The guitar that inspired millions to pick up their own instruments has been missing since the ‘80s, so Michael J. Fox and Gibson are teaming up to find it.
Norman’s Rare Guitars in Tarzana, California is one of the most famous guitar shops in the world. Known for being among the first major dealers of vintage guitars, Norman Harris (who has been the subject of his own documentary—a story for another time) also ran a side hustle of renting equipment out to Hollywood productions. And that’s how it came to be that Back to the Future’s Michael J. Fox, in the role of Marty McFly, famously brandished a rare, one-of-a-kind Cherry Red Gibson ES-345 for a now-iconic performance of the Chuck Berry standard “Johnny B. Goode.”
But the story doesn't end there.
When production wrapped, the filmmakers responsibly returned the guitar to Norman’s. But when they returned to Norman’s a few years later, intent on borrowing the same guitar for the sequel, it was nowhere to be found. The guitar, it seems, had been sold in the interim.
It’s only natural that cinephiles and guitar buffs alike would have great interest in tracking down this legendary prop. “I started searching for this guitar back in 2009 on my first day on the job at Norman’s Rare Guitars,” says Mark Agnesi, Director of Brand Experience at Gibson. (We miss your videos on the NRG Instagram, Mark!)
In something of a full-circle moment, Agnesi, who worked at Norman’s for over a decade, is now part of the team at Gibson, which is going public with the search by partnering with director Doc Crotzer for a true-crime-style documentary, called Lost to the Future, chronicling the search for the guitar. “After 16 years of searching, I’m so excited to get the entire guitar community together to help find the guitar that made me, and so many other guitarists of my generation, want to learn to play,” Agnesi said.
“This is the movie that made me want to be a filmmaker, and the scene that made me pick up a guitar for the first time,” says Crotzer. “As children of the '80s, it is our duty to take fans of music, fans of the movie, and fans of true crime documentaries with us on this too-crazy-to-believe quest to find our generation's Excalibur.”
The documentary, which is being produced by Gibson Films, will feature interviews with the film’s stars, including Fox, Lea Thompson, and Christopher Lloyd. Gibson promises the film will “transport viewers back to 1985 to celebrate the music, culture, and defining moments of the era through a rich collection of archival photos, stories, film clips, and iconic songs.”
Fans are being encouraged to drop any tips they might have regarding the ES-345’s whereabouts via www.LostToTheFuture.com or call/text 1-855-345-1955.
Comments
Loading…