In post-World War II Scotland, a young boy named Donovan Leitch would come
in contact with the world of poetry and music — W.B. Yeats and the Everly
Brothers; John Keats and Buddy Holly; and old Scottish lyric ballads and obscure
English folk songs along with the secret Kabala of the delta blues — and
a deep foundation was set. An obsession was given birth and the scour, dig and
search for the elusive was set into motion by the beautiful whims of fate. Sunshine
Superman: The Journey Of Donovan, a documentary that highlights these
pivotal events in the life of a modern/wandering gypsy minstrel.
There are many such scenes to revel in: Donovan on tour in San Francisco, visiting
such famous Beat writer locales as City Lights Books and Vesuvio Cafe, a legendary
watering hole where Donovan waxes on about the profound influence of Jack Kerouac’s
On The Road, Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” and Alan Watts’
writings on the Zen life, which wowed and shook up the young poet/songwriter.
Classic footage of Donovan’s legendary 60s pop culture reign are sprinkled
throughout the proceedings. Mega hits included “Hurdy Gurdy Man”
(recorded with future members of Led Zeppelin), “Jennifer Juniper, “Season
Of The Witch” and “Wear Your Love Like Heaven.”
Ruminations on Bob Dylan, on art, war, on time spent in exotic locales —
from the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles to Japan to India with the Beatles. From
there, we see Donovan in Joshua Tree, the legendary desert hub of California.
Sunshine Superman ebbs with Donovan and his ever-amusing flights of fancy. Working
with Italian director Franco Zefferelli on the film music to Brother Sun, Sister
Moon, a cinematic bio pic on the life of St. Francis of Assissi. Other vignettes
see the troubadour exchanging musical reverie with John Mellencamp and Davendra
Banhart, followed by a tour with film director David Lynch promoting the spiritual
benefits of transcendental meditation. Sunshine Superman: The Journey
Of Donovan is three hours into the soul, mind and artistic wonderment
of one the 20th century’s most unique public figures. Remember what John
Lennon once observed: “Donovan is as important and influential as either
Dylan or the Beatles…Listen: the man is a poet…”
~ Lanny Cordola
