Netflix UK has just released the behemoth of a documentary – Garth Brooks’ ‘The Road I’m On‘ that is a must see for any fans of country music, or music in general. Here, Laura Sansom reviews the documentary.
Record-breaking country music superstar, Garth Brooks leads this documentary charting his life’s highs and lows. The emotions, challenges, successes – and also the losses along with the wins – are told in this honest portrayal of times on the road and returning back home, in which Garth presents himself as heavily invested and involved in his music and this shows throughout this documentary.
In the beginning, he talks of home and his guilt of not joining the farming business, although he had support in following his dreams into the music business – his mother having been a singer too. His dad, however, installed the premise of support, but made sure his son had a Plan B.
All the tales told in this biographical account – some lows, some highs and the bits in between – definitely assures the viewers that the vexing (and probably mind-altering) moments are all seen through his documentary and in turn his music. He’s not shy in telling viewers that the stereotype of success in America wasn’t always as simple as finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
You get the sense of how important an impact words have – Garth’s first chat-up line was a first line from a song he had just written. The song earned him his first wife when he was still playing small hometown gigs. There is an assurance in his respect of words that has made him the powerhouse he is in the country music world.
Garth’s singing persona is never too proud to tell us of his time “cutting his teeth” in the music business. From his beginnings playing honky tonk town houses, small time gigs and making the audience happy, even if it meant playing and singing covers of the popular songs of the time as he demonstrates his appreciation of his fan base.
Realism that going big, such as landing himself in Nashville, doesn’t always pay – not the first time anyway as he ended up going home. However, he did try again. The middle part of the documentary reveals his struggles in Nashville, before making it big – very big, record-breaking, pop -chart topping and selling out Madison Square-type big and rivalling U2, Michael Jackson and more, topping the music billboard for popular music not just the country music charts.
He’s not too shy to say his blessing at this time turned into a curse when his family life started to suffer. His wife and three children became his new focus, taking retirement from his music to make good of a then-complicated family life.
Garth moved on and kept his music going, with one of his grown up daughters even following in his footsteps. Garth, of course, married Trisha Yearwood and returned to music, invested and very much involved in the creative process, with new hopes and dreams as the story of his country music successes and life goals still continues, not the end of his story by far.
