971, actor, singer and songwriter Kris Kristofferson wrote about Canadian-born country music legend, Guy Terrifico in something he called The Pilgrim:

He’s a poet, he`s a picker, he`s a prophet and he`s a pusher.
He’s a pilgrim and a preacher and a problem when he`s stoned.
He’s a walking contradiction, partly truth, mostly fiction.
Taking every wrong direction on that lonely road back home.

Guy was at the zenith of his career, but in what seemed like just moments later, in a blaze of whiskey, pills, cancelled shows and gun shots his career and apparently his life was over. One of the brightest stars of 1970`s country-rock left behind fond memories and outrageous stories. Or so everyone thought. Then 30 years after his “death” a new Guy Terrifico album was released. Naturally this has raised some questions because, as Merle Haggard observed, “It`s real hard to sing when you’re dead.” The strange and debatably short life of Guy Terrifico takes us from the wilds of Canada to the wild times of Nashville and London. Fondly remembered by his contemporaries like Kris Kristofferson, Ronnie Hawkins, Levon Helm and Merle Haggard, Guy`s life story is told through a combination of modern day interviews with his old cohorts and archival footage of Guy back in the day. Ultimately it`s a film about talent and excess, and how sometimes you’ve gotta put the excess behind you before you can discover the real talent.