Ethan Hawke's film about legendary Texas songwriter to premiere at Sundance

Blaze Foley's music and life are the subject of a new documentary. Blaze Foley's music and life are the subject of a new documentary. Photo: Zephyr Records Photo: Zephyr Records Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Ethan Hawke's film about legendary Texas songwriter to premiere at Sundance 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Blaze Foley's story ended in 1989 and then began again a decade later.

Foley was born Michael David Fuller in Arkansas and grew up in Georgia. He found his way to Texas where he was a beloved figure who stood out in a rich singer-songwriter scene. He stood out because he was an imposing man, 6 foot 4 inches tall with a wide frame and busy eyes. And he stood out because he liked to cover his belongings in duct tape.

And he stood out because he wrote songs like "If I Could Only Fly" "Election Day" and "Clay Pigeons," that have been covered time and again by artists like Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Lyle Lovett. Haggard said of "If I Could Only Fly": "It's so philosophical, and it's so moody, and it so explains our incarceration in life." He played the song when he performed at Tammy Wynette's funeral.

Foley didn't go quietly in 1989, shot in the chest in Austin amid a dispute. With no music in the digital sphere, his legacy was as quiet as his casket, which was sealed with duct tape. Then "Live at the Outhouse" was released in 1999 and interest in Foley spiked. More music was dug from the vaults, a documentary was made. Mike Judge's new "Tales From the Tour Bus" animated series includes an episode about Foley.

You can read more about the guy nicknamed Dep'ty Dog and the Duct Tape Messiah here.

And to the emerging Foley legacy comes the new feature film "Blaze," which stars newcomer Ben Dickey as the songwriter. Austin native Ethan Hawke directs, his first non-documentary feature in over a dozen years. He also co-wrote the film with Sybil Rosen, a writer and Foley's muse and girlfriend, who once lived with him in a treehouse in Georgia. Her book "Living in the Woods" recounted their time together.

Hawke began shooting "Blaze" earlier this year. It will make its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, which begins in Park City, Utah, in January.

At this point there isn't much more to report on the film. Alia Shawkat ("Search Party," "Arrested Development") plays Rosen. And Austin guitar great Charlie Sexton will play Foley admirer and songwriting great Townes Van Zandt.

The film's official site is here, though it doesn't offer much on the production.