RIP Sixto Rodriguez (July 10, 1942 - August 8, 2023), aged 81 And RIP Malik Bendjelloul (September 14, 1977 - May 13, 2014), aged 36 You both will be remembered as legends.
Well now it’s been seven years since Bendjelloul went away from us, and i am still searching for someone likeminded and kindhearted filmmaker.. he is still unprecedented with his kind of work, not only did he get Rodríguez career going in the west by making the movie, he also got involved with lawyers and music-studios to get the man the credit he deserves, now thats something every director out there should take a lesson about!
Thank you so much Malik Bendjelloul...What a fantastic documentary you made about Rodriguez..You left us too soon...May your Soul rest in peace...and you will be always the pride of Sweden . The Mokdads, Sundsvall, Sweden.
I discovered him last Tuesday on BBC Later... With Jools Holland and I'm unashamed to say that his story has inspired me more than any other person or story has in at least the last 10 years. What a lovely, lovely bloke.
this gent has written some incredibly brilliant lyrics of poetry. it is a real shame the way the music industry treated artists back then but it is so rewarding & uplifting to see his work rise from the ashes and receive the attention it deserves.
I note a comment below that people here in Australia thought that he was a violent junkie. I never thought of him as violent. I suppose we assumed he was a junkie. I don't know if I thought of him as a junkie in the 70's but probably did by the 80's once I understood what Sugarman actually was about. In the 70's, I just thought it was beautiful magic song. I think someone pointed out to me what it meant some time later on. But, violent? I don't think any of us here in Australia thought he was violent. Songs like establishment blues, I now realise, would have had a great influence on my political views.
listen to this man does he sound like a laborer..im in the construction field ..this man is highly intelligent ,,it was painful for me to hear about his struggle in Detroit. god bless him
Why, did you do that, Malik Bendjelloul??? Why didn't you you go to the clinic??? It's incredible!!! It's inconceivably!!! Life is so short, anyway we're gonna die too soon. You were such a brilliant person...
Thank you I did stop watching it as I would see it regardless if i had watched the trailer or not. He is my hero. He was an inspiration to me as a young adult! He is a poet and a prophet. I am sick of the "fluff" we hear with new songs. We need story tellers like the legendary RODRIGUEZ
Please see the movie if you can! It will really leave you feeling awe inspired. Such an amazing, humble, person. I was so impressed by his daughters too and the rich life they had with their Dad growing up. He exposed them to arts and higher learning. I wish more parents would/could do that for their children. He is a wise and gracious person. It just makes me feel so inspired. His songs are truly amazing.
Rest in Peace Malik. So much promise, such an adventurer and original filmmaker! Blessings to your friends and family~~they must be heartbroken. Such a loss.
been listening to him for years ,his music has never dated. great man and great doc thumbs up . dissapointed that I missed his Aussie concert wasn't advertised very well Oh well just happy that his finally reconized as the wonderful musician he is. And that Clarence Avant is a dog gready mother
he doesnt need it, he gives all his money to friends and family, still works as a demolition worker in detroit and has lived in the same house for 40 years despite having done over 30 concerts in south africa
His record company sold his album as a legit record, no bootlegging. This album was sold alot in south africa, making money. Money Rodriguez never saw.
What a humble Saint of our time. From Australia in the 70s I thought he was just automatically famous in USA back then. Thanks for a wonderfully raw film "Searching for Sugar Man". I feel I own Sixto Rodriguez a great thank you for his life works. I'll be there at all your Melbourne concerts.
Amazing documentary .....anyone that is an aspiring musician or just have a dream that's been left unfulfilled, you NEED to see this movie. One of the best films I've seen this year. The soundtrack to this documentary is awesome as well....Sixto Rodriguez rocks!
See what the Executive Producer Sheryl Crown has to say about finding the script for 'Searching for Sugar Man' and why she had to ensure Malik Bendjelloul's work was commissioned on our channel.
I will get his albums/CDs, it's a trip, all these years, he's now being 'discovered', but he was known in South Africa, rather than in his own homeland of the US of A.
Best Example? If people pirated his music, the record labels would not have made any money off of him. The douchebag label's are the one's who RIP ARTISTS OFF.
this is 2nd thing I've seen about the film, Vanc paper mentioned film Dec 2012 saved it to look up--I like: musician appreciates the interest in his work, and the attention of this film (which I got to see and get copies for "young-bloods" I know doing their own music), and I like that the director SO appreciates cool story. He's like a gold prospector who can't believe his luck--luck due, of course, to his own interest, skill & efforts
At the Sugarman site, I found that Rodriguez's early South African and Australian fans thought he was some hedonistic violent junkie, and even upon his return after 1998, thought that his wobblyness resulted from drug abuse. Whereas the film revealed that he was a solitary street poet immortalising the fallen around him, and became a frail old man after a life of hard work. But in this interview, he shows he still has a sharp mind and learnt to handle interviews well. Amazing person!
well my friend thats where your wrong there more natives in mexico than USA N Canada combine !! theres is about 10 million of pure blood amerindian where in the US and Canada combine only about 4 million. That is just counting the full blood your so called Mestizo is just a racist term so Native mexicans can fit in Mexican society by claiming they have white blood but cleary Mr. Rodriguez is a native. If he was apache and his name was Running bear you would not even second guess it.
