On July 3, 1999, Mark Sandman, frontman for the cult band Morphine, died onstage in Palestrina, Italy, before thousands of fans. While the cause of death has been disputed, one thing is clear: Sandman's legacy as a prodigious and mysterious talent was solidified in that moment. Now, over a decade after Sandman's death, comes Cure for Pain: The Mark Sandman Story, a documentary that's part history, part love letter, and that hopes to introduce Sandman and his music to an entirely new generation of fans. Featuring interviews with the likes of Les Claypool, Ben Harper, and Josh Homme, the film will play in Toronto, Minneapolis, and Croatia in March, and travel the festival circuit later this year. Here, one of the film's directors, Robert G. Bralver, (the others are Jeff Broadway and David Ferino) reveals the motivations behind exploring the life of one of music's most under-appreciated geniuses.

What is your personal connection to Mark Sandman. How did you discover him? I first heard of Mark Sandman and Morphine through the Get Shorty soundtrack when I was around 11 years old. I did not know anything more about him or his music until college, where I met Jeff Broadway, who was a cousin of Mark's and is the producer of the documentary. He and I developed the idea further while still in school, and then joined up with co-director David Ferino after finishing college to start making the film. Why don’t more people know who Mark Sandman is? Why didn’t he break into the mainstream? Aside from his unique style of music not necessarily being everyone's cup of tea, it is widely thought that had Mark not passed away when he did, the band would have continued expanding its popularity and recognition. Morphine were arguably at the peak of their fame in 1999, and I think it's likely that with DreamWorks Records behind them, they would have gone on to even greater success. What is Morphine’s legacy today? Over the course of making this documentary, we've discovered that everyone who used to know and love Morphine still knows and loves Morphine. We get letters and emails regularly from around the USA and the world, from people who cannot wait to celebrate and remember Mark, Dana, Jerome and Billy's talent. More than that, the music continues to find those lucky few who long for something a bit more off the beaten path. A new generation of fans, I think, is growing in spite of Mark's absence. Why did you make this documentary? What do you hope to accomplish with it? Primarily, we saw this as a project of cultural preservation. Mark Sandman and his music were, to us, a unique and important part of American music history. For it to be shelved as just another lost band from the 90s would be a travesty. They were much more than that, and we hope that through showing Mark's personal story, and the music it inspired, we can spread that appreciation.

Do you hope this film will introduce people to Mark Sandman and Morphine, or is it a love letter to Morphine fans? Certainly, this is for all the existing family, friends, and fans who have for ten years had very little new music or material from a group of guys that were so beloved. In addition to that audience, we hope the film will reach and create a whole new set of listeners. Mark's story is universal, and I think that when people get to better know the man, they will develop an even deeper respect for his art. How did you finance the film, and what do you have in store for it? The film is currently being submitted to festivals worldwide. After that, our friends at the Gersh Agency will help us find distribution. The film features some pretty established musicians. Were they willing to appear on camera out of their love of Sandman/Morphine, or for other reasons? All the musicians in the film - from Ben Harper and Josh Homme, to Mike Watt and Les Claypool - agreed to be a part of this out of a shared respect for Mark, and keeping his legacy alive. They were all incredibly generous with their time and gave us some great, emotional interviews and performances. Where do you think Mark Sandman would be today if he hadn’t died so early? This was a question we asked several interviewees. The general consensus is that Mark would be doing whatever he wanted, since that's what he always did. That would probably have meant continued evolution and exploration as an artist; and it's a shame we didn't get to witness that. What was the biggest mystery surrounding Mark Sandman? Most of the mysteries around Mark were about his family life. People wanted to know what kind of events could possibly have shaped such a unique writer, poet, and musician. The film sheds light on this. In addition, there have always been a number of questions surrounding the circumstances of his death. He died on stage while performing in front of thousands of fans in Palestrina, Italy, of natural causes. It has been propagated by some throughout the years that the heart attack was drug-induced – it was not. What was the most difficult part about telling this story? We tell Mark's story through the voices of some thirty-odd family, friends, fellow musicians, and journalists. Corralling all these unique voices and perspectives into one cohesive story that spans 50 years was by far the most challenging aspect of production. Neither Jeff, David, or I had ever made a feature before. So, tackling an unscripted, chronologically scattered narrative that has to communicate themes of family, art, and ambition was quite difficult. We think we did okay.

Cure for Pain: The Mark Sandman Story (Trailer) from Gatling Pictures on Vimeo.