thanks for posting - looks interesting.
dude was always pretty big in Australia as well (toured here '79 & '81 and then again just a few years back I think).
'I wonder' was AM staple here for some time.
gives me flashbacks. around 10 years ago i found the South African (obviously...)pressing of Sugarman LP in the Mabu Vinyl record shop in Cape Town and Stephen sold it to me saying this is a very special record. it was the first time i've seen it.
holy shit! I saw the ad a few days ago but it was too far away to catch any details
and I actually ended up telling myself "this can't have anything to do with him".
really want to see this..
i still haven't got an OG of Cold Fact, hope this doesn't shoot the prices up...
also, the trailer looks pretty well done, hope the film delivers!
He also played here 3 years ago (and tore shit up I might add). I also have a vinyl copy of his 81show that he did in OZ way back where he kills it. Sidebar - he played the same week that Rod Stewart did when he was on the top of the charts and Rodriguez pulled a bigger crowd even though he had no chart presence and just word of mouth following.
In OZ he is quite big and well known because a Melbourne company Blue Goose picked up the rights for his 2 LPs and pressed them up locally as well as a compilation that features 3 songs that were never released. You can find clean Blue Goose copies of Sugarman for around $10-15 not too hard. His second LP isnt as common.
The doco played in Sydney as part of a film festival but only two screenings at they sold out straight away. Looking forward to the proper release. I believe its a similar premise to a website that was set up years ago about Rodriguez by some South African fans talking about how they tracked him down through his daughters I believe and got him to come to SA in 94 (?) to do a gig.
One thing I always wanted to know more about regarding Rodriguez is the Dennis Coffey & Mike Theodore connection. How they came about producing a more folk style artist and who else played on the LPs...
Invite You and a Guest to An Advanced Screening of
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN
Please join us for the following New York special screening:
Wednesday, July 18th at 8:00 PM
(550 Madison Avenue between 55th and 56th, 7th Floor)
Immediately following the screening there will be a brief Q & A with Rodriguez and director Malik Bendjelloul
SEATING IS LIMITED - RSVP???s GIVEN ON FIRST RECEIVED, FIRST SERVED BASIS
RSVP to SugarMan@42west.net
In the late ???60s, a musician was discovered in a Detroit bar by two celebrated Motown producers who were struck by his soulful melodies and prophetic lyrics. They recorded an album that they believed was going to secure his reputation as one of the greatest recording artists of his generation. In fact, the album bombed and the singer disappeared into obscurity amid rumors of a gruesome on-stage suicide. But a bootleg recording found its way into apartheid South Africa and, over the next two decades, it became a phenomenon (as big as The Beatles). Two South African fans then set out to find out what really happened to their hero. Their investigation led them to a story more extraordinary than any of the existing myths about the artist known as Rodriguez. This is a film about hope, inspiration and the resonating power of music.
Opening NY/LA on July 27, 2012 | Runtime: 85 min | Not Yet Rated
Soundtrack available everywhere starting July 24, 2012, through Columbia/Legacy
For additional information:
Scott Feinstein ??? Scott.Feinstein@42west.net
Beau Benton ??? Beau.Benton@42west.net
For Film Site, High-Res Art & Press Information visit: http://press.sonyclassics.com/
User Name: press
Password: sonyclassics
saw it earlier today, incredible, such an awesome doco, lots of people brought to tears, the swedish? interviewer comes across as a toolbox but everything else is awesome, people need to go see this as soon as the chance arises. no mention of his popularity in OZ or NZ at all, it just plays it straight from the SA perspective, like SA is the only place in the world which ever sold Rodriguez LPs but overall that's a minor qualm. would have been cool for him to play/sing for the camera, some new performing footage, the most recent stuff is the 98 SA tour, all the recent stuff is just interviews & footage of him in his house & roaming Detroit. Good interviews (considering the interviewer) with Coffey, Theodore & Clarence Avant as well.
I believe its a similar premise to a website that was set up years ago about Rodriguez by some South African fans talking about how they tracked him down through his daughters I believe and got him to come to SA in 94 (?) to do a gig.
.
this is pretty much the synopsis of the film, how the south african guys tracked down a "lost" artist in 1997 who the Australians had found & toured in 1980 already & then proceed to paint it as though he hasn't played in public since he lost his Sussex contract in 73 lol
still awesome.
Does anyone know who is backing band is this time around? Did they find local musicians for each city? I know that his 2009 US tour was backed by the Fresh & Onlys, but I'm curious to know who they have lined up for these upcoming dates.
Finally got a chance to see this doc--really well done, if a bit oversimplified...the NYT had an accurate review recently.
I thought this documentary was horrible. Poorly shot, poorly edited, the story itself had gaping contradictions (ex. One of the South African experts on Rodriguez say he never recorded again, and then in one of the musical interludes they play stuff from his unreleased 1973 album).
