LEARNING HOW TO FAIL
Documentary/2004/Color/18 mins.
A film by Lisa Marr
www.lisamarr.org
www.echoparkfilmcenter.org
www.topqualityrockandroll.com

"I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world
and that if it has hit you pretty hard
and knocked you for a dozen loops,
no matter how hard it's run you down,
and rolled over you,
no matter what color, what size you are,
how you are built; I am out to sing the songs
that will make you take pride in yourself
and in your work." -- Woody Guthrie

Webster defines success as a favorable termination of a venture, specifically, the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence. Musician-turned-filmmaker Lisa Marr may not have struck it rich in the music biz, but she definitely garnered her share of accolades and fans during the height of the 1990s indie rock era (during which time yours truly was fortunate enough to catch her band 'Cub' at a local venue) and was even featured in Rolling Stone magazine. The rise of the internet and increasing affordability of home recording in the new millenium made it much easier for independents to get their music heard, but quickly created an over-saturated scene with millions of bands vying for attention, gigs and CD sales, making things much harder on artists like Marr who were among the pioneers of the D.I.Y. movement just a few years earlier. And to top it all off, after years of hard work and struggle, The Lisa Marr Experiment's 2003 American tour got cancelled. To most, this would be a death blow, a sign that it was time to hang it up and quit. But for Marr, it was time to get out and sing the songs. It was time to take her world back.

With her personal schedule clear, Lisa Marr packed her '88 Corolla hatchback and set out on the open road armed with a guitar, a miniDV camera, and truckloads of humility and talent. "Learning How To Fail" documents her solo journey across the country, stopping at random public places to sing, play, and engage strangers in coversation about the meaning of success. But rather than make a movie about misfortune or broken dreams, Marr instead used the film as a means to re-connect with her fellow human beings on a different level. She'd toured the nation several times in different bands, but was never able to really see the places and meet the people, so the film is really more about them than it is about her. There are no on-camera interviews, but rather silent footage of Marr playing in laundromats, bowling alleys, street corners, bars, parks, and even (briefly) in front of a Wal Mart, as audio from her conversations with complete strangers is heard. In fact, we don't even hear Marr's voice for the duration of the film, instead listening to random people talk about the meaning of success. The answers are varied, interesting, sad, funny, and thought-provoking. It is no wonder that, in her director commentary track, Marr notes that her faith in people was restored as a result of her having gone on this journey. Out of the dozens of places she decided to set up and play, she was only asked to leave twice. Take a wild guess what one of them was.

Everyone has a different way of defining success. And everyone has a different view of whether or not they ARE a success. But one thing is clear: if we go by Webster's definition of the word, Lisa Marr is a success many times over. Through her career in music, she has touched the lives of many people, myself included (I was inspired after seeing her in concert to learn to play bass guitar, and went on to play in several bands over the past 10 years). Through her work as a filmmaker, I feel she will continue to do the same. And as for the "wealth" part of Webster's definition of success? That's a matter of opinion too. Hers may or may not be different, but by my definition of wealth, Lisa Marr is a rich woman indeed.

(March 2005)