This week, The Austin Chronicle presented a special issue dedicated to all things Blaze Foley, guest edited by Austin native son Ethan Hawke, writer/director of the new film Blaze. Hawke says: “I love Blaze Foley and Townes Van Zandt’s music so much that my biggest aspiration for the movie is to share that love.” Hawke continues to share that love in this special issue, bringing his own personal insights to an issue packed with archival photographs, stories from the film’s production, and tributes to the outlaw country sound Foley and Van Zandt pioneered.

Highlights include the firsthand recollections of Sybil Rosen, Blaze co-writer and author of the memoir Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze Foley, plus interviews with Ethan Hawke and actor-musician Ben Dickey; Sybil Rosen and actress Alia Shawkat; and longtime friends Charlie Sexton and Richard Linklater.

Also featured in this issue is Ethan Hawke’s interview with Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Beto O’Rourke, in which the two proud Texans discuss politics, fear, and the power of Willie Nelson to bring us back together.

MORE ABOUT BLAZE

A larger-than-life character who met an early and tragic death, Blaze Foley was part of the outlaw country sound of the Seventies and early Eighties and a fixture in the pages of The Austin Chronicle. Academy Award nominated writer-director-actor Ethan Hawke has now brought to screen the story of the brilliant, outrageous singer-songwriter. Starring Ben Dickey as Blaze, Charlie Sexton as Townes Van Zandt, and Alia Shawkat as Foley’s sweetheart Sybil Rosen, critics are calling Blaze “beautifully made,” “spellbinding,” and “an experience, one that ever so gently opens your ears, your eyes, and your heart.”

Watch the official BLAZE trailer and learn more about the film here

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Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent, progressive news source for over 36 years, covering music, film, arts, food, and politics in the greater Austin metropolitan area. The Chronicle is the eloquent and incisive voice of the city, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. From festival coverage to breaking news, The Austin Chronicle has you covered. The Chronicle is available at over 1,800 locations every Thursday. For more information and coverage, visit austinchronicle.com.