The interview with Rodriguez was horrible, he's touching the microphone the entire time and no one has the sense to tell him not to. Its so bad that they had the interviewer off camera re-do his questions in a VO session in silence and the difference in background noise between question and answer is jarring.
No one delved into what inspired Rodriguez and his song writing nor did anyone really see what he was up to in the 70's 80's and 90's beyond coworkers saying he did construction, what about his personal life? (He has kids, does he have a wife?) his feelings towards the failure of his LP's (he obviously recorded material for another album, what happened there?), what about the money people were sending to A&M/ Sussex for album sales that he seemingly never recieved? FAIL
Most of the experts come across as blowhards who use far too much hyperbole in their interviews (ex. "no one knew who Rodriguez was in the US", "Rodriguez was way bigger than the Rolling Stones").
there were a few great parts of the doc; I liked the build up to his South African concert, one of the few well done scenes, also seeing a copy of his LP in a South African Government building with the first track scratched up was a great example of showing how they tried to censor his music. But overall this looked like something I'd see on YouTube in 3 parts.
The hype around the film was real confusing to me.
Wasn't his record recently reissued with a tour with lots of hype and npr interviews a few years back?
His record certainly did sell. I used to pick it up all the time in the 90s to sell over seas.
It lacked the funk and the soul that my domestic customers wanted.
I am I correct in remembering he was a pleasant singer songwriter, but no where near the artist Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway or Joe South?
Reminds of the hype around Buena Vista Social Club. No one Cuba listens to Son.
The hype around the film was real confusing to me.
Wasn't his record recently reissued with a tour with lots of hype and npr interviews a few years back?
His record certainly did sell. I used to pick it up all the time in the 90s to sell over seas.
It lacked the funk and the soul that my domestic customers wanted.
I am I correct in remembering he was a pleasant singer songwriter, but no where near the artist Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway or Joe South?
Reminds of the hype around Buena Vista Social Club. No one Cuba listens to Son.
His Lyrics and the songs just overall seem really nice, but although its said by the two South African characters that his lyrics were inspirational to South Africans its not backed up by any facts or personal stories.
I do believe he got the reissue treatment a few years back, and hearing his tracks in the film did make me pull out my copy of Cold Fact and give it a good listen, but the film could of been done so much better.
overall this looked like something I'd see on YouTube in 3 parts.
^^Definitely, although that's probably dual commentary...both on the quality of the film, as well as the raised expectations of "prosumer" DIY documentaries today.
Guzzo, I think your critiques are fair--and I'm definitely not one to argue with sloppy cinematography (of which there was some). There are holes...the biggest being the focus on the "lost & found" narrative rather than the man himself. I think my expectation coming into the theater wasn't a biopic, at which point it was satisfying to me (and had some interesting source interviews). The biggest challenge IMO was trying to "recreate" this lost & found concept when clearly interviewing/trailing Rodriguez with a camera in 2010 or whenever doesn't hold the same mystique as in 1998...they had to replay/roleplay it, and definitely fell flat in some spots.
For me, the Sussex < -- > South Africa relationship is curious and one that was probably too hard to tackle in the confines of the doc. Still, it would have been wise to definitively say whether the South African labels were bootleggers, or the Sussex label were taking apartheid money, or they were crooks, or some verifiable combination of the two. As others in this thread have mentioned, there were other countries where Rodriguez was bag as well (Australia/NZ), and I assume there may have been some sort of distribution/connection that Sussex had arranged...but how did apartheid play into this?
Full disclosure: I've lived in southern Africa for a few years, so the singular focus on the South African connection only amplified my enjoyment of the film; YMMV.
In any event, I appreciated the film for what it was and would still recommend it. But yes, it leaves things unanswered, and it's not at all a complete portrait of the man by any stretch.
Opening here Friday.
Paper had a nice q and a.
I hope it makes it to the cheap theater, I will go.
'Searching for Sugar Man' rock recluse Rodriguez speaks out: Q&A
Published: Sunday, August 12, 2012, 11:47 AM Updated: Sunday, August 12, 2012, 1:06 PM
Marc Mohan, Special to The Oregonian By Marc Mohan, Special to The Oregonian
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Almost four years ago, I was listening to Seattle???s KEXP radio and a song jumped out at me, a song which stood out against the usual wall-to-wall ironic indie sounds, more like something unearthed from the heyday of classic rock. It turned out that was exactly the case, as the deejay soon explained: ???Sugar Man??? was a track off ???Cold Fact,??? a 1971 album by an artist known simply as Rodriguez. The Detroit-based Rodriguez released that record and one more before falling into near-total obscurity, only to be rediscovered decades on as a wry, Dylanesque chronicler of urban counterculture ennui, and appreciated as something much more than a novelty.
