Searching For Sugar Man
Over the past year or so, I've been fairly obsessed with music documentaries. Although some may (justifiably) claim that the sounds that grab my ear may be a bit narrow, when it comes to musicans' stories on film, there are no boundaries to what interests me. There's something about the pursuit of the art that captivates me. I can watch documentaries about folk, metal, punk, jazz, the flute; it really doesn't matter.
I first learned of the artist Rodriguez a few years back while pacing the aisles of Amoeba in San Francisco. They were promoting his album and something about the cover drew me in. When I got home that night, I downloaded the record Cold Fact. I subsequently listened a few times, moved onto something else, and Cold Fact gathered digital dust. Fast forward to earlier this year and I read an article about the upcoming documentary Searching For Sugar Man. After reading a stellar review of the film, I recalled buying that record many years prior.
A few months back, I made my way to a small theater on Fillmore Street to catch a Sunday afternoon showing. The story of this man's music and life should be seen via the film and not this blog, so I will leave the details to the screen, but Searching For Sugar Man is one of the most powerful documentaries, of any type, that I have ever seen. The humility of this man feels almost otherworldly.
The greatest pieces of art can, in the rarest of cases, shift something inside of you. And not just emotions, but perspectives. This man's life, as told though this film, has done just that. This past weekend I ventured out to see the movie again, and the experience the second time around was even more powerful. If there are saints walking amongst us, Sixto Rodriguez may be leading the pack. His music is only a small piece to the man, and it's the man himself, who has inspired me to take a closer look at, well, life.
I first learned of the artist Rodriguez a few years back while pacing the aisles of Amoeba in San Francisco. They were promoting his album and something about the cover drew me in. When I got home that night, I downloaded the record Cold Fact. I subsequently listened a few times, moved onto something else, and Cold Fact gathered digital dust. Fast forward to earlier this year and I read an article about the upcoming documentary Searching For Sugar Man. After reading a stellar review of the film, I recalled buying that record many years prior.
A few months back, I made my way to a small theater on Fillmore Street to catch a Sunday afternoon showing. The story of this man's music and life should be seen via the film and not this blog, so I will leave the details to the screen, but Searching For Sugar Man is one of the most powerful documentaries, of any type, that I have ever seen. The humility of this man feels almost otherworldly.
The greatest pieces of art can, in the rarest of cases, shift something inside of you. And not just emotions, but perspectives. This man's life, as told though this film, has done just that. This past weekend I ventured out to see the movie again, and the experience the second time around was even more powerful. If there are saints walking amongst us, Sixto Rodriguez may be leading the pack. His music is only a small piece to the man, and it's the man himself, who has inspired me to take a closer look at, well, life.
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