By DONNA BALANCIA
It’s a friendship fit for a film.
Peter Frampton, the rock musician, broke a million hearts and gained an entire world of music fans in 1976, with his beyond belief best-selling live album “Frampton Comes Alive.” The album was ground-shaking and Frampton was at his peak of popularity.
Rob Arthur’s documentary film “Frampton” addresses the question of “what came next” for the rockstar in a heart-rending manner. The documentary is special because of the people interviewed in it, from Roger Daltrey to Sheryl Crow. And, Arthur had a unique viewpoint: he’s been Frampton’s bandleader for 20 years.
Arthur has been there — with his camera — documenting a range of moments in that time. But it’s all been a labor of love.
Frampton survived a terrible car crash in the Bahamas in 1978 and had a long road back via physical therapy. He made it through a tough period.
These days he’s been playing and Frampton credits a range of people who helped him get where he is. In 2019, he announced he’s battling Inclusion Body Myositis.
That was a realization moment for Arthur.
“Peter and I started a film company and we were obsessed with filming everything,” Arthur said. “I had the perfect seat filming every day, filming these candid conversations. When he was diagnosed with the illness I realized he’s got a finite amount of time to tour. It was a natural documentary idea,” he said.
“There’s tons of footage of me and him hanging out,” Arthur said. “The intimacy is all there. He also said to me, ‘When people come into my world I end up putting on the performer’s face.’”
Arthur pushed for funding for a Frampton-based documentary film.
“We got a deal on the table March 2020 and then you know what happened, lockdown,” he said.
When it was OK to do so, producer Dan Catullo of 10 Lives Studios came on the scene, and production started up once again.
“Frampton” has had a good initial run on the festival circuit so far. The film played Tribeca, Dances with Films, Nashville, Calgary and Newport Beach, with more screenings coming down the line, including the Rehoboth International Film Festival Nov. 1-8 in Rehoboth, Del.
“We even got the Audience Award in Calgary, and we got a favorite music doc of 2026 in Nashville Scene magazine,”Arthur said.
With regards to Frampton’s family, Arthur said it was a compelling timeline, personally as well as professionally.
“Peter and I have become pretty-near best friends,” Arthur said. “I watched these kids grow up since they were teenagers. Peter’s brother Clive is the most wonderful guy ever. We’ve all become very close.”
Rockstars can’t always play a strong role very often on the home front. Rob said he watched Peter go through re-discovering his fatherhood.
“It’s a wonderful thing to see,” Arthur said. “And the kids are candid in the film about it. I know they appreciate Peter’s more present as a dad and that’s played huge into his disease.” Peter’s offspring, Julian, Jade and Mia all tell the story from different angles.
Frampton’s daughter Jade moved to Nashville to be near her father, Arthur said.
“The kids are with him and Jade is a huge help to him,” he said. “Her primary job is to be her dad’s assistant“
Beautiful Mary, Frampton’s former wife and love from England, tells compelling and real stories intermingled with snippets of her own life via the fashion world.
“She and Peter have stayed in touch all this time,” Arthur said. “She’s comes out all the time.”
At one point in the documentary, Peter and brother Clive take a walk down memory lane in England.
And that’s where David Bowie also comes into play. In the film, Peter reminisces about his interaction with David Bowie, who he then knew as David Jones when they were kids. There is a lovely relationship portrayed between them in the film.
“The good news is because I’m so tight with Peter, I could say ‘I wish we had this,’ and Peter would say ‘come on over.”
“We originally had a cut of two and a half hours,” Arthur said. “I wanted to focus on his character. ‘Let’s just show this guy and let the people get to know this person.”
Arthur says above almost all, else, Frampton “just wanted to play guitar.
“I wanted to underline his guitar talent,” Arthur said. “I think he’s underrated as one of the great rock guitarists ever.“
And Frampton kept going.
“I think it’s clear in the film, it’s such a perseverance story,” Arthur said. “Peter goes through a lot of the same stuff a lot of the rockstars go through, the ripping off, the falling from grace. He was the biggest rock star in the world. It’s a character study of a man who really only wants to play guitar and keep playing and have people come see him. Also the hard work to keep that going.
“He did tell me at one point, ‘The first point of my career was fast,’ and the rebuilding was much more satisfying,” Arthur said. “He had gone through the down stuff now he’s more mature and he built a career on his own terms.
The film “Frampton” is also a story of appreciation.
“I wanted to drive home the fact he can really play the guitar,” Arthur said. “And he’s really cute. But the cuteness was a double-edged sword.
“Millions of girls fell in love with him in 1976,” Arthur said. “That image served him well. He was trying to downplay it as much as he could.”
So when one asks, ‘What happened to Frampton following the astro-success of “Frampton Comes Alive?”’ it’s not an easy answer, but Arthur said one thing for sure is the perseverance angle.
“I’ve watched a million rock docs,” Arthur said. “It’s cool to see the history. But I am fascinated how do you balance your real life with rock stardom. Personal relationships are a deep story.
“I’m proud of the fact we made a film that is about Peter’s character,” Arthur said. “The drive, the poise, the humbling nature of the business. And that’s what I’ve always admired about him. And he’s really got his shit together with the business. In all areas, I consider Peter Frampton one of the best in the business. He’s baring his soul.”
Watch the ‘Frampton’ trailer here: