Janis Joplin: Little Girl Blue

In this film excerpt from Janis: Little Girl Blue, Chan Marshall narrates Janis Joplin’s letter home to family shortly after her 27th (and last) birthday. The letter reveals a glimpse into her off-stage struggles, mostly rooted in her reckless lifestyle and strong desire to be loved.

In this outtake from Merle Haggard: Learning to Live With Myself, band members of The Strangers talk about Merle Haggard's unique and carefree performance style that ultimately pushed each musician to become better.

In this excerpt from American Masters - Janis Joplin: Little Girl Blue, Janis' letter home reveals a glimpse of the troubles she had with her band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, until she finally decided to leave to form her own.

"I feel like her legacy has been so much about her death to this point, and I hope that people understand her life a little bit more and how much she loved life and performing and being Janis Joplin." Director Amy Berg had the ability to give the audience the public Janis and the private Janis - bringing the singer back to life.

In this film outtake from Janis: Little Girl Blue, Chan “Cat Power” Marshall, who serves as the film’s narrator and provides the voice for Joplin-penned letters, discusses how she tapped into Joplin’s mindset for the documentary.

David Niehaus had no idea who Janis Joplin was when they first met in Brazil. In this outtake clip, Niehaus remembers his relationship with Janis as a liberating, wild but delicate one, in which he witnessed her most vulnerable and tender moments. Even though the couple ultimately split as her relationship with heroin and alcohol grew, he still remembers Janis at her best.

Musicians like Melissa Etheridge, Juliette Lewis and Alecia Moore (P!nk) can relate to how Janis Joplin must have felt each night after a big performance. The musicians talk about how you "cannot live out who you are on stage," and how destructive an absence of an off-stage life could be.

Janis Joplin thrilled audiences and blazed new creative trails before her death at age 27 in 1970. Oscar-nominated director Amy Berg examines Joplin’s story in depth, presenting an intimate portrait of a complicated and driven artist. The broadcast features a never-before-seen extended film cut with archival performance footage and new interviews with Joplin’s sister Laura Joplin and musicians.

Janis' one-time lover -- recalls Janis' encounter with a group of armed Hell's Angels. They had come to her house in the middle of the night, raiding her kitchen and making a commotion. When Niehaus failed to make them leave, Janis came out and told each one of them off, making them eventually leave and return with ten bags of fresh groceries to restock her refrigerator.