All I Can Say

Shannon Hoon, lead singer of Blind Melon, died of a drug overdose on October 21, 1995, a month after he turned 28—just a year too old for the “27 Club.” He left behind his girlfriend, their newborn daughter and a vast amount of video material. Premature death is common in the rock world, but few stars of the 1990s have left such an abundant record of their private lives—in Hoon’s case until hours before his death.

Hoon started filming himself with a Hi8 camera in 1990, just before the formation of Blind Melon and two years before their breakthrough with the hit “No Rain” and its accompanying video on MTV. The highly personal and sometimes experimental footage from Hoon’s vast video archive has been edited more or less chronologically to tell a story about the bright and dark sides of fame. It paints a picture of Hoon’s life and struggles, the rise of Blind Melon and the American alternative music scene. With its extensive excerpts from TV shows, concerts and MTV videos, it also captures an era.