Now comes a documentary, ???Searching for Sugar Man,??? which brings much more of Rodriguez???s remarkable story to light. It turns out that, during his 1970s American anonymity, he was becoming a household name in South Africa. There, under repressive Apartheid-era rule, bootleg copies of ???Cold Fact??? and its successor, ???Coming from Reality,??? were as ubiquitous as ???Sgt. Pepper??? or ???Let It Bleed.??? The movie chronicles the efforts of two South African Rodriguez fans to track down information on the enigmatic musician, whom local rumor held had killed himself on stage in the 1970s.
Director Malik Bendjelloul met one of these fans, nicknamed ???Sugar,??? while backpacking in Cape Town, and struggled to get financing to make the film. ???There are scenes in this movie I shot on my iPhone,??? he recalled in a telephone interview, ???and a lot of the score was composed on a laptop in my kitchen.???
Though Rodriguez also had a following in Australia at the time, it???s not mentioned in the movie. ???That???s because I wanted to tell the story chronologically from the perspective of the South Africans. This is as much Sugar???s story as it is Rodriguez???s.??? He also shied away from exploring too much of Rodriguez???s personal life. ???If I tried I probably could have dug up dirty stories,??? says Bendjelloul, ???but I wanted to be respectful of this guy. He???s like a Buddha-like figure, when you meet him you kind of fall in love with him.???
Spoiler alert: Rodriguez is alive and well. I???m pretty sure of this because I recently spoke with him (or someone who claimed to be him) by telephone. At 70, he has something of the demeanor of an aging hippie whose thoughts rarely move in a straight line, but with the same sincerity and spirit that have allowed him to navigate the ups and downs of the last forty years with remarkable poise.
Q. Interviewed in ???Searching for Sugar Man,??? you don???t display any bitterness or regret about how your music career went. How were you able to maintain that sort of equanimity and level-headedness upon finding out that, if you???d known about it at the time, you could have been a big star in South Africa?
A. Well, I was too disappointed to be disappointed. In this business there???s a lot of rejection, a lot of criticism, and a lot of disappointment. It???s like applying for a job. If you don???t get that grace, it just doesn???t happen. I try to take a sensible look at things, and prepare for the worst almost, so I basically just went back to work, I finished school, took care of my family, tried to make a living, tried to stay busy.
Q. It certainly seems like you had a fulfilling life during that time, but I don???t think that everyone would react quite the same way if they found they had missed out on this glory. I also feel like I can detect that attitude in the songs, a wistful, almost fatalistic tone.
A. I think that we have a purpose in life, that we all have a mission, and it???s individual. It???s like soldiers in the field, like people in the service in another country. The guys who are blowing themselves up in the Middle East???that???s not their purpose. You???re supposed to win and live and create, y???know. Even for a soldier, his job is not to sacrifice his life but to survive and continue.
Q. Did you have any uneasiness about the documentary and being exposed to a wider audience, at least in the U.S.? Were you concerned about maintaining anonymity?
A. I did want [the music] to hit. I did want it to succeed. And apparently it did succeed in another country, but the success of that was something that I didn???t even know about. I only knew the story up to ???73, because that???s when I left the music scene. But I didn???t leave music, okay?
Q. Do you worry, though, that you won???t be able to walk down the streets of Detroit without being recognized?
A. I???ll tell you this: I have maximum security, man, I take care of myself. As far as being scared, I don???t know that feeling. I just mind my own business and keep taking my steps. I try to protect my personal self, my private life, just like anybody. I hope I can control that. It gets a little overlapping, but so far it???s been okay.
Q. Not to overlap too much, but, watching the documentary, I couldn???t help but wonder about what was going on with you back then that led to these records. There???s a lot of counter-cultural, political, drug-related stuff in there, and I wondered what your situation and state of mind were when you made that music.
A. The '60s and the '70s were turbulent times in America. The young folks were resisting the draft, they were burning their draft cards, moving to Canada. The students were being fired on at Kent State. In South Africa, they had constriction as well, and they traded tapes of my stuff, and that???s how it started out. Songs like ???I Am a Rock??? by Paul Simon, ???Eve of Destruction??? by Barry McGuire, ???Masters of War??? by Bob Dylan, ???Ohio??? by Neil Young, those songs helped us get through that period, in the same way they used my songs over there.
Q. Have you felt the urge to return to songwriting, to use some of the crazy twists and turns in your life for material? Are you still in the same head space artistically and politically?
A. I describe myself as a musical protestor. Folk music is one of the musical genres that speaks to that. In a couple of hours we???re going to the Newport Folk Festival, and it???s the hundred-year anniversary of Woody Guthrie. That genre of music is appealing to me because it speaks of the issues that are at hand, as opposed to boy-girl songs, you know. Protest music is something you can put ideas into. (My music has) form, and it???s got verse and chorus -- I did work on those songs, but I think the things which shaped me were the cities on fire in America, the assassinations, and the strife that was happening.
