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

Rich Mullins, My Patron Saint

Note: A shortened version of this essay was given as an address at Living Waters Lutheran Church in Peoria, Illinois on November 19, 2016. The audio, along with a speech and interview with the EMT who was present at Rich Mullins' death, will soon be available as a podcast.

Late in his life, Thomas Aquinas, the great medieval scholastic theologian, author of the towering three volume Summa Theologica (that is, the "sum" of all theology) had a divine encounter with the living God. If you ever happen to pick up one of the volumes of the Summa and read it you will find it an immensely dense work full of meticulously reasoned arguments on (among many things) the creation of the world, the character of God, the moral life required of the faithful, and the importance of the work of Christ. In reading the Summa you get the impression that its author must have contained worlds of knowledge within himself and that his intellect was beyond compare. Aquinas was a true and rare genius.

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?...

PostConsumer Reports Podcast Episode 04: David Leo Schultz--Director of Ragamuffin The Rich Mullins Movie

So on Sunday night February 23rd, Ragamuffin, the biopic about the life of Rich Mullins, came to Peoria, Illinois via Riverside Community Church.  About an hour before the screening began David Leo Schultz, the director and co-writer of the film, sat down with me for an interview.  What I love about podcasts is that there are not necessarily time constraints; there is no pressure to rush through a conversation.  Well, despite having only an hour before the movie started I think our time together was both relaxed and intense, as good conversations should be. I thoroughly enjoyed our talk together and was honored that he gave me his time.

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)

Interview--Reed Arvin: Recording Rich Mullins' A Liturgy, A Legacy, and A Ragamuffin Band

Rich Mullins' landmark album A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band turn 20 years old this month.  This interview is part 2 of my celebration of this anniversary.  

NOTE: A condensed version of this interview first appeared on Christianity Today's website and can be found here. 

My previous reflections on A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band can be found here. My essay on "The Theology of Rich Mullins" can be found here.  My article on the upcoming film about Mullins' life can be found here and my interview with the film's director can be found here.

Growing up listening to Rich Mullins' records there was always one name that kept standing out to me other than Mullins himself.  I was the kind of kid who poured through every word of the liner notes looking for hidden meanings and the fingerprints of everyone who made had made the album possible.  And so, every time I bought a Rich Mullins record I would inevitably read this: "Produced by: Reed Arvin."  Now I'm no fool--if Reed Arvin's name was constantly associated with my favorite music artist, then Mr. Arvin must be a high-quality upstanding individual himself.  As a budding musician I often dreamed of what it would be like to be Rich Mullins, but I also dreamed of what it would be like to work with Mullins and help him create his music.  There is only a hand full of people who would fall into that category: Beaker (David Strasser, Mullins' frequent co-writer), The Ragamuffin Band (Rick Elias, Jimmy Abegg, Mark Robertsons, and Aaron Smith), Mitch McVicker and the other Kid Brothers of St. Frank, and then Reed Arvin.


Over the years a number of questions began forming in my about how Mullins worked and how his albums came together. After a time I realized Mullins, even though he had long since passed, was probably not the best person to ask these questions to anyway, but that these were questions specifically for one person, Mullins' producer Reed Arvin.  So, I got up the nerve to contact Arvin with my questions and he was gracious enough to respond with his answers. (Arvin blogs regularly at http://notjusttalk.tumblr.com/)

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

For part one in my series on Rich Mullins, go here. 

For my article on the upcoming film about Mullins 

go here and for my interview with the films's director go here. 

For my interview with Mullins' producer Reed Arvin, go here.

I believe music can change the way we see, hear, and feel about the world.  This essay is a personal reflection on one such instance, an instance I want to celebrate and share with others.

I had just purchased a cassette of Rich Mullins' 1993 album A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band at my local Christian book store.  I got into the car with my mom and grandma (my Granny), pulled it out of its squeaky cellophane wrapper, popped it into my yellow Sports Walkman, and listened to it in the car while my mom went through her round of afternoon errands.  I became transfixed.  I did not even care that we had to make a stop at the fabric store, a trip I usually loathed.  I just stayed in the car and listened.

The Theology of Rich Mullins

This month, October 2013 Rich Mullins' album A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band turns 20 years old.  For the next few weeks I will be reflecting on Mullins' work and its impact on my life, culminating in an interview with someone who worked closely with him for years.  This week I am focusing on the first album that ever grabbed my attention as a child, Mullins' 1988 work Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. 




My interview with Mullins' producer Reed Arvin can be found on Christianity Today's website here. An extended version of that interview can be found on this blog here.

My reflections on A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band can be found here. 
My article on the upcoming film about Mullins' life can be found here.

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Looking back I can say God used Rich Mullins to change my life irrevocably.

Anyone Want to Host The Rich Mullins Movie in Peoria, Illinois?

A couple of months ago I wrote a post about The new Rich Mullins movie that will be coming out sometime soon, wherein I shared some of my skepticism about the very idea of such a thing (surprisingly it has turned into my most read blog post).

Nonetheless, I totally want to see this movie.  I am so curious as to how they portrayed Mullins and what kind of story they are going to tell about him.  I also want to help promote the movie as much as possible if only to expose more and more people to his music.

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