Newport This Week

Activist-Musician Harry Chapin Movingly Remembered

FILM REVIEW


Singer/songwriter Harry Chapin, whose

Singer/songwriter Harry Chapin, whose “Taxi” dominated the charts in 1972, is the subject of a new documentary streaming from the Jane Pickens Theater.

Like recent documentaries about musicians Gordon Lightfoot and Linda Ronstadt, “Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something,” is a portrait of an artist whose life transcended the music.

Chapin may be best known for his 1970s hits “Taxi” and “Cat’s in the Cradle,” but the new documentary, now available from the Jane Pickens Theater, presents an entertaining and enlightening picture of Chapin, who was just 39 when he was killed in a car crash on the Long Island Expressway in 1981.

The film’s release date is significant because Oct. 16 is World Food Day and Chapin was the cofounder and passionate advocate for the nonprofit WhyHunger. The documentary not only charts Chapin’s dedication to his organization, including his advocacy in Washington D.C., but also details the hundreds of benefit concerts he performed each year, often to the consternation of his band and his management team.

His zeal and selflessness aren’t surprising once writer-director Rick Korn traces Chapin’s roots in an intellectually curious, socially progressive family, and his own infectious personality and genuine love for people. He often stated in interviews that he wanted his life to matter; his frequent exhortation is echoed in the film’s title.

Loren King is an arts and entertainment writer whose work appears regularly in The Boston Globe and other publications.

Loren King is an arts and entertainment writer whose work appears regularly in The Boston Globe and other publications.

But before Korn’s film delves into Chapin’s passion for “doing something” and his commitment to public service, he delivers an equally fascinating show business story. Chapin was born in 1942 into a creative family. His father was a well-known jazz drummer. After his parents divorced, his mother moved with her sons from Greenwich Village to Brooklyn Heights. There’s fascinating footage shot by Chapin’s uncle, the legendary documentarian Richard Leacock, of the family summering in upstate New York. Chapin himself embarked on a filmmaking career early on. His 1968 sports documentary, “Legendary Champions,” was even nominated for an Oscar.

In the meantime, Chapin and his brothers, Tom and Steve, rode the rising folk wave with their own band, which was inspired by The Weavers, featuring Pete Seeger, whose activism became their role model. The film includes memorable clips of the Chapin brothers’ appearances on 1960s TV programs such as The Merv Griffin Show and a Canadian variety show that also featured an impossibly young Joni Mitchell, then called Joni Anderson.

By 1970, Chapin decided to strike out on his own, doggedly pursuing a solo act with his brothers’ blessing and support. The film includes many great interviews with family members and performers from these early years who attest to Chapin’s tenacity and boundless energy, whether directed toward music or later toward his work on behalf of ending hunger.

Chapin put together an accomplished band of musicians, all interviewed in the film. They caught the attention of record executives eager to sign the next Carole King, James Taylor or Judy Collins. The film has assembled a rich roster of musicians, from Billy Joel, who opened for Chapin back in the day and recounts his generosity as a performer, to Pat Benatar, who speaks beautifully about her friendship with Chapin.

Chapin had a hit right out of the gate. “Taxi,” a semi-autobiographical story about a faded romance, dominated FM radio in 1972. Like “Cat’s in the Cradle,” his even bigger hit two years later, “Taxi” is filled with lyrical melancholy and a sense of loss.

But Chapin’s personal life was the opposite. He married writer and activist Sandy Chapin, who is interviewed in the film, and together they had two children, as well as raising Sandy’s three from her first marriage. One of Sandy’s poems was the inspiration for “Cat’s in the Cradle,” about an absent father who regrets not spending more time with his son. There’s a great segment in the film compiling many TV and movie clips, from “The Simpsons” to “Modern Family,” that reference the song.

Chapin’s friendship with Catholic priest and radio host Bill Ayres led to their launching WhyHunger in 1975. Although the film meanders a bit while trying to show the broad reach of Chapin’s work, it is still compelling to see how much he did in such a short time. He managed to persuade U.S. senators, including Bob Dole of Kansas and Patrick Leahy of Vermont, as well as President Jimmy Carter to form the Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977. Chapin’s tireless activism and fundraising helped pave the way for the global humanitarian efforts during the 1980s of Bob Geldof, who appears in the film, and U2’s Bono.

“Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something” is an important chronicle of Chapin, the musician and the man. But one is left with the bittersweet understanding of how much more he might have done.

One response to “Activist-Musician Harry Chapin Movingly Remembered”

  1. Liz Taber says:

    Is there mention when Harry played at Newport J’ai A’lai on June 24, 1979? His song “All My Life’s A Circle” was in our Thompson Junior High yearbook I believe.

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