Q. For me, the most touching part of the documentary was hearing your three daughters talk about how gratified they were that you???d finally received some recognition for your work. They seem like remarkable people, but there???s not much information on their childhood situation in the film. Was it a struggle bringing them up?
A. No, they were right close by, and they make sure everything???s cool. They???ve got their own stories, I keep talking about Eva. She???s a 20-year veteran of the Army. She did Desert Storm. She was there when they brought down the Berlin Wall; she sent me a little sliver of it. She was in the Middle East, in Egypt. She became a helicopter pilot. Thing is, I told her ???Don???t go in the service.??? And then she goes in the service at eighteen, and it broke my heart. If she asked me again right now, I???d say ???No, don???t go in the service,??? because, hey, listen, I know who goes in the service, you know, and they come back different.
Q. Any plans to do a U.S. tour?
A. They???re setting up twenty dates, so I???m gonna be around. I don???t think we???re going to Oregon, though, but maybe nearby. (In fact, Rodriguez is scheduled to play the Wonder Ballroom on Oct. 13th)
Saw this as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival. I thought it was really great.
They had a Q&A with the director afterwords, which was pretty insightful, but he couldn't really explain why the Aus/NZ connection wasnt explored in the film at all. There were even dudes in the audience that were at the 1980 concert. My theory is, it adding the AUS/NZ part to the narrative would simply cloud out the 'searching' focus of the story, which is fine.
I also think Guzzo's critique about the film missing out on getting insights into Rodgrieuz's song writing and his side of the story during 70's 80's and 90's is fair. But, you can only do so much in a documentary. As someone not tooo familiar with the man and his music, the doco was a great introduction to his music. It certainly made a positive impression. I think with all the attention it has generated about Rodgrieuz, more interviews will emerge and the motivations behind his music will be explored and revealed by more competent interviewers.
For me, the Sussex < -- > South Africa relationship is curious and one that was probably too hard to tackle in the confines of the doc. Still, it would have been wise to definitively say whether the South African labels were bootleggers, or the Sussex label were taking apartheid money, or they were crooks, or some verifiable combination of the two. As others in this thread have mentioned, there were other countries where Rodriguez was bag as well (Australia/NZ), and I assume there may have been some sort of distribution/connection that Sussex had arranged...but how did apartheid play into this?
I haven't sen the doco, but for what its worth there was a label called Blue Goose which released his albums in Australia (based in Melbourne's Flinder's Lane no less, which is totally central for all the non-Aust strutters out there) - Cold Fact and the At his Best below are both on Blue Goose .. not sure if they handled SA, but I would be inclined to doubt it ..
^^^^"It turns out that, during his 1970s American anonymity, he was becoming a household name in South Africa. There, under repressive Apartheid-era rule, bootleg copies of ???Cold Fact??? and its successor, ???Coming from Reality,??? were as ubiquitous as ???Sgt. Pepper??? or ???Let It Bleed.???"
SA presses are on Sussex but licensed locally by United Artists (South Africa) one of their major labels at the time, the South African press copies the different colour scheme found on the UK press which is on A&M, so a logical conclusion may be that United SA dealt with A&M UK who got it from Sussex US. Blue Goose was just the Australasian editions. All are probably licensed legit from either the European (A&M) or US (Sussex) source. But as the film dwells on, the money probably got as far as the source of the license but not back to Rodriguez.
As for the quality of Rodriguez songs and his quality as an artists I personally see him as one of my all time favourite singer/songwriters. I think his albums should be revered and deserve classic status and more ppl should know about him and his music. The fact you had Coffey and Theodore producing give his music a darker, heavier and funkier feel than most folk style music IMO. Its one thing that always brings me back. His lyrics are a excellent and insightful, great themes, honest reflection, poetic yet not too abstract, plenty of 'streetness' to them.
I have everything I know of that he ever putout and have never tired of his voice (which I also think is underrated) or his music. I have only met a couple of people that did not fall in love with his music when I have played it to them. No bullshit, over the years I have had family and friends, many who dont really give a shit about music beyond what the radio plays, go out of their way to get me to tape them the albums or request I p;lay it again etc.
Probably the only artist I can think of that when most people in my life have heard it they instantly became engaged, and dug it. I had an ex GF message me recently that she finally tracked down a vinyl copy of the LP after years of searching and she reckons when we broke up she went through withdrawal symptoms because she couldn't hear his music hehehehe
I first came across him when a few mates got played his album while visiting a local speed dealer they knew (Rodriguez had a big following in Australian jails apparently). It was all they could talk about for weeks...'you got to hear this album' 'you need to come to Robs to hear this shit' etc. I went over to the dealers place soon after and heard Cold Fact and went hunting for the LP soon after. And from then on I think the word spread to around 100 plus dudes from my area, mates of mates etc.
