We went to watch the most incredible documentary yesterday, "Searching for Sugar Man", which centers on the enigmatic life of Sixto Diaz Rodriguez aka Rodriguez.
I remember discovering his CD in my parent's collection when I was about 17 years old, listening to it for about twenty repeats and authoritatively informing my parents that I'd made the most phenomenal musical discovery. They laughed and informed me that they'd been listening to him since they were in University. I've kept his Cold Fact CD (stolen from my parents) with me ever since and listen to it intermittently when the mood hits.
What's crazy is that I never really bothered to find out more about him- for me it was just a no-brainer that he was known across the world. To find out that until now, he has effectively been anathema to the American music industry completely floored me.
The documentary chronicles the efforts of Cape Town record-store owner Steve "Sugar" Segerman and music journalist Craig Bartholomew to trace the real cause of Rodriguez' death in the nineties (it had been rumoured that he shot his brains out in front of a small audience, alternatively self-immolated himself) - only for them to discover that he was alive and thriving as a home renovator in working-class inner city Detroit.
What follows is an incredible journey of discovery, not only for South African fans but for Rodriguez himself given the fact that he had never known that he was "bigger than Elvis" in South Africa.
The documentary is incredibly informative and shows how his music went on to spark the Voelvry Movement headed by Koos Kombuis and Johannes Kerkorrel, as well as further liberal resistance to the Apartheid system. Biko is rumoured to have listened to his music and apparently many Iranians, prior to the 1979 revolution, were also passing his music around. He has to be the biggest underground prophet that never was.
Do yourself a favour and go check it out, I promise you won't be sorry.
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