Then I’ll persue my
own happiness.
And you can keep your
clocks and routines,
Then I’ll go mend all
my shattered dreams.
Maybe today, I’ll slip
away.
A long time has passed since I last dedicated an afternoon
to writing this blog, and it is in no way due to a lack of things to write
about. Music is usually the one thing that gets me to sit down and splurge my
thoughts on to the nearest keyboard, however recently there have been a number
of things going on in my life which have prevented me from doing so. Over the
past year one thing that I was afforded the brilliant opportunity to do was
work in a record shop; a pleasure which in light of recent developments with
HMV/Fopp may not be an opportunity much longer. While I have much to say on the
subject, and feel that the physical high-street music emporium is long to be of
prime importance, I do not have the intention of discussing that here; at least
not today. Instead, I wish to comment that during my term working there I was
reminded that new, brilliant and innovative music is constantly there for the
taking – if one only wishes to seek it out. I have also enjoyed thoroughly submerging
myself in the works of incredible musicians whose masterpieces have decorated
the shelves of record shops and loving households for numerous years and
decades, but I had regretfully not totally appreciated before for one reason or
another; most probably because I was busy overplaying whoever else I happened to
be consumed by at the time. I am now very pleased to say that my record
collection has grown to include wonderful albums by outstanding musical talents
new and old, including Tame Impala, The Black Angels, Neil Young, Joy Division, Band of Skulls, Kraftwerk and Tycho to name but a few. I feel incredibly fortunate
that these will now permanently hold their place in my collection and life’s
soundtrack.
Inspiration can come from anywhere, and the reason I find
myself sitting here today is due to the - until recently - untapped genius of
Sitxo Rodriguez. For those of you who have been lucky enough to watch the
heartening documentary ‘Searching for Sugar Man’ which was released late last
year, you will appreciate how one can feel so inspired by the wonderful story
of discovery and quiet appreciation for the elusive musician. However, if you
have not had the pleasure of watching this enlightening film then it makes no
odds, for the music itself is a standalone masterpiece. When you listen to the
simple, transcendent music that was recorded between 1969-1970 in Detroit, it
is hard to imagine that it hasn’t been invading your consciousness
frequently for years, and provides much the same familiarity as listening to a
Dylan album or something of equal exposure. The lyrics are so
direct and still so relevant forty years on, it’s easy to see why South Africa
adopted the songs as anthems for their fight for freedom against apartheid. Very
occasionally I feel that one has the pleasure of stumbling across an album or
piece of music so brilliant and natural that it is hard to imagine that it ever needed to be written – for that would mean that at one time it was not in existence – but you instead feel as though it has always been out there somewhere, and that someone merely had the fortune and talent to successfully download it from the cosmos. Rodriguez's music slips into that category.
His songs, born out of 60s America, are psychedelic
masterpieces drenched in colour and inspired by life, love, poverty and
rebellion .While the music itself was somehow sucked into a black hole, what's
more intriguing is that its maker - a shadowy figure known as Rodriguez - was, for
many years, lost too. Rediscovered decades later working on a Detroit
building site, unaware that his songs had become not only cult classics, but
for the people of South Africa, a beacon of revolution. It’s a magical listen,
filled with tales of bad drugs, lost love, and itchy-footed songs about life in
late 60s inner-city America; as demonstrated by the Dylan-esque Establishment Blues;
Gun sales are soaring
Housewives find life
boring
Divorce the only
answer
Smoking causes cancer
However, the music sank
without trace, thanks, in part, to some of Rodriguez’s more idiosyncratic behaviour;
like performing at an industry showcase with his back to the audience
throughout. As his music career became a memory, Rodriguez’s legend was growing
on the other side of the world. In South Africa he had become a major word-of-mouth success by some odd chance of a young girl taking his LP with her from America to
visit her boyfriend, and caught on particularly amongst young people who identified
with its counter-cultural themes. But Rodriguez was such an enigma not even his
label knew where to find him, and his demise became the subject of vast
intrigue. Some rumours said he’d died of a heroin overdose or burned himself to
death on stage, and for a long time this looked to mark the end of the
mysterious tale. But the tide began to turn in the 90s, when a group of fans
and journalists set out to get to the bottom of the mystery. After many dead
ends, Rodriguez was found alive, well and free in Detroit,
ending years of speculation. Rodriguez himself had no idea about his fame in
South Africa (the album had gone multi-platinum, yet he had seen no royalties),
and a triumphant South African tour followed, filling huge venues across the
country. It is now thanks to the worldwide success of the film ‘Searching
for Sugar Man’ that he is at last receiving some of the appreciation he
deserves; and will subsequently be found playing at Glastonbury festival this
summer.
What is so fascinating about his story is that it represents
all the other untapped talent that exists out there; and this is what inspired
me to write this today. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Rodriguez is
the most talented musician and his artistic outputs will change your life
(although they may well); it is much more understated and far-reaching than
that. But if such brilliant music can remain buried for over forty years then this has huge implications for all the other amazing music that is out there just waiting to be discovered. There
is endless hope that we shall be blessed with rich musical talent for eternity, and that in itself is an incredibly heart-warming and uplifting thought.
I Wonder:
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