I know some people dont feel his music as much but I just wanted to share my experiences with his music and like I said, I have never come across an artists that pulled so many people in with his music in such a grassroots way. Maybe because he wasnt well know it made his music even more appealing but there is something about the total package his voice, lyrics, the music the themes that just resonates with a lot of people I know. It could be a Southern Hemisphere thing though
And I am pretty certain Blue Goose actually bought the rights to his music after his US label refused to put out his second album (which they did locally). The linar notes for his Rodriguez Alive LP has lots of b/g info on his Australian relationship and was written by Glenn A Baker (OZ heads know the deal)....
Obsessive record nerds should know ahead of time that the movie is about some South African fans who thought he was dead. The movie tracks their inept attempts to find out what happened to him and his triumphant tour of South Africa in '98.
Along the way we find out he is a humble guy with 3 very nice daughters.
I liked the film work, the sepia shots of Detroit, trying to make it look more 70s.
There is a little bit of animation.
There is a good amount of music (for a doc), mostly lp tracks.
The story (of these SA guys) is well told.
I told Nancy the real on the way out of theater and she was very disappointed.
Add to above mentioned hyperbole, he is a prophet and much better songwriter than Dylan.
I thought Avant was treated shabbily. I never heard he was crooked before.
The IRS seized Sussex and sold off the assets in 1975, so I doubt South African and Australian money came to Avant.
They never talked about writer royalties, where the real money would have been.
We know nothing about his daughters mother. I wouldn't be surprised, from what the movie said about Sixto, if he gave all his royalties to their mother.
Hotsauce84
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dude was always pretty big in Australia as well (toured here '79 & '81 and then again just a few years back I think).
'I wonder' was AM staple here for some time.
Want. to. see. !
i haven't had time to check out the trailer, but i'm positive he toured australia at least in the 90s.
gives me flashbacks. around 10 years ago i found the South African (obviously...)pressing of Sugarman LP in the Mabu Vinyl record shop in Cape Town and Stephen sold it to me saying this is a very special record. it was the first time i've seen it.
need to see this movie
I had never heard the rumor that he killed himself until watching the trailer.
thanks for getting the facts right!
i still haven't got an OG of Cold Fact, hope this doesn't shoot the prices up...
also, the trailer looks pretty well done, hope the film delivers!
and I actually ended up telling myself "this can't have anything to do with him".
really want to see this..
He also played here 3 years ago (and tore shit up I might add). I also have a vinyl copy of his 81show that he did in OZ way back where he kills it. Sidebar - he played the same week that Rod Stewart did when he was on the top of the charts and Rodriguez pulled a bigger crowd even though he had no chart presence and just word of mouth following.
In OZ he is quite big and well known because a Melbourne company Blue Goose picked up the rights for his 2 LPs and pressed them up locally as well as a compilation that features 3 songs that were never released. You can find clean Blue Goose copies of Sugarman for around $10-15 not too hard. His second LP isnt as common.
The doco played in Sydney as part of a film festival but only two screenings at they sold out straight away. Looking forward to the proper release. I believe its a similar premise to a website that was set up years ago about Rodriguez by some South African fans talking about how they tracked him down through his daughters I believe and got him to come to SA in 94 (?) to do a gig.
One thing I always wanted to know more about regarding Rodriguez is the Dennis Coffey & Mike Theodore connection. How they came about producing a more folk style artist and who else played on the LPs...
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
and
The FADER
Invite You and a Guest to An Advanced Screening of
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN
Please join us for the following New York special screening:
Wednesday, July 18th at 8:00 PM
(550 Madison Avenue between 55th and 56th, 7th Floor)
Immediately following the screening there will be a brief Q & A with Rodriguez and director Malik Bendjelloul
SEATING IS LIMITED - RSVP???s GIVEN ON FIRST RECEIVED, FIRST SERVED BASIS
RSVP to SugarMan@42west.net
In the late ???60s, a musician was discovered in a Detroit bar by two celebrated Motown producers who were struck by his soulful melodies and prophetic lyrics. They recorded an album that they believed was going to secure his reputation as one of the greatest recording artists of his generation. In fact, the album bombed and the singer disappeared into obscurity amid rumors of a gruesome on-stage suicide. But a bootleg recording found its way into apartheid South Africa and, over the next two decades, it became a phenomenon (as big as The Beatles). Two South African fans then set out to find out what really happened to their hero. Their investigation led them to a story more extraordinary than any of the existing myths about the artist known as Rodriguez. This is a film about hope, inspiration and the resonating power of music.
Opening NY/LA on July 27, 2012 | Runtime: 85 min | Not Yet Rated
Soundtrack available everywhere starting July 24, 2012, through Columbia/Legacy
For additional information:
Scott Feinstein ??? Scott.Feinstein@42west.net
Beau Benton ??? Beau.Benton@42west.net
For Film Site, High-Res Art & Press Information visit:
http://press.sonyclassics.com/
User Name: press
Password: sonyclassics
still awesome.
