Writer/director Jared Cohn gave ScreenAnarchy a lengthy interview, which you can read in full below. The film’s main particularity is that it’s told from the perspective of drummer Artimus Pyle (portrayed by Ian Shultis), who is one of the plane crash survivors.Īfter a long legal battle with other members of the band and their representatives, including Ronnie’s widow Judy Van Zant (who argued that they had a blood oath not to exploit the band’s name after the tragedy), Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash will finally be released today (June 30) on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash depicts the fatal accident that put an end to the first incarnation of Lynyrd Skynyrd (they eventually reformed in 1987 with Ronnie Van Zant’s younger brother Johnny as the lead vocalist). The band’s aircraft malfunctioned, ran out of fuel and ultimately crashed in a wooded area in Mississippi six persons were killed in consequence, including frontman Ronnie Van Zant (who was just 29 at the time), backing singer Cassie Gaines and her brother, guitarist Steve Gaines. The story of Lynyrd Skynyrd is a tragic one: after starting at the bottom as a working-class band from the American South (Jacksonville, Florida), and working hard towards success (by 1976 they were playing massive shows, including the legendary one in Knebworth, England alongside The Rolling Stones), they suffered a plane accident on October 20, 1977, while they were traveling for a concert in support of their fifth record “Street Survivors”, which had been released just three days before. In retrospect, it’s unbelievable that the main run of a band with such enduring impact only lasted little more than four years, considering that they released their first album in 1973 after being originally formed in 1964. Lynyrd Skynyrd's studio album titled "Vicious Cycle," which was released in 2003, included a song titled "Mad Hatter." The song was a tribute to Wilkeson and has lines that go, "Mad hatter's movin' on yea he's moving on / Well I will see you again one way or another / And now that you're there yeah say 'Hello' to our brothers.Lynyrd Skynyrd is arguably one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands ever, responsible for several indispensable tracks when you talk about genuine classics: just think “Free Bird”, “Sweet Home Alabama” or “Simple Man” for starters. Readers are encouraged to come up with their own conclusions regarding Wilkeson's death after reading all the facts that have been presented in the book. The book also shares information on Wilkeson's death, including the bassist's behavior before his untimely demise. In 2005, Bowman released a book titled "The Unsolved Murder of Lynyrd Skynyrd Bassist Leon Wilkeson," wherein he chronicled his friendship with the musician. One of the people who believe that Wilkeson died under suspicious circumstances is Dale Bowman, who was his close friend and manager. Although the manner of death was accidental and the cause of death was found to be natural, there are some who believe that Wilkeson was murdered. The report also stated that Wilkeson was prescribed medication for insomnia, chronic pain, as well as anxiety. He also had severe cirrhosis of the liver, which was attributed to his years of drinking alcohol. According to the autopsy report, Wilkeson's death was accidental and the official cause of death was listed as "complications of emphysema associated with positional asphyxia" (via Autopsy Files).
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