Whisper: The Troy Newman Story

Whisper (The Troy Newman story)\n\n"The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering ... and he did with a guitar, the stroke of his pen and the cost of a stamp"\n\nIn a nutshell this film is a rock n roll road-trip documentary across Australia, Europe and Americas heartland to discover the secrets of Troy Newman's musical legacy.\n\n"Whisper" The Troy Newman Story, is the true story of Troy Newman who was an Australian singer-songwriter and musician who was a member of Perth pop\/rock band "Boys" from 1987 to 1988. Star of the musical Bad Boy Johnny & The Prophets of Doom and also had a solo career, releasing two albums "Gypsy Moon" (1991) and "It's Like This" (1995) before he died in March of 1997.\n\nThis feature length documentary will follow Troys rise to stardom from his humble beginnings as a quirky child growing up in Perth, Western Australia through to his death in 1997.\n\nWe all want affirmations that our lives have meaning and Troy accomplished this in many ways, but for me the most poetic are in the postcards sent to his future self. They are hopeful, honest, melancholy and at times desperate. Each time I read them, I am struck by the fact that a man so young could be so in-tune with the moment that he designed a method to touch both his present and future with the stroke of a pen, and the cost of a stamp. In this journey, Troy's postcards are the markers - a roadmap into the mind of an artistic genius.\n\nBeyond giving me a timeline of events, his first-hand accounts map his rise as a young rock star who glimpses world-wide fame, as well as the incredibly difficult task of maintaining it once you are "there" and what happens when it begins to slip through your fingers.\n\nEvery artist worth his salt has felt this way at one point or another. Knowing about an artist like Troy Newman allows us to peer over the edge, that we may avoid going too far ourselves. They say "Only the good die young." And perhaps artists like Troy know their fate - they feel a sense of urgency that pushes them to burn just a little brighter, if only to burn out more quickly.\n\nAnd so, what if I follow in these footsteps? What might I discover about his life? His music? His death? His lyrics? Who will I encounter? What if I sent my own postcard home from each of the places he sent his? What might we learn about art and life and love and connection? In the years since Troy's death, his legacy continues to grow.\n\nHis fan base includes rock legends, new artists, loyal followers, and an entirely new generation of music lovers. Gypsy Moon endures. Director, Darren J. Burns