Everywhere Man: The Lives and Times of Peter Asher documentary follows the quirky path of one of rock’s most respected and talented music producers.
Even though his style and look were supposedly inspiration for Austin Powers, Peter Asher is more of a Forrest Gump as far as ’90s movie characters. This is not speaking to his intellectual capacity, but his uncanny ability to be at the right place at the right time during some of the most important moments in history — in this case, rock and roll.
He inadvertently introduced John Lennon to Yoko Ono and Mick Jagger to Marianne Faithful. But it wasn’t just scandalous romantic relationships he was (semi) responsible for: He helped launch the careers of James Taylor, Linda Rondstadt, and Carole King. His timing in both music and the industry itself should be studied.
And that’s essentially what directors Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine do with their documentary Everywhere Man: The Lives and Times of Peter Asher. Premiering at Telluride, the documentary puts the spotlight on one of rock’s most prolific, talented producers. It also features footage from his live shows where he entertains the audience with stories while performing hits like “A World Without Love,” made popular by the duo that made him popular, Gordon and Peter.
Geller and Goldfine also show how artists evolve and make mistakes along the way. Asher admittedly reveals that he botched James Taylor’s first album, overproducing it. (When you hear it in the doc, it will make you shake your head.) It was only on the second try that he figured out how to tap into Taylor’s more subdued vibe.
While the film essentially shies away from his personal life, it does touch upon his relationship with publicist Betsy Doster, even if it feels like there’s more of a story there to be told.
In addition to being a memoir of Peter Asher, Everywhere Man also shines a light on the rise in teenage culture and youth driving trends in ways that would make TikTokkers heads spin.
“Girls weren’t dressing like their mothers any longer,” says Pattie Boyd in an interview.
Everywhere Man doesn’t just follow the journey of Peter Asher but the evolving culture that made his journey possible.