So I know he's currently touring the US (with some overseas dates thrown in):
http://lightintheattic.net/artists/1-rodriguez/tour_dates
Does anyone know who is backing band is this time around? Did they find local musicians for each city? I know that his 2009 US tour was backed by the Fresh & Onlys, but I'm curious to know who they have lined up for these upcoming dates.
I thought this documentary was horrible. Poorly shot, poorly edited, the story itself had gaping contradictions (ex. One of the South African experts on Rodriguez say he never recorded again, and then in one of the musical interludes they play stuff from his unreleased 1973 album).
The interview with Rodriguez was horrible, he's touching the microphone the entire time and no one has the sense to tell him not to. Its so bad that they had the interviewer off camera re-do his questions in a VO session in silence and the difference in background noise between question and answer is jarring.
No one delved into what inspired Rodriguez and his song writing nor did anyone really see what he was up to in the 70's 80's and 90's beyond coworkers saying he did construction, what about his personal life? (He has kids, does he have a wife?) his feelings towards the failure of his LP's (he obviously recorded material for another album, what happened there?), what about the money people were sending to A&M/ Sussex for album sales that he seemingly never recieved? FAIL
Most of the experts come across as blowhards who use far too much hyperbole in their interviews (ex. "no one knew who Rodriguez was in the US", "Rodriguez was way bigger than the Rolling Stones").
there were a few great parts of the doc; I liked the build up to his South African concert, one of the few well done scenes, also seeing a copy of his LP in a South African Government building with the first track scratched up was a great example of showing how they tried to censor his music. But overall this looked like something I'd see on YouTube in 3 parts.
The hype around the film was real confusing to me.
Wasn't his record recently reissued with a tour with lots of hype and npr interviews a few years back?
His record certainly did sell. I used to pick it up all the time in the 90s to sell over seas.
It lacked the funk and the soul that my domestic customers wanted.
I am I correct in remembering he was a pleasant singer songwriter, but no where near the artist Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway or Joe South?
Reminds of the hype around Buena Vista Social Club. No one Cuba listens to Son.
His Lyrics and the songs just overall seem really nice, but although its said by the two South African characters that his lyrics were inspirational to South Africans its not backed up by any facts or personal stories.
I do believe he got the reissue treatment a few years back, and hearing his tracks in the film did make me pull out my copy of Cold Fact and give it a good listen, but the film could of been done so much better.
^^Definitely, although that's probably dual commentary...both on the quality of the film, as well as the raised expectations of "prosumer" DIY documentaries today.
Guzzo, I think your critiques are fair--and I'm definitely not one to argue with sloppy cinematography (of which there was some). There are holes...the biggest being the focus on the "lost & found" narrative rather than the man himself. I think my expectation coming into the theater wasn't a biopic, at which point it was satisfying to me (and had some interesting source interviews). The biggest challenge IMO was trying to "recreate" this lost & found concept when clearly interviewing/trailing Rodriguez with a camera in 2010 or whenever doesn't hold the same mystique as in 1998...they had to replay/roleplay it, and definitely fell flat in some spots.
For me, the Sussex < -- > South Africa relationship is curious and one that was probably too hard to tackle in the confines of the doc. Still, it would have been wise to definitively say whether the South African labels were bootleggers, or the Sussex label were taking apartheid money, or they were crooks, or some verifiable combination of the two. As others in this thread have mentioned, there were other countries where Rodriguez was bag as well (Australia/NZ), and I assume there may have been some sort of distribution/connection that Sussex had arranged...but how did apartheid play into this?
Full disclosure: I've lived in southern Africa for a few years, so the singular focus on the South African connection only amplified my enjoyment of the film; YMMV.
In any event, I appreciated the film for what it was and would still recommend it. But yes, it leaves things unanswered, and it's not at all a complete portrait of the man by any stretch.
Paper had a nice q and a.
I hope it makes it to the cheap theater, I will go.
'Searching for Sugar Man' rock recluse Rodriguez speaks out: Q&A
Published: Sunday, August 12, 2012, 11:47 AM Updated: Sunday, August 12, 2012, 1:06 PM
Marc Mohan, Special to The Oregonian By Marc Mohan, Special to The Oregonian
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Almost four years ago, I was listening to Seattle???s KEXP radio and a song jumped out at me, a song which stood out against the usual wall-to-wall ironic indie sounds, more like something unearthed from the heyday of classic rock. It turned out that was exactly the case, as the deejay soon explained: ???Sugar Man??? was a track off ???Cold Fact,??? a 1971 album by an artist known simply as Rodriguez. The Detroit-based Rodriguez released that record and one more before falling into near-total obscurity, only to be rediscovered decades on as a wry, Dylanesque chronicler of urban counterculture ennui, and appreciated as something much more than a novelty.
