For many cinephiles, Dead Man is director Jim Jarmusch's crowning achievement; a spiritual and poetic Western that radically turns the genre inside out. Especially for Videodroom, Ghent-based guitarist Filip Wauters transforms Dead Man’s iconic guitar soundtrack (by the one and only Neil Young) into a spellbinding steel guitar performance.
After a brawl spirals out of control, young accountant William Blake (Johnny Depp) goes on the run. He crosses paths with an enigmatic Native American named 'Nobody' (Gary Farmer), who takes him on a journey through a surreal and violent Wild West.
Like many films featured at Videodroom, this unpredictable and idiosyncratic black-and-white Western wasn’t an instant box office hit when it was released in 1996. Over time, however, it grew into a true cult phenomenon—largely thanks to Neil Young's legendary soundtrack. Young improvised the score entirely on electric guitar, live on the spot, while watching the film for the very first time. The vast, sweeping melodies he conjured up are, as always, dripping with feedback and melancholy.
Starring Johnny Depp alongside a stellar supporting cast featuring the likes of Robert Mitchum, Crispin Glover, John Hurt, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Henriksen, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfred Molina, and Iggy Pop, Dead Man is a one-of-a-kind anti-Western. Jim Jarmusch remains one of America’s most celebrated indie directors, with classics such as Down By Law, Mystery Train, Broken Flowers, and Only Lovers Left Alive to his name.
About Filip Wauters
Ghent guitarist Filip Wauters boasts an extensive track record across various musical projects, including BackBack, Spook, and The Whodads. Armed with his Fender Dual Professional Console steel guitar, he reinterprets Neil Young’s original score in his own distinctive style.
