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Searching for Stevie: a review of the film Rock Prophecies

Documentarian John Chester captures one famous photographer’s journey to find the next rock star before anyone else. And take their picture.

Sunday, 10. April 2011 - by Evan Dexter

: Robert Knight and Joe Elliott (photo by Maryanne Bilham)

If you’ve ever taped the corners of a poster of your favorite rock star to your bedroom wall, there’s a pretty good chance the photo was taken by Robert Knight.

Since 1968, Knight has made himself one of the music industry’s definitive photographers. He’s been on stage to snap shots of just about every guitarist worth knowing, including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. His photo archives, hundreds of thousands strong, has warranted offers up to $3.5 million – offers that Knight has repeatedly declined.

It was Knight’s camera that served as the sole documenter of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s final concert in 1990, hours before Vaughan died in a helicopter crash leaving the show. Vaughan’s last words to his friend and photographer, Knight, had been, “You’ll know me when you see me.”

And therein lies the premise of Rock Prophecies, a documentary film by John Chester chronicling Knight’s quest to find the world’s next guitar legend; a task which he believed Vaughan had ambiguously bestowed upon him with those last words, as only Knight possessed the eye to spot brilliance long before others did. “I think he meant I’d find [Vaughan’s] gift in someone else,” Knight explains.

This puts the film off to a shaky start. Knight’s interpretation and his search for the chosen one both seem fairly narcissistic and well beyond the scope of even the best music producers, let alone a single photographer.

While his resume is undoubtedly among the most impressive of any photographer in the world, from the very beginning Knight seems to think that his hand in the fame and success of his subjects is far greater than it probably was. He continually implies, or in some cases outright claims that he was aware of music’s greatest guitarists before anyone else had noticed them. It hardly needs mentioning that such claims come across as outlandish and lack any sort of proof.

: Robert Knight and Santana (photo by Maryanne Bilham)

Nevertheless, Knight and his film crew go off in search of the guitar’s next messiah. Using what believes to be a formula for finding young talent, Knight ends up spotting a budding Australian band called Sick Puppies and convinces their manager to journey to the United States where, Knight assures him, they will gain the success that any musician dreams of.

Knight also travels to America’s Deep South in search of Tyler Dow Bryant, a teenage guitar prodigy that was making a small name for himself and winning awards.

But the relationship that develops between Knight and his hopeful musicians are not of a photographer and his subjects, but rather of a band manager who is desperately fighting to popularize young talent in hopes of gaining some recognition of his own. We learn throughout the film that, although he refuses to auction his photo archives, Knight is in financial difficulty as he struggles to support his ailing mother’s constant care.

As a man of nearly 60, Knight shows a longing to prove his self-worth to his ultra-conservative parents who had failed to support his talent and career. He bleeds desperation for a pat on the back, or to be told that he is a source of pride. That desperation extends into his relationship with the musicians he photographs, and seems as though his leap into photography as a young man stemmed out of seeking acceptance from the artists he so admired. Knight feels as though he needs to accomplish something, but is astonishingly ignorant to all that he’s already done.

For all of this, Rock Prophecies really isn’t about guitarists – or even music. It’s about Knight and his need for approval in an industry which he feels, “is a young man’s game.” He dwells on not being a part of it; “They’re probably going to see me as an irrelevant old man who wears a funny hat.”

: Robert Knight and Slash (photo by Maryanne Bilham)

Knight serves as a mediator between his hopefuls and his many contacts, but fails to launch them into any real stardom. In its climax, Rock Prophecies abandons its focus on them altogether when Knight finally sells his archive of Hendrix photographs to Jimi’s sister, securing him a hefty paycheck. He then becomes the focus of an exhibition in partnership with Slash, which somehow gives him the assurance he was seeking, “I’ve spent my whole life admiring the abilities of other. Now, at age 60, I’m starting to believe in myself.”

Knight’s emotional rollercoaster makes for a confusing ride for the viewer. His attempt to immortalize himself by discovering talent is misplaced, as it’s clear from square one that he should be doing what he does best; taking pictures.

Despite the confusion, Rock Prophecies’ saving graces for any guitar fan are the moments the camera spends with the guitarists. There’s excitement in getting a peak at Jeff Beck’s home and guitar collection, or watching Slash return to his old high school. There’s thrill in watching Steve Vai sit with Knight and shred solos, or hearing Joe Bonamassa explain the risks of the industry.

For these reasons, Rock Prophecies is captivating. For any true guitar lover, it’s worth a watch and will most definitely have you reaching for a pick when the credits roll out.