Mister Spazzman
By Suzanne Girot
Co-Producer and Cinematographer: Renato Frota

Wasting, wasting, wasting away – old bones and flesh decay. I’m wasting and waiting and waiting and wasting away...

— Song by Robert Goldsborough

“My music saved my life,” says Robert Goldsborough, “For two years after the accident I wanted to die.” At the age of 40, Robert fell out of a tree and broke his neck, becoming a quadriplegic. A professional musician and political activist before the accident, today he expresses his frustrations and passions through the music he writes using a voice-activated computer. Poignant, funny, sometimes downright raunchy, Robert’s songs form the central metaphor for his life. Faith and his church; sex and lovers; relationships with friends, family and caretakers are all woven into the musical tapestry he creates.

Traumatic life changes can affect relationships in often unexpected ways. Robert lives in a skilled nursing facility and must come to terms with a life of near-constant pain and 24-hour a day care. Yet he has a wide and supportive network of friends — many of them fellow political activists from his youthful days, and his musical partnership with his guitarist, David, has grown deeper, along with their shared involvement in religion. On the other hand, his relationship with Diane is seriously challenged.

Yet the more pain Robert feels, the louder he sings, making it clear that he is still finding joy and meaning in life. As the lyrics to one of his songs says, “Sometimes you got to wait in pain and desperation...to be a patient takes more than patience...”

47 minutes
© 2006
Purchase $189 VHS / Purchase $219 DVD
Order No. QA-478
ISBN (VHS) 1-57295-478-7
ISBN (DVD) 1-57295-904-5

Reviews
"The aspects of Robert Goldsborough's life told in this film create such a compelling and fascinating human interest story that everyone should watch this film. Highly Recommended." Educational Media Reviews Online

Awards & Conference Screenings
Western Psychological Association

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