प्लॉट

In the 60s, Billy Yeager's aunt, Bunny Yeager, began documenting Billy's life; some of this footage was edited into Billy's film "Jimmy's Story." Billy spent over 23 years filming many other characters; he played the role of Jimmy Story.

Billy Yeager spent over 23 years making his feature film "Jimmy's Story," using both VHS and film cameras. "Jimmy's Story" features vintage footage from the early 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s, following the life and struggles of a musician, Jimmy Story (character played by Billy Yeager), who is trying to get a record deal. After 15 years of rejection from the record labels, Billy's character is finally discovered in 1992 by Grammy Award Winner Bruce Hornsby. But even with the help of Hornsby and several other well known artists, who support his music, he is still rejected for another 7 years. One night, Jimmy Story watches the movie "Tootsie," featuring Dustin Hoffman as the struggling actor who cannot get a job acting. Jimmy identifies with the character and decides to use the same idea from the film, when Dustin Hoffman's character becomes a woman and lands a job as an actress. Jimmy then permanently dyes his skin black and spends a year fabricating an elaborate story of being Jimi Hendrix's long lost illegitimate son. Unbelievable as it seems, Jimmy actually pulls off the "Jimi Hendrix stunt," and is written about and featured in many news publications, musician magazines and also appears on television news shows such as WSVN in Miami. Yeager filmed all of the behind-the-scenes of Jimmy Story's performance artwork, including all the preparation, interviews, performances and news clips featuring Jimmy Story as Jimi Hendrix's son. Yeager's film aims to challenge the audience's perception of fame and success, and to make people ponder the meaning of life.—Chelsy Graph

Musician Billy Yeager spent over 23 years making the film "Jimmy's Story," which features vintage footage from the early 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Although Yeager created parts of the film with the intention of making it look like a realistic journey of his own life, at other points he challenges the audience and makes them question if what they are watching is real or just a fantasy, with acts such as the scene in which he films his own suicide. In reality a great part of the film is fictional and Yeager is simply using himself as a tool to explore the society and culture he lives in. Billy plays the role of a musician (Jimmy Story) who struggles and goes to the extreme to try to get a record deal for 15 years. To make the audience believe this he creates a poster wall with 100 rejection letters and together with other friends and actors he stages what are supposed to be publicity stunts. One night, the musician watches the movie "Tootsie," featuring Dustin Hoffman as the struggling actor who cannot get a job as an actor and disguises himself as a woman and lands a job as an actress, and he identifies with the character and uses the same idea from the film. The musician decides to permanently dye his skin black, composes musical compositions that are supposed to be The Lost Bolero tapes by Jimi Hendrix, and fabricates an elaborate story to pass himself off as Jimi Hendrix's long lost illegitimate son. All of the behind the scenes footage of the Jimmy Story's performance artwork segment, such as Billy putting his make up, wig and costume, news interviews, and live performances, was filmed by Glenn DeRosa, who plays the role of Jimmy Story's manager in the film, and edited into the film. While the segment makes the audience laugh, Billy was also trying to deliver an important message and challenge the audience's perception about fame and success, and society's obsession with celebrities; the Jimmy Story performance artwork was also intended as a performance art protest to expose the media and the press that promote sensational news and trivial matters to the public. At the same time all the craziness of a musician's life is contrasted with quiet, serious and emotional scenes such as the ones filmed in the cemetery with Billy's ailing father, Ray Yeager, who is dying from cancer, and sincerely shares his words of wisdom with his son, and also the scenes of Yeager speaking on camera about the meaning and purpose of life and the film itself. When a film begins and ends with quotes from Ecclesiastes, one thinks of the film as a book that one closes, but with a message that never really ends.

Musician Billy Yeager spent over 23 years making the film "Jimmy's Story," which features vintage footage from the early 1960s, the 70s, 80s and 90s. Although Yeager created parts of the film with the intention of making it look like a realistic journey of his own life, at other points he challenges the audience and makes them question if what they are watching is real or just a fantasy, with acts such as the scene in which he films his own suicide. In reality a great part of the film is fictional and Yeager is simply using himself as a tool to explore the society and culture he lives in. Billy plays the role of a musician (Jimmy Story) who struggles and goes to the extreme to try to get a record deal for 15 years. To make the audience believe this he creates a poster wall with 100 rejection letters and together with other friends and actors he stages what are supposed to be publicity stunts. One night, the musician watches the movie "Tootsie," featuring Dustin Hoffman as the struggling actor who cannot get an acting job and disguises himself as a woman and lands a job as an actress, and he identifies with the character and uses the same idea from the film. The musician decides to permanently dye his skin black, composes musical compositions that are supposed to be The Lost Bolero tapes by Jimi Hendrix, and fabricates an elaborate story to pass himself off as Jimi Hendrix's long lost illegitimate son. All of the behind the scenes footage of the Jimmy Story's performance artwork segment, such as Billy putting his make up, wig and costume, news interviews, and live performances, was filmed by Glenn DeRosa, who plays the role of Jimmy Story's manager in the film, and edited into the film. While the segment makes the audience laugh, Billy was also trying to deliver an important message and challenge the audience's perception about fame and success, and society's obsession with celebrities; Jimmy Story's performance piece was also intended as a performance art protest to expose the media and the press that promote sensational news and trivial matters to the public. At the same time all the craziness of a musician's life is contrasted with quiet, serious and emotional scenes, such as the ones filmed in the cemetery with Billy's ailing father, Ray Yeager, who is dying from cancer, and sincerely shares his words of wisdom with his son, and also the scenes of Yeager speaking on camera about the meaning and purpose of life and the film itself. When a film begins and ends with quotes from Ecclesiastes, one thinks of the film as a book that one closes, but with a message that never really ends.