30 January 2013

That obscure object of adulation

Sixto Rodriguez in “Searching for Sugar Man”
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN (2012)
Directed by Malik Bendjelloul

In the early ’70s, a man by the name of Rodriguez recorded two albums. The first, “Cold Fact,” sold poorly, if at all — “six copies maybe,” says the head of his label. Meanwhile, half a world away, in South Africa, the album found the mass audience that had eluded it in America, and, with its politically charged lyrics, even served as the unofficial soundtrack to the struggle against apartheid. To South Africans, Rodriguez was — is — every bit as big as Elvis, although rumors of his tragic demise were met with less incredulity than that of the King’s. After all, precious little was known about the man.

That was how, almost 20 years later, two fans started out searching for their idol: as a dead man. They were simply trying to fill in a very sketchy biography (and here I must note that obsessed fans have done much worse): Where did he come from? What was he like? How did he die? Did he really set himself on fire while performing, or was it a gun to the head? They combed his albums for geographical clues, questioned record executives regarding receipt of the royalties. The trail took them to Detroit, where they discovered that outside of South Africa, none save for a handful of aging music industry players had ever heard of the artist named Rodriguez. Finally, they turned to that newfangled thing called the Internet.

More than that I will not mention, except to say that the Internet is a very big place. What were the chances that someone who knew an obscure artist who dropped off the grid in 1971 would come across a website dedicated to that artist at a time when Google was still in beta? Yep, that’s a rhetorical question. On the other hand, life is full of surprises. As his friend says in the film: "If Sixto becomes mayor of Detroit, then anything is possible." Well, he didn’t (become mayor, that is). As for anything being possible, you will just have to see this movie to find out. It’s a fun ride, too damn unlikely to be untrue.

Oh, and those South Africans sure have great taste in music.


“Searching for Sugar Man” is nominated in the Best Documentary category at this year’s Academy Awards.

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