Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between Review – Excellent, A Must See

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Category: Indies, Docs, Foreign Film

Published on Tuesday, 03 June 2025 10:44

Written by Janet Walker

Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between presents a quintessential New York story of a multi-racial musician from Brooklyn, who grew during the time when simmering racial tensions shut doors as he fought against stereotypes.

Narrated primarily by Garland, and as the documentary transitions into his married life, his wife, Claire. Growing up, for those who have some idea of Brooklyn, which is essentially a shoreline surrounding the middle. Coney Island amusement park, and the view of Manhattan, for those who grew up in Brooklyn, the countless streets where filled with untold stories, and while every dreamer's dream is to escape those dead end streets, the music, the lyrics, of those memories begin to inform the words that make up the songs.

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Garland was influenced by his time, the sounds of the day, the different styles of music, that can be heard on every street corner, from do-wop, reggae, and jazz, to crossing into Manhattan, where musicians would gather at Greenwich Village, playing the sounds of the day, and the influence of rock would find its way into the soul.

Garland Jeffreys: King of the In Between is an autobiographical documentary, it is a story of the life and times, and throughout we meet his parents, and hear the stories of his humble beginnings, and the effort his father made to ensure his life would be better. He went to Syracuse University and meet a young Lou Reed; the pair became lifelong friends and as Reed was the DJ at his local college radio station, there is soundtrack as he calls out on the air for Garland to meet him in the studio.

Even as the music tide is changing, and by 1977 Rolling Stone magazine names Garland Best New Artist, and his album "Ghost Writer." Oddly, the album received lukewarm reception in the United States, but throughout Europe Jeffreys developed a mega-following.

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Garland explains life as a working man singer-songwriter, and while passion for the music is definitely the driver, the man's got to pay his bills, also. And by this time, his wife and daughter were in the picture, so more than scrapping by he needed to provide a home. Which meant working when and where he could.

Bruce Sprinsteen, explains that Garland is a like the great songwriters of the day, and after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when Asbury Park, Springsteen hometown was suffering, Jeffreys was invited to perform and they sang, New York Skyline, a song written by Garland, is the echo of every person who has left the city and returned.

Jeffreys wrote "New York Skyline, New York Skyline, I can see those city lights, And I can feel those neon signs, Bright lights, big city, Well it must be modern times, Yes it must be modern times, Well it must be modern times," as he described the most identifiable skyline in the world which holds a place in the hearts of millions. Jeffreys brings that home to the city we love or once loved.

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While Jeffreys, who is so non-descript, could walk down any street in Manhattan without anyone noticing, never reached the pinnacle of fame many expected, there seemed to be a contentment, freedom, and satisfaction..

Garland Jeffreys: King of the In between, the audience winner at NYC DOC fest 2023, features interviews with Laurie Anderson, Bruce Springsteen, Savannah Jeffreys, Harvey Keitel, Lou Reed, Robert Christgau, Michael Cuscana, Alejandro Escovedo, Jamaica Kincaid, Philip Frank, Vernon Reid, and Roger Gunveur.

Sadly, since beginning the film, Garland has been suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and is now in the final stages. This truly makes the film stand as his legacy.

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Country: US.

Language: English.

Runtime: 70 minutes.

Release Date: June 6, 2025.

Director: Claire Jeffreys.

Producer: Claire Jeffreys, Evan M. Johnson.

Executive Producer: Blair Foster, Rémi Grellety, Sam Pollard, Evan Oppenheimer, Bob Appleby, Juliana Terian.

Co-Executive Producer: Steven Van Zandt, Maureen Van Zandt, Danny Zelisko, Kathleen Lavelle, Bill Tureby.

Featuring Interviews: Garland Jeffreys, Claire Jeffreys, Savannah Jeffreys, Harvey Keitel, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Bruce Springsteen, Robert Christgau, Michael Cuscana, Alejandro Escovedo, Jamaica Kincaid, Philip Frank, Vernon Reid, Roger Gunveur.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is completing the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," which is expected to be released in early 2025. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.