An official trailer has been released for the upcoming Norman's Rare Guitars documentary, which will be streaming on Netflix next week.
It was announced the feature-length film would be released by the streaming giant last week but no release date was slated. Now it’s been confirmed that the film, five years in the making, is set to be available to watch from December 31.
The legendary guitar store, owned by vintage guitar expert Norman Harris, has developed a larger-than-life reputation, and has become one of the most famous vintage and rare guitar gear retailers in the world.
For Harris, though, that was never part of the plan: as he can be heard saying in the trailer: “I never thought about opening a store in my life. It was really a plan B.”
The store opened in 1975 and over the years has been frequented by a who's who of legendary electric guitar players, from Eddie Van Halen and George Harrison to Joe Bonamassa, Slash, and Machine Gun Kelly, as the store continues to inspire generations of players.
As Bonamassa says in the trailer, “The instruments that he’s sold have been used to make music that’s changed the landscape of rock ’n’ roll.”
Indeed, the reputation of Norman’s Rare Guitars extends beyond just four walls lined with drool-inducing vintage gear. As Bonamassa expands, Norm’s stock has frequently made its way onto the big screen – and smaller ones, too – and has helped shape some of Hollywood’s most famous guitar moments.
“Norm is not just guitar collecting,” says Bonamassa, “it's Hollywood; everything from The Last Waltz to Spinal Tap.”
The trailer reveals just some of the all-star names who will star in the film, with Bonamassa guesting alongside the likes of Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman, the late Taylor Hawkins, actors/musicians Kiefer Sutherland, Malcolm McDowell, and former manager Mark Agnesi, who now works at Gibson.
Smartly, Harris has ensured the store has shifted in harmony with the ever-changing landscape of the industry. His YouTube channel boasts over 600,000 subscribers, with its ‘Guitar of the Day’ series demoing rare gems and jams with big-name players.
The documentary also takes a future-minded turn, as Norm’s daughter, Sarah Edwards, opens up on her struggles to get her father to retire, admitting: “He doesn’t have an identity without that store.”
The documentary drops on Netflix on December 31, with Norman’s Rare Guitars saying it “will be available on other streaming platforms in the coming months”.