Now comes a documentary, ???Searching for Sugar Man,??? which brings much more of Rodriguez???s remarkable story to light. It turns out that, during his 1970s American anonymity, he was becoming a household name in South Africa. There, under repressive Apartheid-era rule, bootleg copies of ???Cold Fact??? and its successor, ???Coming from Reality,??? were as ubiquitous as ???Sgt. Pepper??? or ???Let It Bleed.??? The movie chronicles the efforts of two South African Rodriguez fans to track down information on the enigmatic musician, whom local rumor held had killed himself on stage in the 1970s.
Director Malik Bendjelloul met one of these fans, nicknamed ???Sugar,??? while backpacking in Cape Town, and struggled to get financing to make the film. ???There are scenes in this movie I shot on my iPhone,??? he recalled in a telephone interview, ???and a lot of the score was composed on a laptop in my kitchen.???
Though Rodriguez also had a following in Australia at the time, it???s not mentioned in the movie. ???That???s because I wanted to tell the story chronologically from the perspective of the South Africans. This is as much Sugar???s story as it is Rodriguez???s.??? He also shied away from exploring too much of Rodriguez???s personal life. ???If I tried I probably could have dug up dirty stories,??? says Bendjelloul, ???but I wanted to be respectful of this guy. He???s like a Buddha-like figure, when you meet him you kind of fall in love with him.???
Spoiler alert: Rodriguez is alive and well. I???m pretty sure of this because I recently spoke with him (or someone who claimed to be him) by telephone. At 70, he has something of the demeanor of an aging hippie whose thoughts rarely move in a straight line, but with the same sincerity and spirit that have allowed him to navigate the ups and downs of the last forty years with remarkable poise.
Q. Interviewed in ???Searching for Sugar Man,??? you don???t display any bitterness or regret about how your music career went. How were you able to maintain that sort of equanimity and level-headedness upon finding out that, if you???d known about it at the time, you could have been a big star in South Africa?
A. Well, I was too disappointed to be disappointed. In this business there???s a lot of rejection, a lot of criticism, and a lot of disappointment. It???s like applying for a job. If you don???t get that grace, it just doesn???t happen. I try to take a sensible look at things, and prepare for the worst almost, so I basically just went back to work, I finished school, took care of my family, tried to make a living, tried to stay busy.
Q. It certainly seems like you had a fulfilling life during that time, but I don???t think that everyone would react quite the same way if they found they had missed out on this glory. I also feel like I can detect that attitude in the songs, a wistful, almost fatalistic tone.
A. I think that we have a purpose in life, that we all have a mission, and it???s individual. It???s like soldiers in the field, like people in the service in another country. The guys who are blowing themselves up in the Middle East???that???s not their purpose. You???re supposed to win and live and create, y???know. Even for a soldier, his job is not to sacrifice his life but to survive and continue.
Q. Did you have any uneasiness about the documentary and being exposed to a wider audience, at least in the U.S.? Were you concerned about maintaining anonymity?
A. I did want [the music] to hit. I did want it to succeed. And apparently it did succeed in another country, but the success of that was something that I didn???t even know about. I only knew the story up to ???73, because that???s when I left the music scene. But I didn???t leave music, okay?
Q. Do you worry, though, that you won???t be able to walk down the streets of Detroit without being recognized?
A. I???ll tell you this: I have maximum security, man, I take care of myself. As far as being scared, I don???t know that feeling. I just mind my own business and keep taking my steps. I try to protect my personal self, my private life, just like anybody. I hope I can control that. It gets a little overlapping, but so far it???s been okay.
Q. Not to overlap too much, but, watching the documentary, I couldn???t help but wonder about what was going on with you back then that led to these records. There???s a lot of counter-cultural, political, drug-related stuff in there, and I wondered what your situation and state of mind were when you made that music.
A. The '60s and the '70s were turbulent times in America. The young folks were resisting the draft, they were burning their draft cards, moving to Canada. The students were being fired on at Kent State. In South Africa, they had constriction as well, and they traded tapes of my stuff, and that???s how it started out. Songs like ???I Am a Rock??? by Paul Simon, ???Eve of Destruction??? by Barry McGuire, ???Masters of War??? by Bob Dylan, ???Ohio??? by Neil Young, those songs helped us get through that period, in the same way they used my songs over there.
Q. Have you felt the urge to return to songwriting, to use some of the crazy twists and turns in your life for material? Are you still in the same head space artistically and politically?
A. I describe myself as a musical protestor. Folk music is one of the musical genres that speaks to that. In a couple of hours we???re going to the Newport Folk Festival, and it???s the hundred-year anniversary of Woody Guthrie. That genre of music is appealing to me because it speaks of the issues that are at hand, as opposed to boy-girl songs, you know. Protest music is something you can put ideas into. (My music has) form, and it???s got verse and chorus -- I did work on those songs, but I think the things which shaped me were the cities on fire in America, the assassinations, and the strife that was happening.
