PCR Podcast Ep32: Pam Destri—The EMT called to the accident that took Rich Mullins' life and injured Mitch McVicker

Pam Destri was on call as a volunteer EMT the night Rich Mullins died and Mitch McVicker got seriously injured in a car accident. Many fans have wondered for years what happened on that night. While Pam doesn't have all the answers she does offer her experience, what she witnessed, some surprising revelations about what the EMT's found, and why she thinks God brought her there in those moments. Part of the episode features talks from me (Chris Marchand) and Pastor Mark Schoenhals (of Living Waters Lutheran Church) about Rich Mullins, a talk from Pam, and then an after-talk interview with Pam. You can read my full address from that night here: Rich Mullins, My Patron Saint


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Related Rich Mullins Podcast Episodes:
An Interview With Mitch McVicker

Caleb Kruse on Meeting Rich

Joe Cook of the Ragamuffin Archive

Interview: David Leo Schultz on directing the Rich Mullins Movie (text version)

This is a big couple of weeks in both the Rich Mullins and Rich Mullins movie (Ragamuffin) camps. Last week Rich Mullins got inducted into the Gospel Music Associations' hall of fame (see below for the video) and this Tuesday, May 6 the Ragamuffin film is being released onto DVD and BLU-Ray exclusively at Wal-mart. In light of that (and in light of not being able to find someone to publish it!) I'm releasing a print version of the interview I did with David Leo Schultz, the film's director. My original interview was in podcast form and can be listened to here. You can also read my review of the film here. The interview has been shortened just a bit from the actual recording (you can't imagine how long it takes to type out an interview--oh the tedium!)

Chris Marchand: So the name of the film is Ragamuffin with the subtitle "the true story of Rich Mullins." Am I getting that right?...

So...They're Touring the Rich Mullins Movie Across the Country

This past summer I wrote a post about the Rich Mullins bio-pic they have made called Ragamuffin 
(http://ragamuffinthemovie.com/), and since that time I have wrote a number of Rich Mullins themed posts, not least of which is an interview with Mullins' record producer, Reed Arvin.  This January, the producers of the film had the world premiere of Ragamuffin in Wichita, Kansas and then started touring it around the country.  

You can go here to see if the movie found a screening venue in a place close to where you live: http://ragamuffinthemovie.com/tour/.  

You can also go here to purchase the movie on DVD/BLU-RAY, exclusively at Walmart.

In light of this Rich Mullins activity I thought it would be beneficial to gather links to all the articles I wrote about Mullins into one place, as an easy place for people to read them.  Also, some kind people have written short little reviews of the film in the comments on my blog and I wanted to share them as well, as I think they reveal some of the tensions involved in both making and seeing a movie about the life of Rich Mullins.

Here are the article links:
1. So...They Made a Movie About Rich Mullins...

2. Interview--Reed Arvin: Recording Rich Mullins' 
A Liturgy, A Legacy, and A Ragamuffin Band 
My interview with Reed Arvin was originally published in a shorter form on 
Christianity Today's website and can be found here:
The Legacy of Rich Mullins's Ragamuffin Band

3. Celebrating 20 Years of Rich Mullins' 
A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band

4. The Theology of Rich Mullins

5. Movie Review: Ragamuffin: The True Story of Rich Mullins

6. Interview: David Leo Schultz on 
Directing the Rich Mullins Movie (text version)

7. Finally, Here is my interview with the film's director, David Leo Schwartz: (here's the Soundcloud link)

So...They Made a Movie About Rich Mullins...

My favorite Rich Mullins picture (a cropped version of this
appears as the cover of A Liturgy, A Legacy, and A Ragamuffin Band 

Here you can find my interview with Mullins' producer Reed Arvin.

Here you can find my podcast where I interview the film's director, David Leo Schultz.

Here you can find my reflection on A Liturgy A Legacy And A Ragamuffin Band.

And here you can find my thoughts on "The Theology of Rich Mullins."

And here's my post on the Ragamuffin movie tour

Two years ago I read some strange news on Christianity Today's entertainment page.  Apparently somebody wanted to make a movie about the life of Rich Mullins--not a documentary but a biopic, much like Ray or Cash, or Ghandi, for that matter.  They had a Kickstarter campaign going with the hopes of funding the film, and they had made a great looking "teaser trailer" that contained a monologue from Brennan Manning himself, one of Mullins' mentors. The Kickstarter ultimately failed and I thought the film went the way of the buffalo, but apparently the film has been made and is in the process of getting released.

I was pretty skeptical about this idea right from the start and to be honest, the trailer for the film (now called Ragamuffin) has done nothing to assuage my doubts.  I mean no offense to the filmmakers but it all looks a little too "inspirational" if you catch my drift; perhaps with a little too much of "this was made by Christians" stamp of approval on it.  I don't know...trailers can be deceptive, so we will have to see.  The problem in making this film is the same problem anyone would have in trying to capture the life story of an iconic and iconoclastic personality: unless you get the right actor and great material to work from a project like this will be D.O.A.  Again, I mean no insult, but does anyone think the actor playing Mullins here will do him justice (see the link below)?

I certainly want to see this movie and I know the filmmakers went through all the right channels in their research (see the links below the the film's director's blog) but I just hope I will not have to cringe my way through the whole film.  The life and work of Rich Mullins has had more of an impact upon my faith than probably anyone excepting my mother's, so I just do not want them to have blown their chance to make a great movie.  With a film like this they have an opportunity to introduce new generations to Mullins' music and ideas, but if they have made a syrupy cheese-fest then the chances of them doing so are a lot less likely.

So, what I am going to do is let you, the humble and faithful blog reader assess it yourself. Take a look at the Ragamufin movie trailer and then spend some time watching Mullins himself--in concert, in interviews, and in doing some talks.  I have decided to entirely overwhelm you with choices.  Let us all be thankful with what the internet has made possible!

But first there's this:

I couldn't resist: a picture of me and Rich (strangely double exposed)
from the 1997 Cornerstone Festival.  That year I saw him sing with Derek
Webb and This Train and I got to see a performance of his musical
Canticle of the Plains.  No, we weren't best friends; we had just met after a sound
check and he was kind enough to take this picture with me.

Other Rich Mullins related writings of mine: 
Reed Arvin Interview
The Theology of Rich Mullins.
Celebrating 20 Year of A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band
Rich Mullins and America As The Promised Land