Last Days Here

Last Days Here
Artwork for the DVD release.
Video Information

Last Days Here is a documentary depicting the fall and rise of Bobby Liebling of Pentagram. The documentary details his chance at a major label deal in the 70s and tolling in obscurity due to unstable behavior and especially addiction. It details the work of a fan/manager (Pelletier) helping Bobby to overcome addiction and getting back to performing again.

Background

Synopsis

The documentary begins with Liebling rummaging through a collection of vintage clothing and talking about wearing the clothes for performances, saving them for when he got big and to follow with the statement "But I never did".

It cuts to suburban Philadelphia with a fan (and later manager) Sean "Pellet" Pelletier describing first finding Relentless before a mutual fan via a label exposing him to the 70s era of Pentagram (This would lead to his involvement with Liebling and the band beginning in 2000, specifically the First Daze Here compilations). Cue 2007 and Bobby smoking crack in the sub-basement and putting on 2005 demos, reminiscing about rock n' roll and addiction. Pellet speaks with Bobby about negotiating with Housecore Records (Run by Phil Anselmo) about putting out a new album at the time with the surviving members of the original lineup. Geof O' Keefe and Greg Mayne mention the story of KISS visiting the band and a failed demo session with Murray Krugman in New York via Colombia Records. Liebling's parents talk about his upbringing and his father mentions his tenure as a Secretary of Defense before his concerns with Liebling's health, mental and physical.

A few months later, change is sparked in Liebling's life when he finds newfound love in a girlfriend named Hallie, leading to him moving out of his parents' sub-basement and working actively with musicians again. Meanwhile, Pellet heads to California to meet with Geof O' Keefe and negotiate interest in the new Pentagram record, along with sifting through numerous archived Pentagram material from the 1970s and detailing on the friendship between Liebling and O'Keefe. Liebling's relationship falls apart and a relapse is hinted as they meet with Jimmy Bower and Phil Anselmo to negotiate the contract with Housecore. Pellet visits Liebling again shortly to find he has relapsed and later is incarcerated.

Bobby moves back to Maryland and to Pellet's surprise, he's getting focused on making music again, eventually finding a group of musicians in the Maryland scene. Two shows are booked and previous members mention failed reunions in 2001 and 2005. However these two shows end up happening as documented with footage of the initial return set at Webster Hall in New York City. Later it's shown that Bobby and Hallie got back together, get married and would have a child together.

Production

Co-director Fenton first became familiar with Liebling after listening to Pentagram's 1970s recordings on cassette tape and the 2001 compilation First Daze Here, and enjoying the early Pentagram material. He heard rumors about Liebling, including living in his parents' basement and ingesting illegal drugs. When Fenton and Argott began filming Liebling, they were not sure if a documentary could result. Fenton said, "It really seemed like he was going to smoke himself to death in his parents' basement, something we weren't interested in documenting." When Liebling attempted to recover from his lifestyle, the directors saw potential for a documentary.

The directors filmed hundreds of hours of footage from 2006 - 2010 with very little budgeting. Fenton said about addressing the swift changes in Liebling's life, "Many times we had to finesse the rapid shifts in Bobby’s life so the viewer wouldn’t be left confused." He said that Liebling had shown multiple sides of himself, which the directors tried to balance for their documentary.

Last Days Here premiered at South by Southwest on March 14, 2011. In the following month, Sundance Selects acquired the rights to distribute Last Days Here in North America. It distributed the documentary in theaters and through its video on demand platform. It was released commercially on July 31, 2012 in DVD format.

Aftermath

Pentagram since managed to tour all over the United States and Europe since the 2009 shows, their first real tours in the bands extensive existence. Eventually, the "Last Rites" lineup would shift entirely and former guitarist Victor Griffin would get back in the band with Liebling, eventually leading to two more studio albums (Last Rites in 2011 and Curious Volume in 2015).

As for Liebling he would eventually separate for Hallie Liebling roughly around 2011. Joe Liebling would pass away in 2016 while Bobby would be arrested and sentenced to 18 months in prison for assaulting his own mother Diane in late 2016.

Songs Used in the Film

• All Your Sins (Griffin / Liebling)
• Forever My Queen (Liebling)
• Last Days Here (Liebling / O'Keefe)
• Review Your Choice (Liebling / Mayne)
• Earth Flight (Liebling)
• Take Me Away (O'Keefe)
• Yes I Do (Liebling)
• Walk In The Blue Light (Liebling)
• Lazy Lady (Liebling / O'Keefe)
• Catwalk (Liebling)
• Livin' in a Ram's Head (Liebling)
• Taken No More (Isom)
• Fac 21 (Stars of the Lid)
• Ballad of Distances Pt. 1 (Stars of the Lid)
• Priestess (Don Argott)
• Missing Teeth (Don Argott)
• Last Days (Don Argott)
• Last Call (Mike Matthews; performed by Bedemon)
• Far Light (Rachel Grimes)
• Cycles #1 (Rachel Grimes)
• Controlled By Lunar Forces (Argott, Demian Fenton, Sean-Paul Fenton)
• Headed for an Unmarked Grave (Argott, Fenton)

Personnel

Starring

• Bobby Liebling
• Sean "Pellet" Pelletier

Other Notable Appearances

NOTE: While notably featured are friends and family related to the band, this is a list of musicians that appear in the film.

• Joe Hasselvander (Interview/archived 1980s video)
• Victor Griffin (Interview/archived 1980s video)
• Martin Swaney (Archived 1980s video)
• Geof O' Keefe
• Greg Mayne
• Walter White (Live 2001 video)
• Dale Russell (Live 2001 video)
• Internal Void (Live 2005 video)
• Kayt Vigil (2008 rehearsal video)
• Gary Isom (2008 / 2009 rehearsal / live video)
• Russ Strahan (2008 / 2009 rehearsal / live video)
• Mark Ammen (2008 / 2009 rehearsal / live video)
• Murray Krugman (Famous Producer)
• Phil Anselmo
• Jimmy Bower
• Ian Christie (Author, Sound of the Beast)
• Hank Williams III (Only appears in deleted scenes)
• Witchcraft (Only appears in deleted scenes)
• Matt Pike (Only appears in deleted scenes)

Technical Personnel

• Dan Argott - Director, Camera
• Demian Fenton - Director, Editor, Camera
• Sheena M. Joyce - Producer
• Pentagram - Music
• Stars of the Lid - Music
• Rachel Grimes - Music

External Links

Last Days Here Official Trailer - HD Movie (2012)

"Last Days Here" - The Fall and Rise of Bobby Liebling - uncut teaser trailer