By Brian Landa
@BrianLandaLawyer
Kenny Loggins: Conviction of the Heart, directed by Dori Berinstein, was the closing night film of the 20th Dallas International Film Festival. Coincidentally, he was my very first live concert ever, at the Dallas Convention Center Arena circa 1979. A cousin who is still a sound engineer with his own recording studio was a tech on that tour and got us front row and VIP backstage. The tour was made into the live album Kenny Loggins Alive. And my cousin is referenced in the liner notes. Absolutely mind-blowing for a 10-year-old. My parents and sister were all there. The biggest song of his at the time was “This Is It” shortly before he became master of the hit soundtrack song.
The first one was “I’m Alright” from Harold Ramis’ Caddyshack (1980), then “Footloose” from Herbert Ross’ Footloose (1984), which used a mind-boggling 96 tracks for instrumentation and vocals. When Loggins got together with Dean Pitchford, who co-wrote the title song, they had to delay the session for a few hours because it was the same day as the M*A*S*H series finale, one of the most watched television episodes ever.
Loggins said he went into soundtracks to avoid being absorbed into disco. But some great theme songs of the era are kinda disco. I think “Gonna Fly Now” from Rocky (1976) and Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” are ideal companion pieces. But I digress.
A resident of Santa Barbara, California since 1973, the new documentary leads up to a farewell concert there. It traces his entire life, including his complicated relationship with older brother Danny, the subject of one of his most well-known early songs, “Danny’s Song.” Danny bullied him for his awkwardness and prominent ears, which he concealed in later years with his flowing Jesus-like locks. He was very much like that album cover at the show. Smiling and reaching out.
A good portion of the documentary is about his early partnership with Jim Messina, who was originally assumed to be the one that would break out. But collaborations with Michael McDonald, including the Grammy-winning Song of the Year “What a Fool Believes” kept him on the radar. The country folk of the early days and songs like “House at Pooh Corner” made way for an edgier sound. “I’m Alright” has some rocking guitar and some vocal weirdness. Definitely fitting for a film about country club jerks and the kids that serve them. “Danger Zone” and the volleyball song from Tony Scott’s Top Gun (1986) are both iconic.
I was fascinated by the unexpected rainbow content of the film. Loggins has four biological children. One daughter is a lesbian and another transitioned not long ago. The film focuses on that and it brought everyone in the Loggins family closer together. The Loggins offspring all participate in the big concert. He has been married a few times with varying levels of success. Life on the road is tough. It’s a famous quote from one of the greatest music documentaries of all time, Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz (1978), about the band, The Band. Robbie Robertson says “it’s a g-ddamn impossible way of life.”
He’s also very close with Richard Marx, who is not just a one hit wonder. “Whenever I Call You Friend” is an amazing duet with Stevie Nicks, who was not able to participate in the documentary because she got Covid and that put the kibosh on the interview schedule. Most documentaries take years and the makers don’t know exactly where they’re going. Daughter Hannah Lu transitioning to be son Lu was unexpected, but part of life. And the love that family shows is an example to be proud of.
He’s always striving to be a better person. Environmental causes are incredibly important to him. He prefers his environmental protection songs to be his lasting legacy even more than the soundtrack songs. He has fans who have seen him hundreds of times and he really gets to know them. Several were at the final show at Santa Barbara as well, which was a tough ticket to get.
Michael McDonald was there with his signature low blue-eyed white man soul. I’ve seen McDonald live. He also works a lot with Steely Dan. And he accompanied them on at least one tour that I saw. Ever prolific, Loggins is still writing, so maybe that farewell show is not the end. And those iconic movies will live forever.
