Searching for Sugar Man (2011)

He may turn out to be the most under appreciated man of all time. Lives in Detroit, works, worked in construction demo, knew when the music was over, stayed committed to a life without wanting, and didn't go all superstar diva when the world finally caught up with him. I just saw a screening of the film, NYC Sunshine, it's out 7/27, go see this film.

Beyond the music, whichs is beyond ethereal truth - if you're looking for entertainment tune in Lady Gaga, if you can handle insight into being surrounded by emotional decay and still finding something to grasp on, to share, listen. More so, this Man, Rodriguez, shines a light of disgust on self indulgence with his integrity. Strange film to crop up in these times.

You need to cast your mind back to the early seventies, if you were there. The amount of very, very good artists, as well as superb ones was just about overwhelming. Also, there was the "machine" which decided, though means I've never comprehended, which artists got air time. In those primitive days, if you weren't picked out to be a star, there was no other way across the moat. There was no web, there were precious few "underground" stations, and television seldom gave exposure to artists who weren't already known.

Besides the inevitable Dylan and Donovan comparisons, did anyone else catch the Glen Yarborough tinge in some of his singing?

Terrific flic, very well done.

What I had in mind was boxing the compass.

No, movies always gloss over details that don't fit well into the plot line. There's on'y so much time to tell the story. Anyway, it's clear that the South African fans who searched for Sugarman were quite unaware of his '79 tour in Australia, which seems to have been minor by comparison with the '98 tour to SA shown in the movie. Why didn't he tour earlier in SA? Well, firstly no-one asked him, as the accepted truth was that he was dead. Secondly it would have been super uncool for him to come and tour in SA during those years of boycotts and sanctions. He being a politically conscious individual of leftwing inclinations would have been aware of that if he had been invited. The comment that he would not have been welcome because of his skin colour is ill-informed. Mixed race South African bands had already been pushing the boundaries in SA since the late '70s (see history on Jonny Clegg, for one).