Lately, it seems Jesus not only rocks, but He’s also a movie star too. The Jesus Music, a documentary written, directed, and produced by The Erwin Brothers (“I Can Only Imagine,” “I Still Believe,” “Woodlawn,”) traces the roots of Contemporary Christian Music back to the Jesus Movement of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s via archival footage and new interviews with Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Kirk Franklin, Michael Sweet, Toby Mac, and scores of other Christian artists and insiders. Electric Jesus is the fictional story of a Christian heavy metal band and the young ingenue that stows away on their RV and manages to steal the show. Starring Brian Baumgartner (Kevin Malone of NBC’s The Office) and Judd Nelson of The Breakfast Club, Electric Jesus has billed itself as “the 80s Hair Band Music-Comedy You’ve Been Saving Yourself For,” as it has crisscrossed the US on a tour of film festivals. (True Tunes featured the cast on an earlier episode and produced an entire special podcast series on the film as well.)
True Tunes’ founder and host John J. Thompson is featured in The Jesus Music as an interview subject and historian and served Electric Jesus as Music Supervisor and as a historical consultant. On this episode of the podcast, Thompson brings Andy Erwin (Director of The Jesus Music) and Chris White (Writer and Director of Electric Jesus) together for a wide-ranging conversation about their films in particular, the subject of Jesus Music in general, and the challenges surrounding faithful art-making in the marketplace today.
And on the Jukebox, we contemplate a slew of Jesus Music that did not come from the Evangelical underground and did not stay put in the Christian marketplace. This look at “Jesus On The Mainline” seeks to expand the conversation about just how influential Jesus has been in popular culture over the last fifty years – especially as far as music is concerned. Was CCM music the only, or even most obvious path for people of faith to take?
(Don’t miss the companion article for this episode: Jesus Music Rediscovered? A Reflection by John J. Thompson at TrueTunes.com)
Full Show Notes available at TrueTunes.com/JesusMusicMovies
Wild Harbors in Paris: Safety Is Overrated
@45RPM Did The Joshua Tree Fall on The 77s? (More Roe From The Cutting Room Floor)
More ”Alternative” Than You’ll Ever Be (Randy Layton’s Long Strange Trip)
@45RPM Charlie Peacock Revisited (From The Vault)
@45RPM U2’s Achtung Baby Jukebox Rewind
Outsider Art w Finster & Yingst + Mountain Goats on The Jukebox (True Tunes Live)
Tonio K. Walks On: Notes From A Lost World
Drew Holcomb Comes To Class
@45RPM Calling Out The Ghosts: JJT & Michelle Thompson (The Wayside) + Producer Matt Goldman (Underoath, Luxury) discuss new music
Prog Rock, Complex Art, & Cultivating a Discerning Ear: Neal Morse’s Epic Journey
Singing In The Choir w Nikki Lerner + Over The Rhine’s Nowhere Else Fest rocks the Jukebox
@45RPM David Bunker on Artist Care and Nurturing the Creative
Tyson Motsenbocker Loses His Milk Teeth (+ Madison Cunningham’s ”Revealer” on the Jukebox)
@45RPM What Good Is Music? (with Pastor Chris Williamson of Strong Tower Bible Church and Transformation Crusade)
@45RPM Creativity Will Save The World w Tom Willett (12” Extended Mix)
Bill Mallonee (Vigilantes of Love): From Americana’s ”Next Big Thing” to Indefatigable Digital Busker
Beatles & Outlaws: Ken Mansfield Comes Down From The Roof
Phil Cook’s Spiritual Helpline (From Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger, & Megafaun to Gospel Glory)
Love Is Underrated: Undercover (+ What’s Shakin’ & Reality Rock on the Jukebox)
David Eugene Edwards of Wovenhand: Apocalypse Ain’t for the Faint of Heart
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