This is a great true story and I don't really get the criticism of the director. When he says he doesn't think there will be another story like it I don't think he patting himself on the back I think he's just saying it is extraordinary and such things don't happen often. It's a documentary not a Hollywood film thank God. I love Rodriguez he is humble and has the soul of a true artist.
I know Rodriguez he's a family friend he hates this guy. Actually not true Rodriguez doesn't hate anybody. He goes on to say no other stories exist like this. He's a smug putz and Rodriguez almost didn't let him release the film. Sorry for the long winded answer. But the story is brilliant not the film. GO TO SEE HIM ON TOUR. He gets money from those shows.
He doesn't like the film... It's him that's amazing not the film. Rodriguez despises this film. But not the response. This director missed the plot... If you want to support Rodriguez go to his show when he's on tour. B/C he's not making any money from the film... just the show's. The story is brilliant not the film.
I juust read and article about this film today so I am going to see it tomorrow in Beverly Hills Laemmle! Cant wait ! I am sure I will be clapping and crying of happiness! I just saw the 60 minutes on CBS and I had teary eyes! What a nice humble and talented guy !
The Martha's Vineyard Film Center has been running this film to rave applause and reviews! I've seen it three times and can't get enough! This man should be winning Grammies! He is a beautiful soul with equally beautiful voice... Run!, don't walk to see this film.
Oh ok. He reminds me so much of a friend who died last year. Everything about him. His looks, his voice and the way he moves. The weird thing is I know my friend would have absolutely loved this movie more than anyone else I know.
They should research where the money went... I would like to see Clarence Avant put on the hot seat, he was awful in the interview... trying to avoid and distract from the real question, what happened to the money.
We should all go and buy his records... as a MORAL obligation.. he has suffered NO ROYALTIES from MILLIONS of records sold... Buy this guys records.. go out and BUY it.... this guy has suffered from bootlegging for 30 YEARS!!!
Amen to that Ric! But I'm sure that they're the sort of people who don't give a sh*t about anyone else, and "Sugarman" rides above all that anyway. I'm not into idolising people but this guy is genuinely inspiring!
Is it just me or does his voice sound like Micheal Jackson's? The above comment is written without any connotations (pro or con) towards Micheal Jackson or Rodriquez. It means exactly what it reads. Nothing more.
I think that even if Rodriguez is completely non-consumerist and wouldn't need the money from the stolen royalties for himself, he would have several better ways to spend it on other people than the crooks who stole it.
SIXTO RODRIGUEZ EL POETA MUSICO DE LOS POBRES NO LE DEJARON TRIUNFAR POR RACISMO PURO Y DURO LE ROBARON SIXTO TEDESEO EL VIAJE MAS BONITO DEL MUNDO 🇪🇸 ERES UN MITO POESIA PURA MUSICA❤❤
It's a pity that SONY has put the hands on this,and therefore they will get richer, and Rodriguez will get crumbs.Why didn't rodriguez created a website where selling his cd?
I just learned that Sussex Records (Lawrence Avant) is still getting royalties right now. Light in the Attic is giving royalties to Sussex. THIS HAS GOT TO STOP.
Its often used as a comparison but the way he acts when hes interviewed really reminds me of Dylan early on - that slightly shy and humble man that was extremely vitriolic.
aaah! its hard to understand them both because he mumbles and the director as an oustanding accent - lol - but i still enjoy watching and listening to what i can hear :)
I ordered the entire album off of iTunes. 'Crucify Your Mind' is an AWESOME song. Many of the other songs grow on you too. 'Sandrevan Lullaby' has a few string arrangements in the middle and toward the end that are absolutely beautiful, but other parts of the song have some strings that sound a little dated, and saccharin. Overall I recommend people download it. I can totally see how these songs would be considered classics here in America if they had been better promoted in 1970/1971.
This is the best music documentory I have ever seen. The story is everything and this story is EVERYTHING. Beautiful and what a rare character is Rodriguez.
What an amazing film. So blessed to see him alive in person at concert. Kissed him on the head. Would travel to Detroit just to have tea and say hello. Never in the history of the world will mankind experience a story like this again because we are so interconnected. This just adds to an already amazing film.
My brother and I went to the music shop many years ago and could nit fund any good albums so we decided on buying a random album, something we had never heard before. We bought cold fact, what a great album. I was 13 at the time and now 47 so it was a few years ago. One of the most humble people ever and one of the greatest artists I have ever heard. If his music was properly marketed in the US in the 70s I know he would have been more popular that Dylan. Thanks for your time. !!!
I believe that this film is proof of a cold fact that at the time Rodriguez recorded his albums he was way ahead of his time. Now his time has, at last, arrived he is receiving the recognition he deserves. I wish him and his family all the best of good fortune and success, he is surely blessed. With regards to his robbed royalties, Rodriguez, I believe from the film, is way above that man, and everyone must face their own reckoning.
