Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl Interview with Producer Joe Martin by Jamison Namingha
Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl documents the folk music duo Amy and Derrick Ross, whose musical act goes by the name Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl. The story of the two members unfolds through love and tragedy, all in a pursuit of a life of music and storytelling.
JN: The story of Amy and Derrick is extremely compelling, and from what I’ve learned through watching the film and conducting some research, is mostly unknown. How did you learn of Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl? Were there mutual connections or did you happen to stumble across their work?
JM: The story of Nowhere Man And A Whiskey Girl was learned by our Director, on a golf course. Our Director was playing golf one morning by himself and the course paired him up with another gentleman who was playing by himself that morning. As they began talking and the stranger learned our Director was a filmmaker, he told him about a wild and sad story he knew of, which he thought would make for a good documentary. Our Director agreed and immediately went to work researching the story and reaching out to potential participants.
JN: The town of Bisbee is essential to the story of Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl, it’s as if it is a character itself. It’s noted in the film that some residents believe there is some sort of mysticism tied to it. Can you speak about this place and its mystique a bit?
JM: Astute observation and very true. Bisbee is definitely a character in the movie — we tried hard to make sure it came across that way. It’s really hard to describe Bisbee. It’s a remote town in the middle of the Arizona desert and appears more like a movie set than a real town. It consists of funky architecture and dated buildings — as if it’s a relic of another time. Yet, it is very eclectic and hip — with coffee shops, new age boutiques and countless places to enjoy art and live music. It’s a weirdly fantastical juxtaposition of yesterday meets tomorrow.
Adding to the mystique is the tunnel you must take to enter Bisbee, which residents believe holds a special power to transport you into a mindset befitting Bisbee — and which dooms current relationships.
JN: The film is rich in archival footage and photographs, which deeply engaged me as a viewer and allowed me to better connect with the lives and story of Amy and Derrick. How did you collect this treasure trove of content, and what was your process for curating and editing selections?
JM: The truth is, we worked very hard to obtain assets for the film. When you are making a documentary about an individual (or individuals) who are deceased, it is critical to bring them to life with pictures, videos and anything that is connected to them. Fortunately, we have wonderful cooperation from Amy and Derrick’s family — and nearly all of the home movies and images featured in the film are from them. Without their help, this film would not have been possible.
JN: The interview participants range from mothers and siblings, to friends and music fans. Was it challenging to locate and connect with all these individuals? Will you please tell me more about this process?
JM: Because Amy and Derrick were beloved by so many, this was not a lengthy or difficulty process. Once our Director began researching this story, he reached out to comedian Doug Stanhope. Doug was featured in the film and was very close with the couple. He connected the Director with Amy’s family, which instantly unlocked access to everyone we needed. Other than family members, everyone still lived in Bisbee. This made things much easier for us, considering we did not need to fly all over the country for interviews. Bisbee is a small, close knit town, so everyone knew how to contact everyone that crucial to interview and nearly everyone was happy to participate — in honor of Amy and Derrick.
JN: For me, the film’s beauty lies not only in the story itself, but in the ways that the couple’s unconditional love and tragic story is unified with and connected to their music. Can you tell me more about the music and its role in the film?
JM: The music is absolutely critical to the story and very much impacted the way we executed this film. Yes, this is a tragic love story about two individuals and a fate neither one of them could avoid. But our goal was for viewers to step back look at this more as an album… or a 90- minute music video. The couple was absolutely obsessed with music — and we considered it mission critical not to lose sight of what they would have wanted. In our hearts, we believe they would have wanted a documentary solely focused on their music.
We certainly couldn’t avoid telling their life stories, but their music is intentionally woven into the film so that the viewer never goes too long without hearing the beautiful music they created. We selectively chose which songs to use and where to use them and we believe it helps tell their story with more texture and purpose. Because of Amy’s condition, they were not able to tour or leverage traditional mechanisms to gain an audience and popularity. They also existed before technology such as Sound Cloud and Spotify. So, we really wanted to showcase them as musicians and turn audiences on to their music.
JN: What’s your favorite Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl song?
JM: This is such a tough question, but I think it’s ‘Tumbleweed’. For me, when I think of their lives — nomadic, without a grand plan and gone forever before establishing deep roots — it’s analogous to a tumbleweed. Amy and Derrick were special people who impacted many lives, but they moved from town to town and because of her illness, resigned themselves to living life day-by-day. While fleeting in nature, there is a freedom that comes from this lifestyle — and they enjoyed every minute of it.
JN: What is one thing that you hope that audiences take away from this documentary?
JM: This is a very good, tough question. We hope viewers fall in love with Nowhere Man And A Whiskey Girl’s music. We hope they fall in love with Amy and Derrick. We hope people learn more about Lupus and suicide prevention.
But more than anything, we truly want people to understand the dimensional aspect of human beings. Amy was so many things — musician, wife, daughter, mother, friend. But she was simply a human being. She made mistakes. She made poor choices. At times, she was selfish. She went to strip clubs and could use language that made prisoners blush. But that doesn’t change the fact she was a wonderful, gentle, giving and talented soul.
That’s the lesson — people are multi-dimensional. People make mistakes. People exercise poor judgment from time to time. Nobody is as perfect as their Instagram would suggest. So, we want people to walk away from this film more willing to admit their faults and to accept the faults in others — understanding that we all should be judged in our totality.
And there is no escaping the power of love. Derrick loved Amy so much that he forgave her cheating and was willing to do whatever it took to make her happy and keep her healthy — and ultimately decided he was not willing to live without her. There is nothing more powerful than that type of love. We want people to appreciate the power of love… to appreciate the love you receive from others… and to make a life filled with love.
The world has become an angrier, more isolated place over the last few years. Human interaction has become awkward for many. Trust in others — and society — is dissolving rapidly. We hope the story of Nowhere Man And A Whiskey Girl will remind people to seek the good in others and to add to the lives of others with their talent, their compassion and their love.
After all, there is nobody who couldn’t use more love in their life, right?