Q. For me, the most touching part of the documentary was hearing your three daughters talk about how gratified they were that you???d finally received some recognition for your work. They seem like remarkable people, but there???s not much information on their childhood situation in the film. Was it a struggle bringing them up?
A. No, they were right close by, and they make sure everything???s cool. They???ve got their own stories, I keep talking about Eva. She???s a 20-year veteran of the Army. She did Desert Storm. She was there when they brought down the Berlin Wall; she sent me a little sliver of it. She was in the Middle East, in Egypt. She became a helicopter pilot. Thing is, I told her ???Don???t go in the service.??? And then she goes in the service at eighteen, and it broke my heart. If she asked me again right now, I???d say ???No, don???t go in the service,??? because, hey, listen, I know who goes in the service, you know, and they come back different.
Q. Any plans to do a U.S. tour?
A. They???re setting up twenty dates, so I???m gonna be around. I don???t think we???re going to Oregon, though, but maybe nearby. (In fact, Rodriguez is scheduled to play the Wonder Ballroom on Oct. 13th)
They had a Q&A with the director afterwords, which was pretty insightful, but he couldn't really explain why the Aus/NZ connection wasnt explored in the film at all. There were even dudes in the audience that were at the 1980 concert. My theory is, it adding the AUS/NZ part to the narrative would simply cloud out the 'searching' focus of the story, which is fine.
I also think Guzzo's critique about the film missing out on getting insights into Rodgrieuz's song writing and his side of the story during 70's 80's and 90's is fair. But, you can only do so much in a documentary. As someone not tooo familiar with the man and his music, the doco was a great introduction to his music. It certainly made a positive impression. I think with all the attention it has generated about Rodgrieuz, more interviews will emerge and the motivations behind his music will be explored and revealed by more competent interviewers.
I haven't sen the doco, but for what its worth there was a label called Blue Goose which released his albums in Australia (based in Melbourne's Flinder's Lane no less, which is totally central for all the non-Aust strutters out there) - Cold Fact and the At his Best below are both on Blue Goose .. not sure if they handled SA, but I would be inclined to doubt it ..
http://bloorcinema.com/movies/Searching-for-Sugar-Man/
I have everything I know of that he ever putout and have never tired of his voice (which I also think is underrated) or his music. I have only met a couple of people that did not fall in love with his music when I have played it to them. No bullshit, over the years I have had family and friends, many who dont really give a shit about music beyond what the radio plays, go out of their way to get me to tape them the albums or request I p;lay it again etc.
Probably the only artist I can think of that when most people in my life have heard it they instantly became engaged, and dug it. I had an ex GF message me recently that she finally tracked down a vinyl copy of the LP after years of searching and she reckons when we broke up she went through withdrawal symptoms because she couldn't hear his music hehehehe
I first came across him when a few mates got played his album while visiting a local speed dealer they knew (Rodriguez had a big following in Australian jails apparently). It was all they could talk about for weeks...'you got to hear this album' 'you need to come to Robs to hear this shit' etc. I went over to the dealers place soon after and heard Cold Fact and went hunting for the LP soon after. And from then on I think the word spread to around 100 plus dudes from my area, mates of mates etc.
I know some people dont feel his music as much but I just wanted to share my experiences with his music and like I said, I have never come across an artists that pulled so many people in with his music in such a grassroots way. Maybe because he wasnt well know it made his music even more appealing but there is something about the total package his voice, lyrics, the music the themes that just resonates with a lot of people I know. It could be a Southern Hemisphere thing though
And I am pretty certain Blue Goose actually bought the rights to his music after his US label refused to put out his second album (which they did locally). The linar notes for his Rodriguez Alive LP has lots of b/g info on his Australian relationship and was written by Glenn A Baker (OZ heads know the deal)....
Really liked it.
Obsessive record nerds should know ahead of time that the movie is about some South African fans who thought he was dead. The movie tracks their inept attempts to find out what happened to him and his triumphant tour of South Africa in '98.
Along the way we find out he is a humble guy with 3 very nice daughters.
I liked the film work, the sepia shots of Detroit, trying to make it look more 70s.
There is a little bit of animation.
There is a good amount of music (for a doc), mostly lp tracks.
The story (of these SA guys) is well told.
I told Nancy the real on the way out of theater and she was very disappointed.
Add to above mentioned hyperbole, he is a prophet and much better songwriter than Dylan.
I thought Avant was treated shabbily. I never heard he was crooked before.
The IRS seized Sussex and sold off the assets in 1975, so I doubt South African and Australian money came to Avant.
They never talked about writer royalties, where the real money would have been.
We know nothing about his daughters mother. I wouldn't be surprised, from what the movie said about Sixto, if he gave all his royalties to their mother.
Still I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend.