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(♪ Sugar Man by Rodriguez)
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♪ Sugar Man, won't you hurry?
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♪ Cos I'm tired of these scenes
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♪ For a blue coin,
won't you bring back
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♪ All those colours to my dreams?
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♪ Silver magic ships, you carry
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♪ Jumpers, coke, sweet Mary Jane
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♪ Sugar Man
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(Stephen Segerman)
I got my nickname from this song.
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When I was in the Army they used to
mispronounce Segerman as Sugar Man.
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And then they just started calling me
Sugar and that became my nickname.
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It's 40 years since this LP called
Cold Fact by Rodriguez was released.
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And in South Africa
it was a very popular album.
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It was one of the biggest albums
of the day.
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But the thing was,
we didn't know who this guy was.
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All our other rock stars,
we had all the information we needed.
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But this guy? There was nothing.
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And then we found out
that he had committed suicide.
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He set himself alight on stage and
burnt to death in front of the audience.
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It was the most incredible thing.
It wasn't just a suicide.
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It was probably the most
grotesque suicide in rock history.
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(thunder crashing)
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(Dennis Coffey) The first time that
I remember actually recognising him is
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Mike Theodore called me
on the phone one day and said,
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"I have this artist
I want you to come see with me.
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"This guy's name is Rodriguez,
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"he's working down by the Detroit River.
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"There's a bar down there,
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"down by the wharf riverside district.
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"Let's go see him tonight.
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"I think you'll really like him."
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So that night, I remember,
we pull up...
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away in this kinda isolated
part of Detroit
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right on the side of the Detroit River,
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and you could see the mist in the air
coming off the river. We could feel it.
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And we went inside there,
and as we walked in the door,
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we could hear behind us
the sound of the freighters
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as they're going down the river,
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and so it's like you're walking out
of a Sherlock Holmes novel.
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You walk out of the mist
and you go into this place,
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and inside the place,
it's all full of smoke,
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so there's a mist inside there.
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(Mike Theodore) Boom, hey, you know,
it's a wall of smoke.
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Beer all over the place. Peanut shells.
It was just a mess.
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And then you hear this strumming sound.
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Strumming and batting the guitar.
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(mimics guitar batting)
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And then you hear this voice.
Strange voice.
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(Coffey) Finally, we walked
through the smoke, and I looked,
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and there in the far corner I saw...
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I could see the shadow of a man
and I couldn't see his face.
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I said, "What's the deal?"
So we got a little closer...
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(Theodore) And you see this guy
with his back to you.
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So all you see is his back
and he's in a corner, singing.
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It was an ethereal scene, if you will.
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Foggy night, foghorns, smoke so thick
you couldn't see through it.
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And here's this voice.
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(Coffey) Maybe it forced you
to listen to the lyrics
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'cause you couldn't see the guy's face.
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That's when we talked to him and figured
we needed to do an album on him.
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The only writer that I had heard of,
of that time period,
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was maybe Bob Dylan,
that was writing that well.
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(♪ Crucify Your Mind by Rodriguez)
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♪ Was it a huntsman or a player
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♪ That made you pay the cost
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♪ That now assumes relaxed positions
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♪ And prostitutes your loss?
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♪ Were you tortured by your own thirst
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♪ In those pleasures that you seek
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♪ That made you Tom the Curious
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♪ That makes you James the Weak?
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♪ And you claim you got something going
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♪ Something you call unique
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♪ But I've seen your self-pity showing
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♪ As the tears roll down your cheeks
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(Dan DiMaggio) He was this
wandering spirit around the city.
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And, uh, sometimes
I might catch him in the corner.
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You know, Detroit's got its share of,
uh, burned-out, desolate areas
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and I would occasionally see him, um,
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far away from The Brewery,
and I wondered,
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and it just added
to this mythology of him.
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Like, what is he doing?
What is he doing? What does he do?
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I heard he did a little roofing,
some construction work.
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Um, I think that's how he got his money
at the time.
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He just was, you know,
and I say this with love,
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I say this with respect, but,
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I thought he was just a...
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just not much more than a kind of
a homeless person, you know?
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He just was a drifter.
He was just... Um...
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I didn't know if he had a home,
you know?
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00:08:05,930 --> 00:08:09,980
He'd look like maybe he'd go
from shelter to shelter or something.
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(Coffey) Detroit in the '70s
was a hard place.
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Well, it's still a hard place.
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Lot of decay, lots of ruined houses.
Real poverty exists in this city.
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And those streets
were Rodriguez's natural habitat.
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Any time we met him
to talk about what we were doing,
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he would always meet us on a corner
somewhere in his neighbourhood.
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Most of the time
he wasn't coming to my house.
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He'd say, "Meet me on the corner
of this street and that street,"
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and we would be there.
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Uh, Mike and I would get out of our cars
and park our cars,
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so we'd be standing on the corner,
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and then we'd look round
and he'd be there all of a sudden.
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He'd just show up.
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We thought he was like
the inner city poet.
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You know? Putting his poems to music
of what he saw.
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And it was definitely a very gritty look
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at what he saw
on the streets of Detroit.
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What he saw in his neighbourhood.
Who was walking around the streets.
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And the way he presented it in a song,
I thought was very, very interesting.
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(Theodore) We were working
at Tera-Shirma recording studio.
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When he opened up and sang,
you went, "Whoa, this guy's got it."
(Theodore) We were working
at Tera-Shirma recording studio.
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When he opened up and sang,
you went, "Whoa, this guy's got it."
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Rodriguez, at that time,
had all the machinery in place.
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Big names, big money behind it.
Circumstances were right.
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Why didn't it make it? That's the
big question that today still haunts me.
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Did he get enough promotion?
Did he do enough performances?
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Was he too political?
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Was there this or was there that?
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Should it have been green
instead of orange?
Was there this or was there that?
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Should it have been green
instead of orange?
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Should it have been a violin
instead of an oboe?
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On and on you can go.
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But the end of the day is, if you
listen to the stuff now, you'd say,
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"I don't understand it, he's right-on."
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(Jerome Ferretfi)
I only heard him play once,
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and one of the songs that
he had on his album, it was called...
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The Sugar Man? Was it Sugar Man?
Is that the name of the song?
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Um, I knew that guy, the Sugar Man.
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And his name was Volkswagen Cha...
Volkswagen Frank!
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And he lived right around the corner
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and you used to go over
to Volkswagen Frank's.
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You'd go in and get a little "sugar,"
if you know what I mean.
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(♪ Sugar Man by Rodriguez)
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♪ Sugar Man, won't you hurry?
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♪ Cos I'm tired of these scenes
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♪ For a blue coin,
won't you bring back
138
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♪ All those colours to my dreams?
139
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♪ Silver magic ships, you carry
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♪ Jumpers, coke, sweet Mary Jane
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♪ Sugar Man
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♪ Meta false friend
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♪ On a lonely, dusty road
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♪ Lost my heart
145
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I got some photos here
that I'd like to show you
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that I've kept since my days in England
with Rodriguez.
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Let me see.
148
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Possibly it's in this book,
I don't know where.
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These are all my photos
from when I was acting.
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That's me, and that's Jimmy Dean.
That was in 1955.
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Hang on, I think I've found them.
Think they're in here.
That's me, and that's Jimmy Dean.
That was in 1955.
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Hang on, I think I've found them.
Think they're in here.
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Yeah, here they are.
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Wow. Good Lord, here they are.
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You know, I haven't seen these pictures
in almost 35 years.
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He's my most memorable artist.
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00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:03,880
You know, I've produced
a lot of great ones, but...
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he's my most memorable.
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It's not just a talent.
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He's like...
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He's like a wise man, a prophet.
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He's way beyond
just being a musical artist.
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And he probably could have done
fantastically well
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if he had have continued.
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When I met him, they said,
"Rodriguez, this is Steve Rowland.
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"He really likes your album."
And Rodriguez said to me,
167
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"Well, did you like Cold Facts?"
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I said, "Man, I thought
it was absolutely brilliant.
169
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"Absolutely brilliant.
170
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"I can't believe that this album
didn't do anything.
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"It's just a fantastic album."
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So he played me...
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Well, his next album was on...
In those days you had cassettes.
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He had demos of this next album that
he was gonna call Coming From Reality.
175
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And I said, "Wow, man,
this has got to be a smash.
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"These are great songs.
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00:13:04,060 --> 00:13:09,610
"Little bit... Little bit different from
the others," I said, "but great songs."
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00:13:10,110 --> 00:13:12,950
I said, "And a couple of them
were so sad." You know.
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00:13:13,030 --> 00:13:16,280
There's one in there
that's absolutely a killer.
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00:13:16,410 --> 00:13:18,450
It's one of the saddest songs that...
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00:13:18,450 --> 00:13:23,550
I'm laughing, but it's one of
the saddest songs that I've ever heard.
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And it's a very simple song.
Hang on, I wanna play this. Hang on.
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00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:26,970
Okay, listen to these words.
And it's a very simple song.
Hang on, I wanna play this. Hang on.
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Okay, listen to these words.
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(♪ Cause by Rodriguez)
Okay, listen to these words.
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00:13:29,260 --> 00:13:31,130
(♪ Cause by Rodriguez)
187
00:13:42,310 --> 00:13:44,730
♪ 'Cause I lost m y job
188
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♪ Two weeks before Christmas
189
00:13:50,820 --> 00:13:52,440
Oh, man.
190
00:13:55,610 --> 00:13:58,740
♪ And I talked to Jesus at The Sewer
191
00:14:00,660 --> 00:14:04,500
♪ And the Pope said it was
none of his goddamn business
192
00:14:09,170 --> 00:14:12,090
♪ While the rain drank champagne
193
00:14:14,170 --> 00:14:18,020
♪ My Estonian Archangel
came and got me wasted
194
00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:25,940
♪ 'Cause the sweetest kiss I ever got
195
00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:31,150
♪ ls the one I've never tasted
196
00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:37,320
(Rowland)
And it really makes me sad, because...
197
00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:40,120
that was the last song that we recorded.
198
00:14:40,700 --> 00:14:44,250
And that was the last song
that Rodriguez ever recorded.
199
00:14:46,330 --> 00:14:49,920
And what makes it even sadder
200
00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:53,390
was the album was released
in November of 1971,
201
00:14:54,670 --> 00:14:58,680
and we expected big things.
And it did absolutely nothing.
202
00:15:01,050 --> 00:15:04,060
And then, two weeks before Christmas,
203
00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,030
Sussex dropped him off the label.
204
00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:13,230
And the very first line in the song,
as if premonition,
205
00:15:13,230 --> 00:15:13,240
was, "I lost my job
two weeks before Christmas."
And the very first line in the song,
as if premonition,
206
00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:17,110
was, "I lost my job
two weeks before Christmas."
207
00:15:19,740 --> 00:15:22,210
Oh, man. I just think about that.
208
00:15:23,370 --> 00:15:27,370
This guy deserves recognition.
209
00:15:27,750 --> 00:15:31,750
Nobody in America had even heard of him.
210
00:15:33,250 --> 00:15:34,590
Nobody...
211
00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:40,060
Nobody even was interested
in listening to him.
212
00:15:42,970 --> 00:15:47,100
How can that be? How can that be?
Guy that writes like this.
213
00:15:48,430 --> 00:15:49,940
I mean...
214
00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:55,070
♪ 'Cause they told me
everybody's gotta pay their dues
215
00:15:56,610 --> 00:15:59,780
♪ And I explained that
I had overpaid them
216
00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:07,660
♪ 'Cause the smell of her perfume
217
00:16:10,660 --> 00:16:14,460
♪ Echoes in my head still
218
00:16:43,820 --> 00:16:45,820
(♪ I Wonder by Rodriguez)
219
00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:02,180
♪ I wonder
how many times you've been had
220
00:17:02,300 --> 00:17:06,890
♪ And I wonder
how many plans have gone bad
221
00:17:06,890 --> 00:17:06,900
♪ I wonder how many times you had sex
♪ And I wonder
how many plans have gone bad
222
00:17:06,900 --> 00:17:11,220
♪ I wonder how many times you had sex
223
00:17:11,220 --> 00:17:11,230
♪ And I wonder,
do you know who'll be next?
♪ I wonder how many times you had sex
224
00:17:11,230 --> 00:17:15,860
♪ And I wonder,
do you know who'll be next?
225
00:17:17,020 --> 00:17:19,520
(Segerman) It's still a bit of a mystery
how the first copy of Cold Fact
226
00:17:19,650 --> 00:17:21,070
actually came to South Africa.
227
00:17:21,190 --> 00:17:22,740
But one of the stories I've heard
228
00:17:22,740 --> 00:17:25,200
is that there was an American girl
and she came to South Africa
229
00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:28,870
to visit her boyfriend and brought
a copy of the record with her.
230
00:17:29,030 --> 00:17:31,580
And her and him and all their friends
really liked it
231
00:17:31,700 --> 00:17:34,250
and went out to try and buy it
but you couldn't buy it.
232
00:17:34,370 --> 00:17:37,380
So they started taping copies
and passing copies along.
233
00:17:37,380 --> 00:17:40,220
However it got here,
however it germinated here,
234
00:17:40,340 --> 00:17:43,720
once it got here,
it spread very quickly.
235
00:17:44,340 --> 00:17:46,590
♪ How much goin' have you got
236
00:17:46,590 --> 00:17:51,100
♪ And I wonder
about your friends that are not
237
00:17:51,220 --> 00:17:55,190
♪ I wonder
238
00:17:59,110 --> 00:18:01,400
♪ Wonder I do
239
00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:04,780
(Willem Möller)
I remember I was in high school
240
00:18:05,740 --> 00:18:10,120
and we heard this song, "I wonder
how many times you've had sex?"
241
00:18:10,120 --> 00:18:12,790
And at that time South Africa
was very conservative.
242
00:18:12,790 --> 00:18:15,130
It was the height of apartheid,
243
00:18:15,870 --> 00:18:18,120
and there wasn't television here.
244
00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:18,130
That's how conservative it was,
'cause television was communist.
and there wasn't television here.
245
00:18:18,130 --> 00:18:21,630
That's how conservative it was,
'cause television was communist.
246
00:18:21,630 --> 00:18:24,380
It was really... You wouldn't believe.
247
00:18:25,590 --> 00:18:27,430
Everything was restricted,
everything was censored.
248
00:18:27,550 --> 00:18:28,970
Everything was...
249
00:18:28,970 --> 00:18:31,140
And here's this guy singing this song.
250
00:18:31,260 --> 00:18:33,970
"Who's that?" Said, "That's Rodriguez."
251
00:18:33,970 --> 00:18:33,980
And he became something
of a rebel son' of icon.
"Who's that?" Said, "That's Rodriguez."
252
00:18:33,980 --> 00:18:38,270
And he became something
of a rebel son' of icon.
253
00:18:38,770 --> 00:18:41,490
But the strange thing was
that we all bought his records.
254
00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:44,440
Everybody I knew had his records.
I Wonder,
255
00:18:45,110 --> 00:18:46,780
that was the big song
that everybody was singing
256
00:18:46,780 --> 00:18:48,320
and we all bought a record.
257
00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:48,330
And there he was on the cover,
sort of a hippy with shades.
and we all bought a record.
258
00:18:48,330 --> 00:18:52,000
And there he was on the cover,
sort of a hippy with shades.
259
00:18:52,120 --> 00:18:55,290
But nobody knew anything about him.
He was a mystery.
260
00:18:55,290 --> 00:18:59,170
Unlike other artists
that you could read about from America,
261
00:18:59,290 --> 00:19:03,840
get to know something about them,
there was zilch. Nobody knew anything.
262
00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:08,140
It was a mystery. We only had
his picture on the cover of the record.
263
00:19:08,260 --> 00:19:09,630
(♪ Jane S. Piddy by Rodriguez)
264
00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:14,360
♪ Now you sit there thinking
Feeling insecure
265
00:19:14,470 --> 00:19:19,690
♪ The mocking court jester
Claims there is no proven cure
266
00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:25,530
♪ Go back to your chamber
Your eyes upon the wall
267
00:19:25,610 --> 00:19:31,370
♪ Cos you got no one to listen
You got no one to call
268
00:19:33,370 --> 00:19:35,540
♪ And you think I'm curious
269
00:19:35,540 --> 00:19:36,990
(Segerman) The album
was exceptionally popular.
270
00:19:36,990 --> 00:19:37,000
To many of us South Africans,
he was the soundtrack to our lives.
(Segerman) The album
was exceptionally popular.
271
00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,710
To many of us South Africans,
he was the soundtrack to our lives.
272
00:19:40,710 --> 00:19:40,720
In the mid-'70s,
if you walked into a random
To many of us South Africans,
he was the soundtrack to our lives.
273
00:19:40,720 --> 00:19:43,500
In the mid-'70s,
if you walked into a random
274
00:19:43,500 --> 00:19:43,510
white, liberal,
middle-class household
In the mid-'70s,
if you walked into a random
275
00:19:43,510 --> 00:19:45,500
white, liberal,
middle-class household
276
00:19:45,500 --> 00:19:48,050
that had a turntable
and a pile of pop records
277
00:19:48,170 --> 00:19:50,840
and if you flipped through the records
you would always see
278
00:19:50,840 --> 00:19:50,850
Abbey Road by The Beatles.
and if you flipped through the records
you would always see
279
00:19:50,850 --> 00:19:52,520
Abbey Road by The Beatles.
280
00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:54,680
You would always see
Bridge Over Troubled Water
281
00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:56,220
by Simon and Garfunkel.
282
00:19:56,220 --> 00:19:56,230
And you would always see
Cold Fact by Rodriguez.
by Simon and Garfunkel.
283
00:19:56,230 --> 00:19:58,850
And you would always see
Cold Fact by Rodriguez.
284
00:19:58,980 --> 00:20:02,020
To us, it was one of the most
famous records of all time.
285
00:20:02,730 --> 00:20:05,520
The message it had was:
"Be anti-establishment. "
286
00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:05,530
One song's called
Anti-Establishment Blues.
The message it had was:
"Be anti-establishment. "
287
00:20:05,530 --> 00:20:07,870
One song's called
Anti-Establishment Blues.
288
00:20:07,980 --> 00:20:09,690
We didn't know what the word
"anti-establishment" was
289
00:20:09,690 --> 00:20:09,700
until it cropped up on a Rodriguez song
and then we found out,
We didn't know what the word
"anti-establishment" was
290
00:20:09,700 --> 00:20:12,860
until it cropped up on a Rodriguez song
and then we found out,
291
00:20:12,860 --> 00:20:12,870
it's OK to protest against your society,
until it cropped up on a Rodriguez song
and then we found out,
292
00:20:12,870 --> 00:20:15,870
it's OK to protest against your society,
293
00:20:15,990 --> 00:20:18,790
to be angry with your society.
294
00:20:19,540 --> 00:20:22,040
Because we lived in a society
295
00:20:22,210 --> 00:20:25,630
where every means was used
to prevent apartheid from,
296
00:20:26,630 --> 00:20:28,720
you know, coming to an end,
297
00:20:30,050 --> 00:20:33,220
this album somehow had in it...
298
00:20:33,300 --> 00:20:39,310
lyrics that almost set us free
as oppressed peoples.
299
00:20:40,980 --> 00:20:43,100
Any revolution needs an anthem
300
00:20:43,100 --> 00:20:45,950
and in South Africa
Cold Fact was the album
301
00:20:46,060 --> 00:20:48,490
that gave people permission
302
00:20:48,570 --> 00:20:53,660
to free their minds
and to start thinking differently.
303
00:20:53,740 --> 00:20:55,280
(♪ The Establishment Blues by Rodriguez)
304
00:20:55,280 --> 00:20:55,290
♪ The mayor hides the crime rate
Council woman hesitates
(♪ The Establishment Blues by Rodriguez)
305
00:20:55,290 --> 00:20:57,960
♪ The mayor hides the crime rate
Council woman hesitates
306
00:20:58,080 --> 00:21:01,830
♪ Public gets irate
But forgets the vote date
307
00:21:01,910 --> 00:21:05,960
♪ This system's gonna fall soon
To an angry young tune
308
00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:08,460
♪ And that's a concrete cold fact
309
00:21:09,130 --> 00:21:12,100
(Segerman) It may seem strange
that South African record companies
310
00:21:12,260 --> 00:21:14,680
didn't do more
to try and track down Rodriguez,
311
00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:16,680
but, actually,
if you look back at the time
312
00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,680
we were in the middle of apartheid,
the height of apartheid.
313
00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:22,850
South Africa was under sanctions
from countries from all over the world.
314
00:21:22,930 --> 00:21:25,440
South African musicians
were not allowed to play overseas.
315
00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:28,650
No foreign acts
were allowed to visit South Africa.
316
00:21:28,650 --> 00:21:30,700
It was a closed-door situation
317
00:21:30,780 --> 00:21:32,870
between South Africa
and the rest of the world.
318
00:21:32,940 --> 00:21:36,870
♪ Woke up this morning
with an ache in my head
319
00:21:36,950 --> 00:21:40,830
♪ I splashed on my clothes
as I spilled out of bed
320
00:21:40,830 --> 00:21:45,000
♪ I opened the window
to listen to the news
321
00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:49,710
♪ But all I heard
was the establishment's blues
322
00:21:49,710 --> 00:21:49,720
(Segerman) The countries around
the world were saying horrible things
♪ But all I heard
was the establishment's blues
323
00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:52,000
(Segerman) The countries around
the world were saying horrible things
324
00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:52,010
about the apartheid government
(Segerman) The countries around
the world were saying horrible things
325
00:21:52,010 --> 00:21:53,470
about the apartheid government
326
00:21:53,550 --> 00:21:56,640
but we didn't know
because they controlled the news.
327
00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:00,010
The majority of the population
had been marginalised
328
00:22:00,010 --> 00:22:00,020
and forced out of the commerce in areas.
The majority of the population
had been marginalised
329
00:22:00,020 --> 00:22:03,520
and forced out of the commerce in areas.
330
00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:05,390
It was what had happened
in Nazi Germany.
331
00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:07,350
It was a spin-off from Nazi Germany,
332
00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:10,400
but if a newspaper published it,
they'd get prosecuted.
333
00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:14,530
So, because of that, South Africa had
achieved a pariah status in the world.
334
00:22:14,530 --> 00:22:17,360
There were cultural boycotts.
There were sporting boycotts.
335
00:22:17,360 --> 00:22:17,370
It was a very isolated society.
So we were cut off.
There were cultural boycotts.
There were sporting boycotts.
336
00:22:17,370 --> 00:22:20,830
It was a very isolated society.
So we were cut off.
337
00:22:20,910 --> 00:22:22,500
We all knew apartheid was wrong,
338
00:22:22,580 --> 00:22:23,750
but living in South Africa,
339
00:22:23,830 --> 00:22:25,170
there wasn't much, as a white person,
340
00:22:25,330 --> 00:22:26,540
you could do about it,
341
00:22:26,540 --> 00:22:26,550
'cause the government was very strict.
you could do about it,
342
00:22:26,550 --> 00:22:28,340
'cause the government was very strict.
343
00:22:28,420 --> 00:22:30,510
It was a military state,
to a large degree.
344
00:22:30,590 --> 00:22:32,090
If you spoke out against apartheid,
345
00:22:32,170 --> 00:22:34,210
you could be thrown into prison
for three years.
346
00:22:34,210 --> 00:22:34,220
So although a lot of whites
were part of the struggle,
you could be thrown into prison
for three years.
347
00:22:34,220 --> 00:22:37,550
So although a lot of whites
were part of the struggle,
348
00:22:37,550 --> 00:22:37,560
the majority of whites were not.
So although a lot of whites
were part of the struggle,
349
00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:39,220
the majority of whites were not.
350
00:22:39,340 --> 00:22:43,690
You were watched. There were spies.
It was scary and people were scared.
351
00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,610
But out of the Afrikaans
community emerged
352
00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:49,690
a group of Afrikaans
musicians, songwriters,
353
00:22:49,770 --> 00:22:54,030
and for them, when they heard Rodriguez,
it was like a voice spoke to them
354
00:22:54,110 --> 00:22:58,070
and said, "Guys, there's a way out.
There's a way out.
355
00:22:58,070 --> 00:22:58,080
"You can write music.
You can write imagery.
and said, "Guys, there's a way out.
There's a way out.
356
00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:01,200
"You can write music.
You can write imagery.
357
00:23:01,370 --> 00:23:02,870
"You can sing, you can perform."
358
00:23:02,950 --> 00:23:06,710
And that was where, really,
the first opposition to apartheid
359
00:23:06,790 --> 00:23:09,380
came from inside
the Afrikaans community.
360
00:23:09,460 --> 00:23:12,920
It was these young Afrikaans guys
and, to a man,
361
00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:12,930
they'll tell you
they were influenced by Rodriguez.
It was these young Afrikaans guys
and, to a man,
362
00:23:12,930 --> 00:23:15,470
they'll tell you
they were influenced by Rodriguez.
363
00:23:15,550 --> 00:23:17,720
Koos Kombuis. Willem Möller.
364
00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:19,600
The late Johannes Kerkorrel.
365
00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:25,220
The guys who were regarded as the icons
of the Afrikaans music revolution
366
00:23:25,390 --> 00:23:27,770
will all tell you,
"Rodriguez was our guy."
367
00:23:27,890 --> 00:23:29,570
(speaking Afrikaans)
368
00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:33,440
(Méller)
We call it the Voélvry movement
369
00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:36,070
of Afrikaans artists
singing against apartheid.
370
00:23:36,150 --> 00:23:38,950
All of us listened to Rodriguez
at some point. All of us.
371
00:23:39,070 --> 00:23:41,070
It had an enormous impact.
372
00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:43,660
It made you just think
that there's another way.
373
00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:47,960
What's presented to you
by the establishment isn't all theirs.
374
00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:49,790
(rock music playing)
375
00:23:49,790 --> 00:23:49,800
♪ Set if off, set if off
♪ Set if off, set if off
(rock music playing)
376
00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:56,510
♪ Set if off, set if off
♪ Set if off, set if off
377
00:23:56,590 --> 00:23:59,140
(Méller) The biggest hit
was a song called Set It Off
378
00:23:59,260 --> 00:24:02,510
which was when PW Botha
was the president then.
379
00:24:02,590 --> 00:24:06,440
The real bad guy. When he came on TV,
he used to talk like that.
380
00:24:08,020 --> 00:24:10,690
And this song said, "switch it off,
just switch off the TV."
381
00:24:19,490 --> 00:24:20,860
(male interviewer)
So what lines do you think
382
00:24:20,950 --> 00:24:22,540
were the lines they had problem with?
383
00:24:22,610 --> 00:24:24,120
Ah, gee whiz, it's all of them.
384
00:24:24,620 --> 00:24:27,330
"Sugar Man, won't you hurry
Cos I'm tired of these scenes
385
00:24:27,450 --> 00:24:31,830
"For a blue coin, won't you bring back
all those colours to my dreams?"
386
00:24:31,830 --> 00:24:33,710
The most difficult ones is probably
387
00:24:33,790 --> 00:24:38,170
"Silver magic ships, you carry
Jumpers, coke, sweet Mary Jane."
388
00:24:38,300 --> 00:24:39,890
And what is that?
389
00:24:40,460 --> 00:24:41,840
Uh...
390
00:24:42,130 --> 00:24:43,560
I'm gonna leave that to you.
391
00:24:43,630 --> 00:24:45,060
(both chuckle)
392
00:24:45,140 --> 00:24:47,560
- But it's drugs?
- It's certainly drugs.
393
00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:51,560
During the apartheid years,
it was just impossible to play it.
394
00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:53,570
And what happened if you did play it?
395
00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,820
Well, you couldn't.
I'd like to show you why.
396
00:25:01,690 --> 00:25:04,570
Right, here we have the album,
the vinyl.
397
00:25:04,660 --> 00:25:08,200
At the back of the sleeve
you'll see a sticker that says "Avoid."
398
00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:08,210
But when you open the album
and take it out from its sleeve,
At the back of the sleeve
you'll see a sticker that says "Avoid."
399
00:25:08,210 --> 00:25:12,000
But when you open the album
and take it out from its sleeve,
400
00:25:12,750 --> 00:25:16,220
you would see that they have
scratched that particular song
401
00:25:16,330 --> 00:25:20,010
with a sharp tool to make sure
that it would not go out on air.
402
00:25:20,550 --> 00:25:25,050
And that's the way that they
banned the music which, in my mind,
403
00:25:25,180 --> 00:25:29,850
was quite a brutal way of ensuring the
song would never be heard on the air.
404
00:25:30,350 --> 00:25:33,850
(Steve Harris) Most of those tracks
were on the banned list at SABC
405
00:25:33,930 --> 00:25:37,280
and they ran
the broadcast industry completely.
406
00:25:37,350 --> 00:25:40,110
There weren't any independent
radio stations or TV stations.
407
00:25:40,190 --> 00:25:45,910
Obviously, when that word got out,
it just made the record more desirable.
408
00:25:46,740 --> 00:25:48,740
You know,
it's like having something banned.
409
00:25:48,740 --> 00:25:52,290
You're 16, 17 years old
and you've got something that's banned.
410
00:25:52,370 --> 00:25:54,290
It was absolutely perfect.
411
00:25:54,580 --> 00:25:56,880
(♪ Can't Get Away by Rodriguez)
412
00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,270
♪ Born in the troubled city
413
00:26:18,270 --> 00:26:21,110
♪ In Rock and Roll, USA
414
00:26:21,610 --> 00:26:24,990
♪ In the shadow of the tallest building
415
00:26:25,950 --> 00:26:28,870
♪ I vowed I would break away
416
00:26:29,990 --> 00:26:32,910
♪ Listened to the Sunday actors
417
00:26:33,660 --> 00:26:36,160
♪ But all they would ever say
418
00:26:36,250 --> 00:26:39,840
♪ That you can't get away from it
419
00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:42,390
♪ No, you can't get away
420
00:26:43,090 --> 00:26:46,560
(Segerman) Cold Fact was just one
of the albums we had in our collections,
421
00:26:46,630 --> 00:26:50,930
and for 10, 20 years, it was just
a record we listened to and enjoyed.
422
00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:55,150
But then a pivotal event happened
that changed everything for me.
423
00:26:55,220 --> 00:26:56,690
We were down in Camps Bay beach.
424
00:26:56,770 --> 00:26:59,900
We were sitting around on the beach
and a friend of mine,
425
00:26:59,980 --> 00:27:02,280
a woman, who was from South Africa,
426
00:27:02,360 --> 00:27:06,580
but she had got married
and emigrated to Los Angeles,
427
00:27:06,650 --> 00:27:11,030
she said to me, "Where can I
buy Cold Fact in South Africa?"
428
00:27:11,120 --> 00:27:14,960
And I turned round and I pointed
to a store across the road
429
00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:18,290
that sold CDs and I said,
"You can buy it at that store."
430
00:27:18,370 --> 00:27:21,970
She said, "Really? Because, you know,
you can't buy it anywhere in America.
431
00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:24,260
"I've asked everywhere in America,
no one's even heard of it."
432
00:27:24,340 --> 00:27:26,840
And that was a pivotal moment,
'cause I didn't know that.
433
00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:28,300
I thought everybody knew Rodriguez,
434
00:27:28,380 --> 00:27:30,930
especially in America
'cause he was American.
435
00:27:31,010 --> 00:27:34,140
So my next thought was,
"Ah, Rodriguez, that's interesting. "
436
00:27:34,220 --> 00:27:36,640
I went back... I came back home
and I took out my Rodriguez records
437
00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:39,150
and that's when I realised
there was nothing on the record
438
00:27:39,230 --> 00:27:41,400
to tell us who he was
or where he was from.
439
00:27:41,770 --> 00:27:43,650
On Cold Fact there are four names.
440
00:27:43,730 --> 00:27:46,610
On the front cover
it just says "Rodriguez."
441
00:27:46,690 --> 00:27:49,490
But if we take the record out
and examine the sleeve,
442
00:27:49,610 --> 00:27:52,410
the artist's name is Sixto Rodriguez.
443
00:27:52,490 --> 00:27:53,990
But if you look at the tracks,
444
00:27:54,070 --> 00:27:55,700
six of these tracks
445
00:27:55,780 --> 00:27:58,160
are credited to Jesus Rodriguez,
446
00:27:58,250 --> 00:27:59,620
and four of these tracks
447
00:27:59,710 --> 00:28:02,330
are credited to Sixth Prince.
448
00:28:02,420 --> 00:28:04,090
So who actually wrote these songs
449
00:28:04,170 --> 00:28:05,420
and who are all these people?
450
00:28:05,500 --> 00:28:08,680
We didn't have any more information
than a record
451
00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:12,310
with him sitting on the cover
with a hat and sunglasses on.
452
00:28:12,380 --> 00:28:15,390
We didn't know how tall he was
'cause he was sitfing cross-legged.
453
00:28:15,470 --> 00:28:16,940
So how do you solve a mystery?
454
00:28:17,010 --> 00:28:19,020
You use whatever
information's available.
455
00:28:19,100 --> 00:28:22,400
What did we have?
A record cover with lyrics.
456
00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:24,150
So we started looking
qui te deeply at the lyrics
457
00:28:24,230 --> 00:28:25,700
and seeing what they said,
458
00:28:25,770 --> 00:28:28,400
and some of them, very few of them,
had geographical references.
459
00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:31,110
The one You Can't get away starts off,
460
00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:32,820
"Born in the troubled city
461
00:28:32,910 --> 00:28:35,700
"In Rock and Roll, USA."
462
00:28:35,780 --> 00:28:37,210
Born in which troubled city?
463
00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:39,380
Seems all the cities were troubled
in the late '60s.
464
00:28:39,450 --> 00:28:41,750
"In the shadow of the tallest building."
465
00:28:41,830 --> 00:28:44,000
The tallest building, as far as we knew,
was in New York.
466
00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:46,430
And at the bottom of the song
this verse says,
467
00:28:46,500 --> 00:28:48,130
"In a hotel room in Amsterdam."
468
00:28:49,050 --> 00:28:54,050
Then it says, "Going down a dusty
Georgian side road I wander." Georgia?
469
00:28:54,130 --> 00:28:56,060
So we've had Amsterdam,
we've had Georgia,
470
00:28:56,140 --> 00:28:57,600
we've had the world's tallest building.
471
00:28:58,260 --> 00:28:59,980
Not much to go on.
472
00:29:07,730 --> 00:29:09,190
(Bartholomew-Strydom)
Well, what I heard,
473
00:29:09,190 --> 00:29:09,200
and the story differs a lot,
(Bartholomew-Strydom)
Well, what I heard,
474
00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:10,610
and the story differs a lot,
475
00:29:10,730 --> 00:29:14,330
and a lot of people have different
versions of the story, but what I heard,
476
00:29:14,410 --> 00:29:17,160
he hadn't played a concert
in a very long time.
477
00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:21,080
And a promoter got him
to play a concert,
478
00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:23,840
and he was hoping
it was gonna be a great show.
479
00:29:23,910 --> 00:29:27,040
Of course, the show didn't
work out that way. It started out...
480
00:29:27,130 --> 00:29:31,170
The sound wasn't good.
The venue wasn't good.
481
00:29:31,170 --> 00:29:31,180
A lot of the factors
surrounding the show wasn't good.
The sound wasn't good.
The venue wasn't good.
482
00:29:31,180 --> 00:29:33,850
A lot of the factors
surrounding the show wasn't good.
483
00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:35,800
And as the show went on and on,
484
00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:40,480
it started going downhill from there.
People started ridiculing him.
485
00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:45,860
People started whistling
or making mention of the fact that,
486
00:29:45,940 --> 00:29:48,310
you know,
the show wasn't going as planned.
487
00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:51,990
And it got to a point where,
just very quietly, very gently,
488
00:29:52,070 --> 00:29:53,540
he just sang his last song.
489
00:29:53,610 --> 00:29:56,280
"But thanks for your time
Then you can thank me for mine
490
00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:58,330
"And after that's said forget it."
491
00:29:58,410 --> 00:30:02,750
And he reached down and pulled up a gun
and pulled the trigger.
492
00:30:03,330 --> 00:30:06,500
And that was the dramatic,
very dramatic ending,
493
00:30:06,580 --> 00:30:09,180
to what was actually a non-career.
494
00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:44,380
(Segerman) In 1996,
the South African record label
495
00:30:44,450 --> 00:30:48,670
released Rodriguez's second album,
Coming From Reality,
496
00:30:48,790 --> 00:30:51,590
on CD for the first time
in South Africa.
497
00:30:51,670 --> 00:30:54,210
And because they thought
I knew a lot about him,
498
00:30:54,210 --> 00:30:54,220
they asked if I wanted to co-write
the liner notes for the booklet,
And because they thought
I knew a lot about him,
499
00:30:54,220 --> 00:30:56,930
they asked if I wanted to co-write
the liner notes for the booklet,
500
00:30:57,010 --> 00:30:58,380
which I did.
501
00:30:58,470 --> 00:31:02,850
And I'll read some of it to you.
They start off by saying,
502
00:31:02,930 --> 00:31:06,360
"if ever there is an air of intrigue
and mystery around a pop artist,
503
00:31:06,430 --> 00:31:09,150
"it is around the artist
known as Rodriguez.
504
00:31:09,230 --> 00:31:12,360
"There's no air of intrigue and mystery
around him anywhere else in the world
505
00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:15,570
"because his two albums,
Coming From Reality and Cold Fact,
506
00:31:15,650 --> 00:31:18,450
"were monumental flops everywhere else."
507
00:31:18,530 --> 00:31:20,000
And this is the important part.
508
00:31:20,700 --> 00:31:24,670
"There were no concrete cold facts
about the artist known as Rodriguez.
509
00:31:24,740 --> 00:31:27,170
"Any musicologist detectives out there?"
510
00:31:27,660 --> 00:31:30,460
And that,
that's the line that changed everything.
511
00:31:31,580 --> 00:31:33,380
(Bartholomew-Strydom)
I started searching for Rodriguez
512
00:31:33,460 --> 00:31:35,680
when a few of us
were sitting around in the Army
513
00:31:35,750 --> 00:31:38,130
and somebody said,
"How did Rodriguez die?"
514
00:31:38,220 --> 00:31:39,590
And just coincidence,
515
00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:42,100
at the time I was looking
for subject matter to write an article.
516
00:31:42,180 --> 00:31:45,060
I remember having, like, five points
on a piece of paper.
517
00:31:45,140 --> 00:31:48,480
And number four, or something,
was "Find out how Rodriguez died."
518
00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:51,310
I thought it would make a good story.
519
00:31:51,310 --> 00:31:53,410
So that was in the back of my mind
for many years
520
00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:57,240
and then, many years later,
I came across this, um,
521
00:31:57,780 --> 00:32:03,120
re-release of Coming From Reality
and inside, the liner notes said,
522
00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:06,580
"There were no concrete cold facts
about the artist known as Rodriguez.
523
00:32:06,660 --> 00:32:11,290
"Any musicologist detectives out there?"
Um, was the question,
524
00:32:11,370 --> 00:32:13,500
and I think that to me,
was like an invitation.
525
00:32:13,580 --> 00:32:15,680
I thought, "Well, maybe it's me".
526
00:32:18,130 --> 00:32:22,480
The first way I tried to find him
was to just follow the money.
527
00:32:22,550 --> 00:32:23,800
Normally, you follow the money.
528
00:32:23,930 --> 00:32:25,300
That's how you get
to the bottom of anything.
529
00:32:25,970 --> 00:32:28,320
But where do dead men's money go?
530
00:32:28,390 --> 00:32:30,770
I was astounded that
no one knew anything about him.
531
00:32:30,890 --> 00:32:35,190
I guess it was reminiscent
of how bad the music industry was.
532
00:32:35,270 --> 00:32:37,120
They were renowned
for ripping people off.
533
00:32:37,190 --> 00:32:41,120
And it is one thing,
if they had said to me, "Oh, yeah,
534
00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:45,540
"we send the money
to X place or Y," or whatever,
535
00:32:45,620 --> 00:32:47,910
but they just kept on being very vague.
536
00:32:47,990 --> 00:32:51,750
And, in fact, when lput some pressure
on somebody, I did get an address,
537
00:32:51,830 --> 00:32:53,330
and I called
538
00:32:53,420 --> 00:32:56,380
and, I can't remember
if I spoke to someone or left a message,
539
00:32:56,380 --> 00:32:56,390
but when I called the next day,
the number had been changed.
and, I can't remember
if I spoke to someone or left a message,
540
00:32:56,390 --> 00:32:59,380
but when I called the next day,
the number had been changed.
541
00:32:59,380 --> 00:33:00,550
And that to me was...
542
00:33:00,630 --> 00:33:04,060
I mean, that's a gift
for anyone who wants to be a detective,
543
00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:08,610
is an obstacle,
because an obstacle is an inspiration.
544
00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:11,350
If you just find things easily,
they're not inspiring,
545
00:33:11,350 --> 00:33:14,650
and this was a great obstacle
that somebody had changed their number.
546
00:33:14,730 --> 00:33:19,150
I just smelt a dirty money story
somewhere there.
547
00:33:19,230 --> 00:33:20,950
(male interviewer)
So, if you compare to other artists,
548
00:33:21,030 --> 00:33:22,650
how big was it actually?
549
00:33:22,740 --> 00:33:24,780
(Robbie Mann) Every month it just sold.
550
00:33:24,860 --> 00:33:27,740
And every party you went to
and every place you went to,
551
00:33:27,820 --> 00:33:30,250
you'd hear that album at least once.
552
00:33:30,330 --> 00:33:34,710
I don't think I could even think
of how many albums he's sold here
553
00:33:34,790 --> 00:33:37,260
'cause it's a long period of time.
554
00:33:37,630 --> 00:33:40,430
(male interviewer)
What could be probable?
555
00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:43,430
(sighs)
556
00:33:43,510 --> 00:33:47,730
I'd have to guess. Maybe half a million
copies over that period of time.
557
00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:51,480
It's a lot of records,
especially for a small country.
558
00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:54,030
Gold record, ten times over.
559
00:33:54,100 --> 00:33:56,850
(male interviewer) Rodriguez never got
to know that he was big in South Africa.
560
00:33:56,980 --> 00:33:58,440
How could that be?
561
00:33:58,440 --> 00:33:58,450
Don't know.
I mean, everything would have been...
How could that be?
562
00:33:58,450 --> 00:34:01,740
Don't know.
I mean, everything would have been...
563
00:34:01,820 --> 00:34:03,410
I find that strange.
564
00:34:04,360 --> 00:34:05,740
I have no idea.
565
00:34:05,820 --> 00:34:07,870
(male interviewer) But you must
have sent royalties somewhere?
566
00:34:07,990 --> 00:34:10,620
(Mann) Of course we sent royalties.
We sent royalties to AandM Records.
567
00:34:10,700 --> 00:34:13,000
I remember the label. It was AandM Sussex.
568
00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:16,000
Whether they had a partnership,
whatever they had, I don't... You know.
569
00:34:16,620 --> 00:34:20,840
So, my suggestion is, if you
can find out whoever the person was
570
00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:22,590
who owned Sussex Records,
571
00:34:23,340 --> 00:34:26,090
then you will find out
what happened to the money.
572
00:34:26,170 --> 00:34:28,890
(male interviewer)
Because it's weird, isn't it?
573
00:34:29,010 --> 00:34:32,140
(Mann) It's very strange. Very strange.
574
00:34:32,220 --> 00:34:34,470
(male interviewer) How popular
was the album? Was he as famous as,
575
00:34:34,470 --> 00:34:34,480
you know,
the Rolling Stones and the Doors?
(male interviewer) How popular
was the album? Was he as famous as,
576
00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:36,650
you know,
the Rolling Stones and the Doors?
577
00:34:36,770 --> 00:34:38,520
Oh, it was much bigger
than Rolling Stones.
578
00:34:38,600 --> 00:34:40,070
Absolutely, at the time, yeah.
579
00:34:40,610 --> 00:34:43,480
(male interviewer) When you released
the record, did you try to contact him?
580
00:34:43,570 --> 00:34:47,370
(Harris) No, not at all. You know?
Because... because, at the time,
581
00:34:47,450 --> 00:34:51,490
the legend... the legend was...
here was an artist.
582
00:34:51,490 --> 00:34:51,500
This was like Jimi Hendrix.
the legend... the legend was...
here was an artist.
583
00:34:51,500 --> 00:34:53,450
This was like Jimi Hendrix.
584
00:34:53,450 --> 00:34:53,460
With Jimi Hendrix catalogues,
you've gotta understand,
This was like Jimi Hendrix.
585
00:34:53,460 --> 00:34:56,170
With Jimi Hendrix catalogues,
you've gotta understand,
586
00:34:56,250 --> 00:35:01,670
if you just got Jimi Hendrix and you'd
got the license for this territory,
587
00:35:01,750 --> 00:35:05,180
you're obviously not gonna go try get
hold of Jimi Hendrix, because he's dead.
588
00:35:05,260 --> 00:35:08,180
- But who did you pay royalties to?
- To Sussex Music.
589
00:35:08,260 --> 00:35:09,640
To Clarence?
590
00:35:09,720 --> 00:35:12,970
Yes. Well, to Sussex Music
which is his company, yeah.
591
00:35:13,310 --> 00:35:15,310
So, I decided to make a diagram.
592
00:35:15,310 --> 00:35:18,530
Write down the whole path
and trail that I was trying to work out.
593
00:35:18,600 --> 00:35:21,280
All the various touch points,
all the record companies,
594
00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:24,780
all the people that had dealings with
Rodriguez and his album at some point.
595
00:35:24,860 --> 00:35:26,780
I made this whole document.
596
00:35:26,860 --> 00:35:29,490
So I found out there were three
record companies in South Africa
597
00:35:29,490 --> 00:35:31,990
that had released Rodriguez's records.
598
00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:35,750
Finally discovering that
led to a record company in America.
599
00:35:35,830 --> 00:35:37,630
It was a company that
had been signing Rodriguez
600
00:35:37,700 --> 00:35:40,550
and creating his first album
called Sussex.
601
00:35:41,380 --> 00:35:43,420
I then did my research on Sussex.
602
00:35:43,500 --> 00:35:45,680
That led me to discovering
603
00:35:45,750 --> 00:35:50,180
who the owner of Sussex Records was:
Clarence Avant.
604
00:35:50,260 --> 00:35:52,550
Clarence Avant,
he'd been the head of Motown,
605
00:35:52,550 --> 00:35:52,560
one of the most prestigious jobs
to have in the record company industry.
Clarence Avant,
he'd been the head of Motown,
606
00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:56,180
one of the most prestigious jobs
to have in the record company industry.
607
00:35:56,260 --> 00:35:59,990
So I did my research. I tried everything
to get a hold of Clarence Avant,
608
00:36:00,100 --> 00:36:03,530
but I just got to a lot of closed doors.
I could not get a hold of him.
609
00:36:15,740 --> 00:36:19,000
(male interviewer) I don't know
if you've ever seen this picture.
610
00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:21,750
(chuckles) That's him.
611
00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:25,760
That's Rodriguez.
612
00:36:27,300 --> 00:36:29,590
I don't know when this was made.
I have absolutely no idea.
613
00:36:29,670 --> 00:36:32,600
- That's 1970, I think.
- Yeah.
614
00:36:34,970 --> 00:36:36,890
This is my man.
615
00:36:41,060 --> 00:36:43,600
Man, don't get me emotional again. Shit.
616
00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:43,610
You made me emotional once.
Man, don't get me emotional again. Shit.
617
00:36:43,610 --> 00:36:45,030
You made me emotional once.
618
00:36:45,150 --> 00:36:48,620
I ain't getting emotional no more
sitting here talking to you, man.
619
00:36:50,070 --> 00:36:54,490
If I had to name ten artists
that I have ever been involved with,
620
00:36:54,570 --> 00:36:57,330
Rodriguez would be in the top five,
simple as that.
621
00:36:57,410 --> 00:36:59,460
There's nothing...
You never heard anything like him.
622
00:36:59,540 --> 00:37:02,920
People would say, "Well, Bob Dylan."
I said, "No, no".
623
00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:07,340
Bob Dylan was mild to this guy.
Did it make any money?
624
00:37:07,420 --> 00:37:09,710
We judge singing here in America...
625
00:37:09,710 --> 00:37:09,720
If you say,
"Is it... Was it the top hundred?
We judge singing here in America...
626
00:37:09,720 --> 00:37:13,220
If you say,
"Is it... Was it the top hundred?
627
00:37:13,300 --> 00:37:17,480
"Was it... was it number...
Did it get on the charts as number 12?
628
00:37:17,550 --> 00:37:20,980
"Was there a lot of radio play?"
The answer's, "No, man."
629
00:37:22,350 --> 00:37:24,570
Nobody didn't... Rodriguez?
630
00:37:25,810 --> 00:37:28,410
You know, that name didn't register.
631
00:37:29,190 --> 00:37:32,070
Although he looked like he was
a white guy but, even still, Rodriguez,
632
00:37:32,190 --> 00:37:35,070
everybody knew Rodriguez,
that's a Spanish name.
633
00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:38,000
A Latin name.
Latin music was not happening then.
634
00:37:38,070 --> 00:37:40,580
(male interviewer) How many records
do you think he sold in America?
635
00:37:40,660 --> 00:37:42,910
In America'? Six.
636
00:37:42,910 --> 00:37:45,010
Maybe my wife bought it,
maybe my daughter bought...
637
00:37:45,080 --> 00:37:48,750
She couldn't buy it, but maybe
Neil Bogart, maybe Dennis and Mike.
638
00:37:48,750 --> 00:37:48,760
Hey, look, man, you know,
it didn't sell here.
She couldn't buy it, but maybe
Neil Bogart, maybe Dennis and Mike.
639
00:37:48,760 --> 00:37:53,100
Hey, look, man, you know,
it didn't sell here.
640
00:37:53,760 --> 00:37:56,600
There was some excitement about him.
641
00:37:56,680 --> 00:38:01,100
Couple of agents heard him
and wanted to bring him to California
642
00:38:01,100 --> 00:38:04,270
and, you know, when he came
to California he was nervous,
643
00:38:04,390 --> 00:38:06,440
and he turned his back to the audience
644
00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:08,770
and everybody said,
"Well, what the hell is this?"
645
00:38:08,770 --> 00:38:08,780
(male interviewer)
But the thing is that the guy sold
and everybody said,
"Well, what the hell is this?"
646
00:38:08,780 --> 00:38:10,270
(male interviewer)
But the thing is that the guy sold
647
00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:13,110
hundreds of thousands of records
in another country.
648
00:38:13,240 --> 00:38:15,450
(Avant) I'm going to South Africa to try
to chase somebody who's selling records?
649
00:38:15,530 --> 00:38:16,950
Shit, no, man.
650
00:38:16,950 --> 00:38:19,620
(male interviewer) But did you know
that he was big in South Africa?
651
00:38:19,620 --> 00:38:24,620
Rodriguez, young man, never happened
insofar as I'm concerned.
652
00:38:24,750 --> 00:38:26,120
Period.
653
00:38:26,290 --> 00:38:30,540
But if I'm really gonna try to track
down the money, how should I do it?
654
00:38:30,630 --> 00:38:33,130
Well, is that important, the money?
Or is Rod...
655
00:38:33,260 --> 00:38:38,640
Which is important? Rodriguez's story
or you worrying about the money?
656
00:38:38,720 --> 00:38:40,310
How many people in South Africa?
657
00:38:40,430 --> 00:38:43,150
40 million? 40 thousand?
40 million people? How many people?
658
00:38:43,270 --> 00:38:44,730
4O million people live in South Africa.
659
00:38:44,810 --> 00:38:48,440
Well, so they've been freed
for how long? Three hours?
660
00:38:48,650 --> 00:38:49,980
So what the fuck's
that supposed to mean?
661
00:38:49,980 --> 00:38:49,990
You told me at lunch,
they scratch records
So what the fuck's
that supposed to mean?
662
00:38:49,990 --> 00:38:52,650
You told me at lunch,
they scratch records
663
00:38:52,770 --> 00:38:54,400
because they wouldn't let the lyrics...
664
00:38:54,480 --> 00:38:57,990
So the underground movement,
how big was it'? How big was it?
665
00:38:58,110 --> 00:39:00,660
(male interviewer) He sold
half a million records in South Africa.
666
00:39:00,780 --> 00:39:02,580
So he sold half a million records.
So what?
667
00:39:02,660 --> 00:39:04,410
I don't know who he sold them to.
668
00:39:04,490 --> 00:39:07,340
How many distributors did he have?
I have no idea.
669
00:39:07,410 --> 00:39:08,920
There are only...
There are three record labels.
670
00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:10,840
- I spoke to all the record label...
- Well, great.
671
00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:15,680
...bosses in South Africa who
has released his records. It was...
672
00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:18,430
Go back to 'em and tell 'em
to send me an account.
673
00:39:18,510 --> 00:39:20,930
You think it's something
I'm gonna worry about, a 1970 contract?
674
00:39:21,010 --> 00:39:23,690
If you do,
you're outta your goddamn mind.
675
00:39:23,810 --> 00:39:27,530
Buddha Records out of business.
I'm out of business.
676
00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:32,860
So you think they give a shit
about that? I know I wouldn't.
677
00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:36,860
(Segerman)
I've been looking for information
678
00:39:36,990 --> 00:39:38,610
about Rodriguez for a long time.
679
00:39:39,530 --> 00:39:42,780
I've even setup a web page
called The Great Rodriguez Hunt
680
00:39:42,870 --> 00:39:44,870
in the hope that
someone out there in cyberspace
681
00:39:44,990 --> 00:39:49,670
would post a message on the forum giving
us any information about Rodriguez.
682
00:39:50,170 --> 00:39:51,670
But there was nothing.
683
00:39:52,460 --> 00:39:54,380
At that stage I met Craig,
684
00:39:54,460 --> 00:39:57,720
who was the musicologist detective
who had read my liner notes
685
00:39:57,840 --> 00:39:59,970
and who was also
searching for Rodriguez.
686
00:40:00,050 --> 00:40:03,400
And he flew down to Cape Town
and we met in a coffee shop.
687
00:40:03,470 --> 00:40:06,220
And we exchanged
all the information we had.
688
00:40:06,390 --> 00:40:08,730
But unfortunately we had very little.
689
00:40:08,730 --> 00:40:12,980
And at that stage I remember we felt
it was probably best if we just stopped.
690
00:40:13,060 --> 00:40:14,570
(Bartholomew-Strydom)
So basically I was lost.
691
00:40:14,690 --> 00:40:16,400
I'd come to a dead end.
I couldn '1' find him.
692
00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:16,410
I didn't know where to look any more.
I'd come to a dead end.
I couldn '1' find him.
693
00:40:16,410 --> 00:40:17,990
I didn't know where to look any more.
694
00:40:18,070 --> 00:40:20,410
I'd even visited the places
that he sang about.
695
00:40:20,530 --> 00:40:22,570
I'd been to London. Nothing.
696
00:40:22,570 --> 00:40:22,580
I'd been to Amsterdam.
He sings about Amsterdam. Nothing.
I'd been to London. Nothing.
697
00:40:22,580 --> 00:40:26,750
I'd been to Amsterdam.
He sings about Amsterdam. Nothing.
698
00:40:26,830 --> 00:40:29,670
And one day I'd basically given up.
I thought, "Well, this is it. "
699
00:40:29,750 --> 00:40:32,590
And one day, just by accident,
I was listening to the album in the car
700
00:40:32,710 --> 00:40:34,760
and I heard the song Inner City Blues.
701
00:40:34,830 --> 00:40:37,010
Great song. And the line came up.
702
00:40:37,090 --> 00:40:40,840
"I met a girl in Dearborn,
early six o'clock this morn.
703
00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:42,430
"A cold fact."
704
00:40:42,510 --> 00:40:45,510
Then I thought, "Hang on a minute."
I 'd never checked out Dearborn.
705
00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:47,520
I didn't even know if it was a city
but then I thought,
706
00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:49,440
"Actually that sounds
like a town or a city."
707
00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:53,270
And I thought, "Hang on,
let me check it out in an atlas."
708
00:40:53,270 --> 00:40:58,440
So I went through to my old atlas
and pulled it out.
709
00:40:58,440 --> 00:40:58,450
I thought, "Let me see
what I could find here.
So I went through to my old atlas
and pulled it out.
710
00:40:58,450 --> 00:41:01,780
I thought, "Let me see
what I could find here.
711
00:41:01,780 --> 00:41:01,790
"Let me see if I could find Dearborn."
I thought, "Let me see
what I could find here.
712
00:41:01,790 --> 00:41:04,280
"Let me see if I could find Dearborn."
713
00:41:04,450 --> 00:41:06,120
Urn... Dear...
714
00:41:06,950 --> 00:41:11,080
Then I found it.
Dearborn, Wayne, Michigan. F7.
715
00:41:14,620 --> 00:41:17,300
F...7.
716
00:41:17,420 --> 00:41:22,470
Dearborn. Part of Detroit.
That was a huge breakthrough in my mind.
717
00:41:22,550 --> 00:41:27,230
Detroit, home of Motown,
Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder,
718
00:41:27,890 --> 00:41:30,810
and, eventually, Mike Theodore,
the producer of the album.
719
00:41:35,650 --> 00:41:39,820
(Theodore) I was sitting in my condo,
just having a cup of coffee.
720
00:41:39,820 --> 00:41:43,820
I was looking out the window
watching the ocean. Phone rings.
721
00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:46,660
It's a long-distance call
722
00:41:46,660 --> 00:41:48,330
from South Africa...
723
00:41:49,740 --> 00:41:52,790
from a writer whose name's
Craig Bartholomew,
724
00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:58,800
and he starts telling me
this amazing story.
725
00:41:59,960 --> 00:42:01,840
So he said, "Do you know that Rodriguez
726
00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:04,840
"has been selling in South Africa
for 25 years.
727
00:42:04,840 --> 00:42:07,260
"His albums are selling millions."
728
00:42:07,590 --> 00:42:09,270
I said, "What?"
729
00:42:09,350 --> 00:42:13,190
Then he's sitting there and he wants...
he starts telling me some stories.
730
00:42:13,270 --> 00:42:15,360
He said, "How did Rodriguez die?"
731
00:42:15,520 --> 00:42:19,690
And he's telling me information
that he had that Rodriguez had...
732
00:42:20,940 --> 00:42:22,860
blown his brains out on stage,
733
00:42:22,940 --> 00:42:25,200
or set himself on fire
and killed himself.
734
00:42:25,650 --> 00:42:27,750
I had 100 questions I wanted to ask.
735
00:42:27,820 --> 00:42:31,530
I was just hoping I could get
all my questions in, you know.
736
00:42:31,530 --> 00:42:31,540
"Why did he write this lyric?
Why did he write that lyric?
I was just hoping I could get
all my questions in, you know.
737
00:42:31,540 --> 00:42:34,130
"Why did he write this lyric?
Why did he write that lyric?
738
00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:38,300
"Where did he record this album?
Where did he record that album?"
739
00:42:38,370 --> 00:42:42,210
And we got talking and I asked him
a lot of questions and it was amazing.
740
00:42:42,210 --> 00:42:42,220
It was a rollercoaster ride
of questions and answers,
And we got talking and I asked him
a lot of questions and it was amazing.
741
00:42:42,220 --> 00:42:45,220
It was a rollercoaster ride
of questions and answers,
742
00:42:45,220 --> 00:42:48,560
and it was a euphoric moment
of just having finally broken through
743
00:42:48,680 --> 00:42:50,090
and discovered something.
744
00:42:50,090 --> 00:42:50,100
And finally I got to the one question
I wanted to know the answer of, was,
and discovered something.
745
00:42:50,100 --> 00:42:54,100
And finally I got to the one question
I wanted to know the answer of, was,
746
00:42:54,100 --> 00:42:58,270
"How did Rodriguez die?
Did he blow himself up on stage? Or...
747
00:42:58,390 --> 00:43:00,940
"What is this dramatic story?
748
00:43:00,940 --> 00:43:05,610
"Let's open up the lid on this
right away, and find out what happened."
749
00:43:05,610 --> 00:43:05,620
And Mike Theodore said,
"What do you mean dead? He's not dead.
"Let's open up the lid on this
right away, and find out what happened."
750
00:43:05,620 --> 00:43:10,410
And Mike Theodore said,
"What do you mean dead? He's not dead.
751
00:43:12,370 --> 00:43:14,620
"Sixto is alive. He's alive and kicking.
752
00:43:14,740 --> 00:43:20,420
"The principal artist known as
Sixto Rodriguez is alive and kicking
753
00:43:20,540 --> 00:43:21,920
"and living in Detroit."
754
00:43:26,050 --> 00:43:29,260
(Harris) I... I can't remember who
called me and said, "They've found him."
755
00:43:29,260 --> 00:43:29,270
I said, "No. You're shitting me.
This isn't... No." (laughs)
(Harris) I... I can't remember who
called me and said, "They've found him."
756
00:43:29,270 --> 00:43:34,940
I said, "No. You're shitting me.
This isn't... No." (laughs)
757
00:43:35,560 --> 00:43:39,810
At first I thought it was a hoax.
I thought somebody was faking it.
758
00:43:41,060 --> 00:43:44,440
You know, it's like going
into Tutankhamen's tomb
759
00:43:44,570 --> 00:43:45,940
and finding the mummy.
760
00:43:46,070 --> 00:43:47,440
You know, it was like, "Wow, he lives."
761
00:43:47,610 --> 00:43:50,990
I remember dancing on the spot
when I was staying on the phone.
762
00:43:51,110 --> 00:43:54,950
And Craig and I were jumping up and down
saying, "We found him, we found him."
763
00:43:54,950 --> 00:43:54,960
It was the most exciting thing.
We'd actually done it.
And Craig and I were jumping up and down
saying, "We found him, we found him."
764
00:43:54,960 --> 00:43:57,450
It was the most exciting thing.
We'd actually done it.
765
00:43:57,620 --> 00:43:59,620
(♪ I Think of You by Rodriguez)
766
00:43:59,750 --> 00:44:04,840
♪ Just a song we shared out here
767
00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:10,470
♪ Brings memories back
when you were here
768
00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:16,810
♪ Of your smile, your easy laughter
769
00:44:17,640 --> 00:44:22,610
♪ Of your kiss, those moments after
770
00:44:22,810 --> 00:44:25,690
♪ I think of you
771
00:44:28,650 --> 00:44:30,360
(Bartholomew-Strydom) So that was it.
772
00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:30,370
I'd come to the point,
it was the end of the story.
(Bartholomew-Strydom) So that was it.
773
00:44:30,370 --> 00:44:33,210
I'd come to the point,
it was the end of the story.
774
00:44:33,320 --> 00:44:37,330
I was searching for a dead man.
One morning I discovered a living man.
775
00:44:37,330 --> 00:44:40,370
And to me that was the end of the story.
I wrote my article,
776
00:44:40,370 --> 00:44:40,380
I called it "Looking for Jesus."
And to me that was the end of the story.
I wrote my article,
777
00:44:40,380 --> 00:44:42,830
I called it "Looking for Jesus."
778
00:44:42,830 --> 00:44:42,840
I faxed it to many individuals,
I called it "Looking for Jesus."
779
00:44:42,840 --> 00:44:44,330
I faxed it to many individuals,
780
00:44:44,460 --> 00:44:45,510
many people involved,
781
00:44:45,670 --> 00:44:50,340
but somehow this article
made its way across the Atlantic
782
00:44:50,470 --> 00:44:52,840
and into the hands
of someone in America.
783
00:44:52,840 --> 00:44:55,680
And what I thought was the end of story
784
00:44:55,680 --> 00:44:55,690
was actually just the beginning
of another story,
And what I thought was the end of story
785
00:44:55,690 --> 00:44:58,390
was actually just the beginning
of another story,
786
00:44:58,390 --> 00:44:58,400
and the best part was still to come.
was actually just the beginning
of another story,
787
00:44:58,400 --> 00:45:01,020
and the best part was still to come.
788
00:45:03,310 --> 00:45:05,900
'Cause I don't know where it is.
It might take a while.
789
00:45:05,900 --> 00:45:05,910
They do have the dates.
'Cause I don't know where it is.
It might take a while.
790
00:45:05,910 --> 00:45:08,020
They do have the dates.
791
00:45:08,020 --> 00:45:08,030
"Three-year search for dead singer."
Yes.
They do have the dates.
792
00:45:08,030 --> 00:45:10,900
"Three-year search for dead singer."
Yes.
793
00:45:11,030 --> 00:45:14,360
August '97. I was in Kansas.
794
00:45:14,360 --> 00:45:14,370
I got a copy of it to me at work.
I was on, like, a 24-hour shift.
August '97. I was in Kansas.
795
00:45:14,370 --> 00:45:18,210
I got a copy of it to me at work.
I was on, like, a 24-hour shift.
796
00:45:18,330 --> 00:45:20,550
And then, I went online
797
00:45:20,700 --> 00:45:24,880
and that's when
I discovered the website.
798
00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:28,750
When I went online there was
this milk carton with a picture.
799
00:45:29,500 --> 00:45:34,430
And it said, "Wanted"
and "Have you seen this man?"
800
00:45:35,090 --> 00:45:38,060
I was like, "Matter of fact,
I have seen him before."
801
00:45:39,390 --> 00:45:44,110
I replied, "Rodriguez is my father.
I'm serious.
802
00:45:44,560 --> 00:45:47,400
"Do you really want to know
about my father?
803
00:45:47,400 --> 00:45:51,070
"Sometimes the fantasy
is better left alive."
804
00:45:51,070 --> 00:45:53,240
I don't know why I said that,
but anyway I did.
805
00:45:53,240 --> 00:45:57,070
And then I gave them e-mail address,
phone numbers,
806
00:45:57,070 --> 00:45:57,080
anything that they wanted to contact me.
And he phoned me.
And then I gave them e-mail address,
phone numbers,
807
00:45:57,080 --> 00:46:00,420
anything that they wanted to contact me.
And he phoned me.
808
00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:08,080
(Segerman) Well, we'd found out
that Rodriguez was alive.
809
00:46:08,080 --> 00:46:08,090
I'd spoken to Craig.
(Segerman) Well, we'd found out
that Rodriguez was alive.
810
00:46:08,090 --> 00:46:09,590
I'd spoken to Craig.
811
00:46:09,590 --> 00:46:12,420
I came to work and Alex McCrindle,
812
00:46:12,420 --> 00:46:12,430
who was the guy I worked
on the website with said,
I came to work and Alex McCrindle,
813
00:46:12,430 --> 00:46:14,470
who was the guy I worked
on the website with said,
814
00:46:14,470 --> 00:46:17,930
"You're not going to believe
what's on the website."
815
00:46:17,930 --> 00:46:17,940
And on the website was a forum
where people could post messages,
"You're not going to believe
what's on the website."
816
00:46:17,940 --> 00:46:21,600
And on the website was a forum
where people could post messages,
817
00:46:21,720 --> 00:46:23,270
and there was a message that said,
818
00:46:23,270 --> 00:46:25,940
"My name's Eva.
I'm Rodriguez's daughter."
819
00:46:26,060 --> 00:46:27,440
She'd left a phone number and she said,
820
00:46:27,560 --> 00:46:28,810
"I'd like to speak to someone
821
00:46:28,940 --> 00:46:30,270
in connection with this."
822
00:46:30,270 --> 00:46:30,280
So that night I phoned her.
in connection with this."
823
00:46:30,280 --> 00:46:32,490
So that night I phoned her.
824
00:46:32,610 --> 00:46:35,160
I said, "Hi, I'm Sugar,"
and she said, "I'm Eva,"
825
00:46:35,280 --> 00:46:37,780
and we had the most
amazing conversation.
826
00:46:37,780 --> 00:46:41,960
She explained to me who her father was,
what he had done, where he had been.
827
00:46:42,080 --> 00:46:45,620
She asked me who I was
and I explained why my name was Sugar
828
00:46:45,620 --> 00:46:45,630
and how I was involved with the website.
She asked me who I was
and I explained why my name was Sugar
829
00:46:45,630 --> 00:46:48,120
and how I was involved with the website.
830
00:46:48,120 --> 00:46:50,330
And then at the end I said to her,
831
00:46:50,330 --> 00:46:50,340
"This has been the most
amazing thing for me,
And then at the end I said to her,
832
00:46:50,340 --> 00:46:52,800
"This has been the most
amazing thing for me,
833
00:46:52,800 --> 00:46:54,630
"and what would be really great
is if I could,
834
00:46:54,630 --> 00:46:54,640
"at some point, speak to your dad.
"and what would be really great
is if I could,
835
00:46:54,640 --> 00:46:56,470
"at some point, speak to your dad.
836
00:46:56,590 --> 00:46:58,510
"I'd love it if I could
just say hello to him. "
837
00:46:58,510 --> 00:47:01,180
Because, for me,
this was son' of the end of the search
838
00:47:01,180 --> 00:47:03,140
and I just wanted to speak to this man.
839
00:47:03,140 --> 00:47:03,150
And then I went to bed.
and I just wanted to speak to this man.
840
00:47:03,150 --> 00:47:05,140
And then I went to bed.
841
00:47:05,140 --> 00:47:08,360
And 1:00 in the morning that night,
the phone rang.
842
00:47:09,150 --> 00:47:12,820
And my wife answers it
'cause it was her side of the bed.
843
00:47:12,940 --> 00:47:17,490
And I remember she picked up the phone
and her face just changed.
844
00:47:17,490 --> 00:47:21,660
She had this look of awe.
She said, "it's him."
845
00:47:21,780 --> 00:47:23,830
And I was in shock. I'd been sleeping
846
00:47:23,950 --> 00:47:27,040
and I ran into the other room,
into my study,
847
00:47:27,040 --> 00:47:27,050
and I picked up the phone
and she put hers down.
and I ran into the other room,
into my study,
848
00:47:27,050 --> 00:47:29,540
and I picked up the phone
and she put hers down.
849
00:47:29,670 --> 00:47:32,210
And I said, "Hello?" and a voice said...
850
00:47:32,340 --> 00:47:34,170
(Rodriguez's voice on phone)
"Hello, is that Sugar?"
851
00:47:34,170 --> 00:47:34,180
And I knew, I just knew,
because I knew that voice.
(Rodriguez's voice on phone)
"Hello, is that Sugar?"
852
00:47:34,180 --> 00:47:38,010
And I knew, I just knew,
because I knew that voice.
853
00:47:38,010 --> 00:47:38,020
I'd heard that voice so many times
on the records, I knew it was him.
And I knew, I just knew,
because I knew that voice.
854
00:47:38,020 --> 00:47:41,680
I'd heard that voice so many times
on the records, I knew it was him.
855
00:47:41,680 --> 00:47:43,520
I was talking to Rodriguez.
856
00:47:44,350 --> 00:47:47,850
That, for me, was one of
the greatest moments of my life.
857
00:48:57,090 --> 00:49:00,680
- (Rodriguez) Whenever you're ready.
- (Male interviewer) Okay.
858
00:49:00,760 --> 00:49:02,930
(Rodriguez) Is this all right?
Should I be doing something though?
859
00:49:03,010 --> 00:49:06,310
Should I have a glass of water
or something? Is that right?
860
00:49:06,430 --> 00:49:09,650
- (male interviewer) Do you want?
- Yeah. I like that.
861
00:49:09,770 --> 00:49:12,520
Yeah, this is...
I'm supposed to be comfortable.
862
00:49:22,700 --> 00:49:26,790
So run the question to me again.
Just so I can hear it in my head.
863
00:49:28,160 --> 00:49:32,340
In the '70s and '80s, did you ever
get any contact from South Africa?
864
00:49:32,790 --> 00:49:34,880
Uh... No, I didn't.
865
00:49:36,880 --> 00:49:41,010
Maybe they didn't have a contact number
or something but, no, I didn't.
866
00:49:41,130 --> 00:49:43,300
How does that feel?
You weren't aware of something
867
00:49:43,380 --> 00:49:45,510
that would have changed
your life completely.
868
00:49:45,640 --> 00:49:47,980
I mean, probably to the better.
869
00:49:48,470 --> 00:49:51,150
Well, I don't know if it would have been
for the better,
870
00:49:51,220 --> 00:49:54,480
but it's certainly a thought, you know.
871
00:49:55,350 --> 00:49:59,070
But wouldn't it have been nice to know
that you were a superstar?
872
00:49:59,150 --> 00:50:00,530
Uh, well...
873
00:50:05,240 --> 00:50:07,660
I don't know how to respond to that.
874
00:50:07,740 --> 00:50:12,040
After Coming From Reality,
did you wanna continue making albums?
875
00:50:12,160 --> 00:50:16,040
I would have liked to have continued
but nothing beats Reality.
876
00:50:16,040 --> 00:50:18,510
So I pretty much went back to work.
877
00:50:19,380 --> 00:50:20,850
What did you do?
878
00:50:20,920 --> 00:50:23,840
L... Well, I'd do hired labour.
879
00:50:24,010 --> 00:50:27,930
Demolition, renovation of buildings,
880
00:50:28,340 --> 00:50:32,770
of homes, you know. Restoration.
881
00:50:34,180 --> 00:50:35,530
Did you enjoy that'?
882
00:50:35,600 --> 00:50:40,360
I do. (Stammering) It keeps the blood
circulating, keeps you fit, yeah.
883
00:50:40,860 --> 00:50:43,230
But it's quite far away from music.
884
00:50:43,230 --> 00:50:47,110
Uh... Yeah, quite a bit,
qui te a different contrast, yeah.
885
00:50:47,200 --> 00:50:49,570
Did you continue
making music on your own?
886
00:50:49,700 --> 00:50:53,080
I do, I play guitar.
I love playing guitar.
887
00:50:53,200 --> 00:50:57,210
But I do love to listen.
I like to go see the shows and things.
888
00:50:57,290 --> 00:50:59,380
But I do get about.
889
00:50:59,580 --> 00:51:01,710
(♪ Street Boy by Rodriguez)
890
00:51:18,890 --> 00:51:23,740
♪ Street boy
You've been out too long
891
00:51:23,820 --> 00:51:28,780
♪ Street boy
Makes kind of sense to go home
892
00:51:28,780 --> 00:51:28,790
♪ Street boy
You're gonna end up alone
♪ Street boy
Makes kind of sense to go home
893
00:51:28,790 --> 00:51:33,630
♪ Street boy
You're gonna end up alone
894
00:51:33,740 --> 00:51:36,340
♪ You need some love and understanding
895
00:51:36,410 --> 00:51:40,590
♪ Not that dead-end life you're planning
Street boy
896
00:51:48,510 --> 00:51:52,850
♪ You go home but you can't stay
897
00:51:53,350 --> 00:51:57,150
♪ Because something's
always pulling you away
898
00:51:58,100 --> 00:52:02,610
♪ You're fast hellos
And quick goodbyes
899
00:52:02,940 --> 00:52:07,190
♪ You're just a street boy
with the street lights in your eyes
900
00:52:07,780 --> 00:52:12,660
♪ You'd better get yourself together
Look for something better
901
00:52:12,780 --> 00:52:15,750
(Regan Rodriguez) He never said anything
about being disappointed.
902
00:52:15,830 --> 00:52:18,920
He would just move on,
continue to survive
903
00:52:19,040 --> 00:52:20,760
because you can't just give up.
904
00:52:20,830 --> 00:52:22,830
(male interviewer)
What did he do instead?
905
00:52:22,920 --> 00:52:24,590
He read a lot.
906
00:52:24,670 --> 00:52:28,170
He was involved in politics.
He was involved in the community.
907
00:52:28,260 --> 00:52:30,760
He would attend protests and rallies,
908
00:52:30,840 --> 00:52:34,390
if those were causes that
he believed in. He would take us along.
909
00:52:34,470 --> 00:52:38,690
He was always a proponent
of working for the people
910
00:52:38,770 --> 00:52:40,860
that maybe didn't always have a voice,
911
00:52:40,940 --> 00:52:45,780
or didn't have a chance to speak up,
the working class, the working poor.
912
00:52:46,940 --> 00:52:51,910
He had a lot of experience in that area.
913
00:52:53,820 --> 00:52:55,530
(Rick Emmerson) He approached the work
914
00:52:55,530 --> 00:52:55,540
from a different place than
most people do.
(Rick Emmerson) He approached the work
915
00:52:55,540 --> 00:52:57,290
from a different place than
most people do.
916
00:52:57,370 --> 00:52:59,170
He took it very, very seriously.
917
00:52:59,250 --> 00:53:01,620
Son' of like a sacrament, you know?
918
00:53:01,710 --> 00:53:06,430
He was going to do this dirty,
dirty work for eight or ten hours, okay?
919
00:53:06,500 --> 00:53:08,500
But he was dressed in a tuxedo.
920
00:53:08,590 --> 00:53:10,180
(chuckles)
921
00:53:10,920 --> 00:53:16,520
He had this kind of magical quality
that all genuine poets and artists have
922
00:53:16,930 --> 00:53:21,360
to elevate things.
To get above the mundane, the prosaic.
923
00:53:21,430 --> 00:53:24,860
All the bullshit.
All the mediocrity that's everywhere.
924
00:53:25,690 --> 00:53:29,660
The artist, the artist is the pioneer.
925
00:53:30,530 --> 00:53:35,780
Even if his musical hopes were dashed,
the spirit remained.
926
00:53:36,240 --> 00:53:40,000
And he just had to keep finding a place,
refining the process
927
00:53:40,120 --> 00:53:42,210
of how to apply himself.
928
00:53:42,290 --> 00:53:44,260
He knew that there was something more.
929
00:53:44,330 --> 00:53:47,760
It was in the early '80s.
He wanted to do something,
930
00:53:47,840 --> 00:53:49,930
do something righteous,
make a difference.
931
00:53:50,000 --> 00:53:53,680
So, lo and behold... (chuckles)
932
00:53:53,760 --> 00:53:55,980
...he told me that he
was gonna run for mayor,
933
00:53:56,050 --> 00:53:59,480
and I thought,
"Well, God bless you, Rodriguez.
934
00:53:59,560 --> 00:54:02,930
"You know, if you can become Mayor
of Detroit, then anything is possible."
935
00:54:03,020 --> 00:54:04,490
(♪ Inner City Blues by Rodriguez)
936
00:54:04,560 --> 00:54:08,320
♪ Meta girl from Dearborn
Early six o'clock this morn
937
00:54:08,400 --> 00:54:09,990
♪ A cold fact
938
00:54:12,740 --> 00:54:16,610
♪ Asked about her bag
Suburbia's such a drag
939
00:54:16,610 --> 00:54:16,620
♪ Won't go back
♪ Asked about her bag
Suburbia's such a drag
940
00:54:16,620 --> 00:54:18,210
♪ Won't go back
941
00:54:21,200 --> 00:54:26,580
♪ Cos papa don't allow
no new ideas here
942
00:54:29,040 --> 00:54:30,920
Some old items from Rodriguez.
943
00:54:34,420 --> 00:54:39,520
This is his bumper sticker, from
the first time he ran for city council.
944
00:54:41,850 --> 00:54:45,070
And I think this is a copy
of the ballot.
945
00:54:45,520 --> 00:54:47,820
He didn't win an election, ever.
946
00:54:48,100 --> 00:54:53,410
139. There were 169 candidates.
Nine get elected.
947
00:54:54,360 --> 00:54:56,830
They spelled his name wrong.
948
00:55:04,870 --> 00:55:10,590
My relatives on my mother's side
of the family are European
949
00:55:11,210 --> 00:55:13,090
and Native American.
950
00:55:13,210 --> 00:55:15,930
And my father's family is Mexican.
951
00:55:16,010 --> 00:55:18,630
My grandfather came from Mexico.
952
00:55:18,630 --> 00:55:22,860
The Mexican came to Detroit
to work in the auto factories,
953
00:55:22,930 --> 00:55:28,610
so we were working-class people,
blue-collar workers, hard labour.
954
00:55:29,230 --> 00:55:34,780
Um, we lived in 26 different homes
and some houses didn't have bedrooms.
955
00:55:34,860 --> 00:55:37,080
Some houses didn't have bathrooms.
956
00:55:37,650 --> 00:55:41,780
And they weren't homes.
They were just places that we lived.
957
00:55:42,320 --> 00:55:46,170
But just because people are poor
or have little
958
00:55:46,830 --> 00:55:50,080
doesn't mean that, you know,
their dreams aren't big
959
00:55:50,170 --> 00:55:53,340
and their soul isn't rich, you know,
960
00:55:53,880 --> 00:55:57,800
and that's where the classes
and the prejudice come from
961
00:55:57,880 --> 00:56:00,380
is that there is a difference
between you and me,
962
00:56:00,470 --> 00:56:02,310
and there's a difference
between them and us.
963
00:56:03,430 --> 00:56:04,850
(♪ A Most Disgusting Song by Rodriguez)
964
00:56:04,930 --> 00:56:08,280
♪ I've played every kind of gig
there is to play now
965
00:56:10,600 --> 00:56:14,780
♪ I've played faggot bars, hooker bars,
motorcycle funerals
966
00:56:15,980 --> 00:56:20,330
♪ In opera houses, concert halls,
halfway houses
967
00:56:26,790 --> 00:56:30,420
♪ Well, I found that in all these places
that I've played
968
00:56:32,370 --> 00:56:35,920
♪ All the people that I've played for
are the same people
969
00:56:37,590 --> 00:56:41,720
♪ So if you'll listen, maybe you'll see
someone you know in this song
970
00:56:43,010 --> 00:56:45,230
♪ A most disgusting song
971
00:56:47,600 --> 00:56:49,980
(Regan) He wasn't just doing
your average carpentry, you know,
972
00:56:50,060 --> 00:56:52,730
he was really cleaning out the house.
973
00:56:52,810 --> 00:56:55,610
I mean, doing work that no one else
wanted to do.
974
00:56:56,440 --> 00:56:58,940
Really, no one else
wanted to do that work.
975
00:56:59,030 --> 00:57:04,950
He would come home, he would be covered
in dust and din', paint chips,
976
00:57:05,200 --> 00:57:08,330
from his day's work. Long days.
977
00:57:08,870 --> 00:57:13,630
I saw him take refrigerators
down on his back, downstairs.
978
00:57:14,540 --> 00:57:16,420
It was just a day at work for him,
979
00:57:16,500 --> 00:57:21,130
but I knew he was a harder worker than
a lot of other fathers that I knew of.
980
00:57:22,470 --> 00:57:24,940
(Sandra Rodriguez-Kennedy) It's a city
that tells you not to dream big,
981
00:57:25,010 --> 00:57:27,810
not to expect anything more.
982
00:57:27,890 --> 00:57:30,360
But he always took me to places
983
00:57:30,430 --> 00:57:33,810
that only certain elite people
would be able to go.
984
00:57:35,020 --> 00:57:37,360
So, he kind of instilled in me
that I can go anywhere I want,
985
00:57:37,440 --> 00:57:42,200
regardless of what my bank statement
says, and I'm going, you know.
986
00:57:42,780 --> 00:57:47,530
So, that's kinda how he was.
He showed me the top floors of places.
987
00:57:47,620 --> 00:57:50,540
I said, "I'm just as good as they are,"
you know.
988
00:57:50,620 --> 00:57:53,750
(Eva) He majored in philosophy
in university.
989
00:57:54,580 --> 00:57:58,210
My dad gave us a lot of exposure
to the arts.
990
00:57:58,290 --> 00:58:03,890
He would let us go into the libraries
and the museums and the science centres,
991
00:58:03,970 --> 00:58:06,720
and where that was our day care,
992
00:58:08,140 --> 00:58:12,640
and we toured the halls of the museum
in San Diego Rivera
993
00:58:12,730 --> 00:58:17,030
and, you know,
all Picasso and Delacroix and...
994
00:58:17,100 --> 00:58:20,900
We began to learn of life
outside of the city,
995
00:58:20,980 --> 00:58:23,660
and that's in books and paintings
and in music.
996
00:58:23,740 --> 00:58:25,110
(♪ Lifestyles by Rodriguez)
997
00:58:25,200 --> 00:58:27,910
♪ The judges with meter-maid hearts
998
00:58:27,990 --> 00:58:31,120
♪ Or their supermarket justice starts
999
00:58:32,160 --> 00:58:35,170
♪ Frozen children inner city
1000
00:58:37,790 --> 00:58:40,140
♪ Walkers in the paper rain
1001
00:58:40,210 --> 00:58:43,260
♪ Waiting for those knights
that never came
1002
00:58:44,550 --> 00:58:47,930
♪ The hijacked
trying so hard to be pretty
1003
00:58:50,260 --> 00:58:53,980
♪ Night rains tap at my window
1004
00:58:56,440 --> 00:59:00,190
♪ Winds of my thoughts passing by
1005
00:59:02,780 --> 00:59:06,780
♪ She laughed when I tried to tell her
1006
00:59:09,110 --> 00:59:12,870
♪ Hello only ends in goodbye
1007
00:59:36,560 --> 00:59:38,560
(Rodriguez) Well, I started playing
when I was 16,
1008
00:59:38,560 --> 00:59:41,560
and the thing is,
it was a family guitar,
1009
00:59:41,650 --> 00:59:46,740
and I played a lot of bars in the city
and clubs in the city, small rooms.
1010
00:59:48,240 --> 00:59:51,160
And I met Mike Theodore
and Dennis Coffey
1011
00:59:51,240 --> 00:59:53,740
and they came to the club
to see me play.
1012
00:59:53,870 --> 00:59:57,750
I had a gig at a place called The Sewer,
1013
00:59:58,250 --> 01:00:00,380
right out by the Detroit River,
1014
01:00:00,500 --> 01:00:04,170
and then we got a record deal
from Clarence Avant,
1015
01:00:04,250 --> 01:00:05,930
so that's how it started.
1016
01:00:06,050 --> 01:00:09,850
But all those early years were,
you know... lot of work.
1017
01:00:10,590 --> 01:00:14,270
I was at a Chrysler plant
called Dodge Maine,
1018
01:00:14,350 --> 01:00:17,400
and I also worked
at Eldon and Lynch Road in Detroit.
1019
01:00:17,520 --> 01:00:20,890
Worked in the heat treat department.
Stuff like that.
1020
01:00:20,890 --> 01:00:20,900
A lot of heavy labour.
Worked in the heat treat department.
Stuff like that.
1021
01:00:20,900 --> 01:00:22,900
A lot of heavy labour.
1022
01:00:22,900 --> 01:00:26,900
But it was a good year for me.
This Cold Fact thing.
1023
01:00:27,860 --> 01:00:32,120
I had achieved what I was trying to do,
is to get a product, you know.
1024
01:00:32,240 --> 01:00:34,910
And it was going very well,
I thought, you know.
1025
01:00:34,910 --> 01:00:40,130
How did it feel? A great feeling
of accomplishment. Actualisation.
1026
01:00:40,790 --> 01:00:42,920
(male interviewer) Did you believe
that it was a good album?
1027
01:00:42,920 --> 01:00:44,420
(Rodriguez) Um...
1028
01:00:44,540 --> 01:00:46,760
I did my best with it.
1029
01:00:48,800 --> 01:00:51,430
The reviews were good on it, and...
1030
01:00:52,380 --> 01:00:54,560
Yeah, I thought it was good.
1031
01:00:56,640 --> 01:00:59,730
I'm not the one to ask that, though.
(chuckles)
1032
01:00:59,810 --> 01:01:01,650
Ask that question to.
1033
01:01:01,770 --> 01:01:03,320
But you go ahead, yeah.
1034
01:01:03,400 --> 01:01:05,150
Were you surprised that it didn't sell?
1035
01:01:05,230 --> 01:01:06,650
Um...
1036
01:01:07,820 --> 01:01:13,660
Was I surprised? It's the music business
so there's no guarantees, you know?
1037
01:01:19,660 --> 01:01:22,000
(Segerman) So I told him,
"You're bigger than Elvis, "
1038
01:01:22,000 --> 01:01:22,010
and he said, "What do you mean?"
(Segerman) So I told him,
"You're bigger than Elvis, "
1039
01:01:22,010 --> 01:01:23,590
and he said, "What do you mean?"
1040
01:01:23,670 --> 01:01:27,340
I said, "In South Africa you are
more popular than Elvis Presley. "
1041
01:01:27,420 --> 01:01:28,840
And there was this pause,
1042
01:01:28,960 --> 01:01:32,010
and I sensed he thought it was
a crank call and he was gonna hang up.
1043
01:01:32,090 --> 01:01:35,470
So I said, "Listen, wait.
Listen, listen to me, wait.
1044
01:01:35,590 --> 01:01:38,350
"I promise you, just come here.
You won't be disappointed."
1045
01:01:38,810 --> 01:01:41,680
(Emmerson)
He's working his ass off in Woodbridge.
1046
01:01:41,680 --> 01:01:45,360
One day, be brought this picture
of himself on a milk carton.
1047
01:01:45,440 --> 01:01:47,530
(chuckles)
1048
01:01:47,650 --> 01:01:52,320
And he'd say, "Emmerson, look at this.
You know, they're looking for me."
1049
01:01:54,110 --> 01:01:57,710
I said,
"Really? Why is that, Rodriguez?"
1050
01:01:58,620 --> 01:02:01,790
Next day he says,
"Emmerson, I gotta go on tour."
1051
01:02:02,370 --> 01:02:04,720
I said, "Come on, Rodriguez,
are you serious?"
1052
01:02:04,830 --> 01:02:06,710
(Rian Malan) Because I'm a journalist,
I doubted it.
1053
01:02:06,710 --> 01:02:09,630
That son' of thing does not happen
in the rational universe.
1054
01:02:09,710 --> 01:02:12,560
It does not happen.
It's against the laws of God and nature.
1055
01:02:12,670 --> 01:02:15,050
This guy is coming to tour here,
he must be an imposter.
1056
01:02:15,050 --> 01:02:17,890
It's a clever public relations scam.
1057
01:02:17,890 --> 01:02:21,520
Actually, not even a clever
public relations scam. It's a stupid...
1058
01:02:21,600 --> 01:02:26,100
'Cause it so obviously can't be true.
Only idiots would believe it. They...
1059
01:02:28,270 --> 01:02:29,900
But I was wrong.
1060
01:02:38,120 --> 01:02:40,240
(Regan) We were always anxious,
of course, to get off the plane.
1061
01:02:40,240 --> 01:02:41,790
That was a long flight.
1062
01:02:41,790 --> 01:02:45,410
But we got off the plane
and we put our bags on our backs
1063
01:02:45,410 --> 01:02:45,420
and, you know, they were heavy and
we just kept moving towards the airport.
But we got off the plane
and we put our bags on our backs
1064
01:02:45,420 --> 01:02:50,800
and, you know, they were heavy and
we just kept moving towards the airport.
1065
01:02:51,800 --> 01:02:55,300
And suddenly,
three, two limousines pulled up
1066
01:02:57,380 --> 01:02:59,310
and we were sure
that they weren't for us.
1067
01:02:59,430 --> 01:03:02,260
We were like kind of
walking around them.
1068
01:03:02,260 --> 01:03:02,270
Like, "Oh, we better get out
of these people's way
We were like kind of
walking around them.
1069
01:03:02,270 --> 01:03:04,940
Like, "Oh, we better get out
of these people's way
1070
01:03:05,060 --> 01:03:07,440
"'cause they're important people
in limos."
1071
01:03:07,440 --> 01:03:10,440
But they were for us.
And that's when it began.
1072
01:03:10,440 --> 01:03:14,440
It was all another world.
It was another world.
1073
01:03:14,570 --> 01:03:19,790
(Eva) Just like you would see people...
over Madonna or...
1074
01:03:19,910 --> 01:03:25,330
Like stepping out into the wind
and the paparazzi and all the...
1075
01:03:25,330 --> 01:03:31,300
you know, the production assistants
and everybody are there to welcome him
1076
01:03:31,420 --> 01:03:34,640
and take us into the VIP suite.
1077
01:03:34,760 --> 01:03:38,970
(Regan) The white carpeting.
You know, that was something that
1078
01:03:38,970 --> 01:03:38,980
never would we ever even dream
of walking on white carpeting,
(Regan) The white carpeting.
You know, that was something that
1079
01:03:38,980 --> 01:03:43,520
never would we ever even dream
of walking on white carpeting,
1080
01:03:43,640 --> 01:03:45,690
especially in your shoes. (Laughs)
1081
01:03:46,480 --> 01:03:49,190
(Segerman) They put him in a limo
and they drove him into the city.
1082
01:03:49,190 --> 01:03:54,030
And along the way, on all the lampposts,
were placards advertising the concert.
1083
01:03:54,110 --> 01:03:56,990
And he saw his face on every lamppost
as it sped by
1084
01:03:56,990 --> 01:03:59,530
and he'd go,
"There I am, there I am, there I am."
1085
01:03:59,650 --> 01:04:02,530
(Eva) So we came
and we got to meet all the people.
1086
01:04:02,530 --> 01:04:06,330
We got to meet Craig Bartholomew
and their family and their kids
1087
01:04:06,330 --> 01:04:08,330
and Stephen Segerman.
1088
01:04:08,460 --> 01:04:12,170
And everybody was just so happy.
Everybody was thrilled.
1089
01:04:12,170 --> 01:04:12,180
We were even happier.
And everybody was just so happy.
Everybody was thrilled.
1090
01:04:12,180 --> 01:04:13,640
We were even happier.
1091
01:04:14,170 --> 01:04:15,550
(MOI/er) Stephen phoned me.
1092
01:04:15,550 --> 01:04:17,890
He said, "You will never believe this...
1093
01:04:19,170 --> 01:04:21,340
"but Rodriguez is coming to South Africa
1094
01:04:21,340 --> 01:04:21,350
"and we can be the opening band.
"but Rodriguez is coming to South Africa
1095
01:04:21,350 --> 01:04:23,180
"and we can be the opening band.
1096
01:04:23,180 --> 01:04:23,190
"Do you wanna do it?"
I said, "Of course we wanna do it."
"and we can be the opening band.
1097
01:04:23,190 --> 01:04:26,810
"Do you wanna do it?"
I said, "Of course we wanna do it."
1098
01:04:28,140 --> 01:04:31,190
"Why? Where is he?"
"Now they found him.
1099
01:04:31,310 --> 01:04:34,860
"They found him, he's alive, he's gonna
come and tour in South Africa."
1100
01:04:34,860 --> 01:04:39,030
"Are we gonna be the opening band?"
So I couldn't really believe this.
1101
01:04:40,530 --> 01:04:45,200
And then I got all the information:
He's living in Detroit and everything.
1102
01:04:45,200 --> 01:04:45,210
And then a little while later he said,
And then I got all the information:
He's living in Detroit and everything.
1103
01:04:45,210 --> 01:04:46,910
And then a little while later he said,
1104
01:04:46,910 --> 01:04:46,920
"Look, it turns out
he hasn't got a band.
And then a little while later he said,
1105
01:04:46,920 --> 01:04:49,540
"Look, it turns out
he hasn't got a band.
1106
01:04:49,660 --> 01:04:53,210
"Could we be the support band?"
I mean his band.
1107
01:04:54,170 --> 01:04:57,720
I remember, even then, we were sort of,
1108
01:04:59,210 --> 01:05:01,090
"Is this really gonna be Rodriguez?"
1109
01:05:01,090 --> 01:05:03,720
We'll only know
if he can actually sing these songs.
1110
01:05:03,840 --> 01:05:07,100
I mean, we don't know.
What if it's just some guy? (Chuckles)
1111
01:05:07,600 --> 01:05:08,720
(Sandra) It was just like
1112
01:05:08,850 --> 01:05:10,060
one day we heard about it
1113
01:05:10,060 --> 01:05:10,070
and the next day we were there,
one day we heard about it
1114
01:05:10,070 --> 01:05:12,360
and the next day we were there,
1115
01:05:13,730 --> 01:05:15,570
trying to believe our eyes,
1116
01:05:15,690 --> 01:05:18,570
thinking it was just all very shocking.
1117
01:05:18,690 --> 01:05:20,900
I don't know, he took to it really easy.
1118
01:05:20,900 --> 01:05:20,910
He just walked in and did his thing
I don't know, he took to it really easy.
1119
01:05:20,910 --> 01:05:23,280
He just walked in and did his thing
1120
01:05:23,280 --> 01:05:26,910
and I was amazed that he did so well.
1121
01:05:26,910 --> 01:05:27,910
But he's not all
1122
01:05:28,030 --> 01:05:29,080
"head in the clouds" kinda guy.
1123
01:05:29,200 --> 01:05:32,920
He's a little bit too much grounded.
1124
01:05:33,000 --> 01:05:34,620
He didn't take advantage
1125
01:05:34,620 --> 01:05:34,630
of all the amenities and stuff.
He didn't take advantage
1126
01:05:34,630 --> 01:05:36,750
of all the amenities and stuff.
1127
01:05:36,840 --> 01:05:39,630
He didn't sleep in the big
double king size bed.
1128
01:05:39,630 --> 01:05:43,470
He kinda curled up on the love seat
and I found him there and...
1129
01:05:43,470 --> 01:05:43,480
Yeah, he just didn't think somebody
should have to make another bed
He kinda curled up on the love seat
and I found him there and...
1130
01:05:43,480 --> 01:05:46,970
Yeah, he just didn't think somebody
should have to make another bed
1131
01:05:46,970 --> 01:05:48,970
because he messed it up or...
1132
01:05:48,970 --> 01:05:50,350
(Regan) There was a time
1133
01:05:50,430 --> 01:05:52,480
where I stayed in the house we were at
1134
01:05:52,600 --> 01:05:55,100
and everyone else had gone out.
1135
01:05:55,190 --> 01:05:56,810
The phone rang and it kept ringing,
1136
01:05:56,940 --> 01:05:59,030
so I decided to answer it.
1137
01:05:59,110 --> 01:06:00,480
And it was a reporter
1138
01:06:00,610 --> 01:06:02,450
looking to speak with Rodriguez
1139
01:06:02,530 --> 01:06:05,500
and set up time for an interview.
1140
01:06:06,200 --> 01:06:10,990
And then, before she hung up,
after I told her to call back later
1141
01:06:10,990 --> 01:06:11,000
to talk to someone
'cause I couldn't help her,
And then, before she hung up,
after I told her to call back later
1142
01:06:11,000 --> 01:06:13,370
to talk to someone
'cause I couldn't help her,
1143
01:06:13,460 --> 01:06:18,050
she told me that she wanted to know,
between she and I,
1144
01:06:18,130 --> 01:06:20,050
if it was the real Rodriguez.
1145
01:06:20,130 --> 01:06:21,630
(indistinct chatter)
1146
01:06:22,710 --> 01:06:25,010
(Mel/er) We were rehearsing with a CD
1147
01:06:25,010 --> 01:06:27,220
of the songs that we've got
1148
01:06:27,220 --> 01:06:27,230
in the studio here in Cape Town
of the songs that we've got
1149
01:06:27,230 --> 01:06:28,640
in the studio here in Cape Town
1150
01:06:28,720 --> 01:06:32,180
on the day that he came
from the airport, when he arrived,
1151
01:06:32,180 --> 01:06:32,190
and we were actually in the middle
of a song when he walked in
on the day that he came
from the airport, when he arrived,
1152
01:06:32,190 --> 01:06:35,860
and we were actually in the middle
of a song when he walked in
1153
01:06:35,980 --> 01:06:38,650
and just took over the microphone
and finished the song.
1154
01:06:38,730 --> 01:06:41,190
We switched off the CD player
1155
01:06:41,190 --> 01:06:41,200
and it was, like, completely seamless.
We switched off the CD player
1156
01:06:41,200 --> 01:06:44,030
and it was, like, completely seamless.
1157
01:06:44,030 --> 01:06:44,040
Completely seamless.
and it was, like, completely seamless.
1158
01:06:44,040 --> 01:06:45,400
Completely seamless.
1159
01:06:45,490 --> 01:06:47,660
I mean, "OK, this is the guy."
1160
01:06:47,740 --> 01:06:49,530
I think we all knew this is
1161
01:06:49,530 --> 01:06:49,540
gonna be something really special.
I think we all knew this is
1162
01:06:49,540 --> 01:06:51,660
gonna be something really special.
1163
01:07:09,680 --> 01:07:12,350
Thank you, Cape Town. Thank you.
1164
01:07:14,220 --> 01:07:15,270
(Regan) When we, uh...
1165
01:07:15,350 --> 01:07:16,440
initially got on a plane,
1166
01:07:16,520 --> 01:07:18,560
I thought maybe there 'd be, hopefully,
1167
01:07:18,560 --> 01:07:18,570
20 people in the audience.
I thought maybe there 'd be, hopefully,
1168
01:07:18,570 --> 01:07:20,780
20 people in the audience.
1169
01:07:21,230 --> 01:07:22,610
Hopefully. (Laughs)
1170
01:07:23,900 --> 01:07:26,780
But it turned out really,
really different than that.
1171
01:07:26,900 --> 01:07:29,700
And there's old people and young people
1172
01:07:29,780 --> 01:07:32,880
and they're coming to see the show.
1173
01:07:32,950 --> 01:07:36,960
And there's my stepdad on the stage...
Before he went on stage,
1174
01:07:37,040 --> 01:07:39,130
'cause I wanted to take
a picture of the audience,
1175
01:07:39,210 --> 01:07:41,210
since nobody's gonna believe this.
1176
01:07:41,290 --> 01:07:42,750
(Bartholomew-Strydom)
You must remember, this guy,
1177
01:07:42,750 --> 01:07:42,760
it's like seeing someone like Elvis
come back from the dead.
(Bartholomew-Strydom)
You must remember, this guy,
1178
01:07:42,760 --> 01:07:45,800
it's like seeing someone like Elvis
come back from the dead.
1179
01:07:45,920 --> 01:07:47,390
People in the audience
still don't believe it.
1180
01:07:47,470 --> 01:07:49,310
They're standing there.
They're at the concert.
1181
01:07:49,380 --> 01:07:50,980
They've paid their money.
1182
01:07:51,050 --> 01:07:52,760
They still don't believe that Rodriguez
1183
01:07:52,760 --> 01:07:52,770
is actually gonna walk on that stage.
They still don't believe that Rodriguez
1184
01:07:52,770 --> 01:07:54,760
is actually gonna walk on that stage.
1185
01:07:54,760 --> 01:07:56,480
(audience cheering)
1186
01:08:21,620 --> 01:08:25,340
(Méller on speakers) Are you ready?
1187
01:08:25,340 --> 01:08:25,350
(all cheering wildly)
(Méller on speakers) Are you ready?
1188
01:08:25,350 --> 01:08:26,680
(all cheering wildly)
1189
01:08:26,760 --> 01:08:28,300
Please welcome...
1190
01:08:29,090 --> 01:08:30,430
Rodriguez!
1191
01:08:30,840 --> 01:08:33,310
(♪ I Wonder by Rodriguez)
1192
01:08:58,660 --> 01:09:00,710
(loud cheering)
1193
01:09:08,840 --> 01:09:10,810
(Regan) It was almost
as if he didn't even have to play.
1194
01:09:10,880 --> 01:09:13,010
They were just happy to see him.
1195
01:09:13,090 --> 01:09:14,310
So, for a time,
1196
01:09:14,390 --> 01:09:17,360
I think they wanted to meet.
1197
01:09:18,220 --> 01:09:19,600
It was a reunion.
1198
01:09:20,770 --> 01:09:22,690
(Segerman) It was something
completely different.
1199
01:09:22,770 --> 01:09:24,900
It was for everybody there, I'm sure,
1200
01:09:25,020 --> 01:09:28,820
the most exciting concert they'd
ever been to. Because it was unique.
1201
01:09:28,900 --> 01:09:30,450
We'd never seen Rodriguez.
1202
01:09:30,530 --> 01:09:31,530
And all you heard
1203
01:09:31,610 --> 01:09:33,780
was the bass player just playing...
1204
01:09:34,570 --> 01:09:36,420
(mimicking intro bass)
1205
01:09:38,370 --> 01:09:39,450
And Rodriguez wandered out
1206
01:09:39,450 --> 01:09:39,460
to the front of the stage
And Rodriguez wandered out
1207
01:09:39,460 --> 01:09:40,580
to the front of the stage
1208
01:09:40,660 --> 01:09:41,660
and the bass player
1209
01:09:41,750 --> 01:09:42,750
actually just stopped playing.
1210
01:09:42,830 --> 01:09:43,880
And it took a while.
1211
01:09:43,960 --> 01:09:45,300
There was about five or ten minutes
1212
01:09:45,380 --> 01:09:48,250
of just people screaming at him.
1213
01:09:48,590 --> 01:09:50,090
(loud cheering)
1214
01:10:10,230 --> 01:10:12,700
Thanks for keeping me alive.
1215
01:10:18,700 --> 01:10:20,700
(intro continues playing)
1216
01:10:40,930 --> 01:10:42,100
♪ I wonder
1217
01:10:42,180 --> 01:10:44,810
♪ How many times you've been had
1218
01:10:44,890 --> 01:10:47,020
♪ And I wonder
1219
01:10:47,150 --> 01:10:49,610
♪ How many plans have gone bad
1220
01:10:49,690 --> 01:10:54,040
♪ I wonder how many times you had sex
1221
01:10:54,150 --> 01:10:55,650
♪ And I wonder
1222
01:10:55,740 --> 01:10:58,290
♪ Do you know who'll be next?
1223
01:10:58,360 --> 01:11:03,040
♪ I wonder
1224
01:11:06,250 --> 01:11:08,800
♪ Wonder I do
1225
01:11:11,630 --> 01:11:13,260
(Regan) I think to go
1226
01:11:13,340 --> 01:11:15,510
from being the outcast
1227
01:11:15,590 --> 01:11:20,550
to being, uh, who he really was.
1228
01:11:20,550 --> 01:11:20,560
Because it was as though it was him
again... and that was who he was,
to being, uh, who he really was.
1229
01:11:20,560 --> 01:11:25,980
Because it was as though it was him
again... and that was who he was,
1230
01:11:26,060 --> 01:11:29,480
a musician on stage,
playing for his fans.
1231
01:11:29,940 --> 01:11:31,990
(♪ Forget It by Rodriguez)
1232
01:11:33,650 --> 01:11:37,500
♪ It didn't work out
But don't ever doubt how I felt
1233
01:11:38,360 --> 01:11:39,740
♪ About you
1234
01:11:43,790 --> 01:11:47,420
♪ But than ks for your time
1235
01:11:51,250 --> 01:11:54,430
(Bartholomew-Strydom) I thought
I would see him being bewildered
1236
01:11:54,500 --> 01:11:57,010
at all these people staring up at him.
1237
01:11:57,090 --> 01:12:00,550
I saw the opposite.
I saw this absolute tranquillity.
1238
01:12:00,550 --> 01:12:00,560
There was absolute serenity on his face.
Total.
I saw the opposite.
I saw this absolute tranquillity.
1239
01:12:00,560 --> 01:12:04,230
There was absolute serenity on his face.
Total.
1240
01:12:04,640 --> 01:12:08,560
It's like he had arrived at that thing,
at that place
1241
01:12:08,560 --> 01:12:10,940
he'd tried to find his whole life.
1242
01:12:11,020 --> 01:12:13,360
(Segerman) Home is acceptance.
1243
01:12:13,770 --> 01:12:17,280
Here's a guy who'd lived somewhere else,
on the other side of the earth,
1244
01:12:17,360 --> 01:12:20,610
and it was almost as if
he had found his home.
1245
01:12:20,610 --> 01:12:22,620
(Bartholomew-Strydom)
And I looked around at all these people
1246
01:12:22,700 --> 01:12:26,370
and I thought, "This is
a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
1247
01:12:26,450 --> 01:12:29,500
"This is never going to happen again."
1248
01:13:02,910 --> 01:13:04,780
(inaudible over cheering)
1249
01:13:20,130 --> 01:13:22,630
(Malan) Well, isn't this all
our great fate?
1250
01:13:22,630 --> 01:13:27,560
Your dreams of yourself, the higher
forms of yourself is that one day
1251
01:13:27,640 --> 01:13:32,190
you will be recognised and that
your talents and everything else,
1252
01:13:33,140 --> 01:13:35,740
will suddenly become visible
to the world.
1253
01:13:35,810 --> 01:13:40,320
I mean, most of us die
without coming anywhere close
1254
01:13:40,400 --> 01:13:43,500
to that sort of magic.
1255
01:13:43,570 --> 01:13:44,950
I tried to get him to talk about that
1256
01:13:45,030 --> 01:13:46,330
when I interviewed him,
1257
01:13:46,410 --> 01:13:47,830
about how strange it was,
1258
01:13:47,910 --> 01:13:50,130
and I got absolutely nothing back.
1259
01:13:50,200 --> 01:13:51,800
Absolutely nothing back.
1260
01:13:51,870 --> 01:13:53,090
And I couldn't tell whether
1261
01:13:53,160 --> 01:13:55,340
he was just like son' of cripplingly shy
1262
01:13:55,420 --> 01:13:56,540
or whether I was
1263
01:13:56,630 --> 01:13:57,750
asking the wrong questions
1264
01:13:57,840 --> 01:13:58,880
or there was a language barrier
1265
01:13:58,960 --> 01:14:00,180
or whatever. He just...
1266
01:14:00,300 --> 01:14:05,300
Maybe that was OK as well
because he preserved his mystery.
1267
01:14:05,390 --> 01:14:07,430
I walked away
from that interview saying,
1268
01:14:07,720 --> 01:14:10,390
"This is all too strange to be true."
1269
01:14:10,470 --> 01:14:13,100
It remains too strange to be true.
1270
01:14:13,180 --> 01:14:14,440
"These are the days
1271
01:14:14,520 --> 01:14:16,070
"of miracles and wonder."
1272
01:14:16,150 --> 01:14:17,690
(loud cheering)
1273
01:14:38,580 --> 01:14:40,840
(Rodriguez) Oh, they were so sweet.
1274
01:14:40,920 --> 01:14:43,090
I didn't believe it.
1275
01:14:43,170 --> 01:14:45,930
And I still don't, but the thing is...
1276
01:14:46,010 --> 01:14:51,720
So when I went on stage
5,000 seats all set up,
1277
01:14:51,720 --> 01:14:51,730
white seats, and the thing is...
So when I went on stage
5,000 seats all set up,
1278
01:14:51,730 --> 01:14:54,070
white seats, and the thing is...
1279
01:14:54,390 --> 01:14:56,990
And I said, "This is..."
1280
01:14:58,270 --> 01:15:02,900
So when I played a show, they jumped
out of their seats and rushed the stage.
1281
01:15:04,610 --> 01:15:08,790
South Africa made me feel like
more than a prince.
1282
01:15:09,450 --> 01:15:12,790
(Eva) And then signing the autographs
for, like, a couple of hours.
1283
01:15:12,790 --> 01:15:17,010
I mean, just the line of people
bringing their guitars to be signed,
1284
01:15:17,080 --> 01:15:19,130
bringing their CDs and...
1285
01:15:19,210 --> 01:15:20,680
(Regan) The most amazing thing I'd seen
1286
01:15:20,750 --> 01:15:23,630
was the man with his tattoo
of the Cold Fact.
1287
01:15:23,710 --> 01:15:27,840
He was a Rodriguez impersonator.
That just stoked my fire.
1288
01:15:27,840 --> 01:15:30,940
I was like,
"Man, that is just too crazy."
1289
01:15:33,810 --> 01:15:36,030
I have with me here,
presented to Rodriguez
1290
01:15:36,100 --> 01:15:38,020
for sales of the album Cold Fact.
1291
01:15:38,140 --> 01:15:40,020
(whooping and cheering)
1292
01:15:43,980 --> 01:15:45,860
Now just tell the States that,
OK, will you?
1293
01:15:45,860 --> 01:15:47,330
(all laughing)
1294
01:15:47,450 --> 01:15:51,700
American singer Rodriguez
is certainly alive and well
1295
01:15:51,700 --> 01:15:54,040
and with us in the Front Row tonight.
Welcome.
1296
01:15:54,160 --> 01:15:55,630
Very kind. How are you?
1297
01:15:55,700 --> 01:15:58,630
I've heard some really riveting tales
about your "death."
1298
01:15:58,710 --> 01:16:01,710
I mean, they range from you pouring
petrol all over yourself on stage
1299
01:16:01,790 --> 01:16:06,800
and committing suicide to taking
a drug overdose and dying in prison.
1300
01:16:16,970 --> 01:16:22,700
(Eva) Yeah, it was a beautiful,
beautiful dream
1301
01:16:24,690 --> 01:16:27,410
and then you gotta go back. (Laughs)
1302
01:16:27,530 --> 01:16:30,160
My dad said he's got two lives.
1303
01:16:31,240 --> 01:16:35,420
The carriage turns into the pumpkin bus
or something. It's like...
1304
01:16:35,540 --> 01:16:37,910
(male interviewer)
Did people in Detroit believe you
1305
01:16:38,000 --> 01:16:41,080
when you came back
and told them what had happened?
1306
01:16:41,080 --> 01:16:41,090
You know, people in Detroit
need to hear something good.
when you came back
and told them what had happened?
1307
01:16:41,090 --> 01:16:45,210
You know, people in Detroit
need to hear something good.
1308
01:16:46,050 --> 01:16:48,090
I'm not sure how much of it
they believed
1309
01:16:48,090 --> 01:16:50,590
because it is a grandiose story.
1310
01:16:51,760 --> 01:16:53,350
It sounds like something
you would make up
1311
01:16:53,430 --> 01:16:56,680
if you were bragging on some dream
or something.
1312
01:16:57,770 --> 01:17:00,190
(Ferretti) He was really quite famous.
1313
01:17:00,270 --> 01:17:02,940
He'd be, you know,
tearing down this old shack
1314
01:17:03,020 --> 01:17:06,610
or he'd be sweeping up filth or dirt
1315
01:17:06,610 --> 01:17:06,620
and he started to show me one day,
and I didn't believe him,
or he'd be sweeping up filth or dirt
1316
01:17:06,620 --> 01:17:09,780
and he started to show me one day,
and I didn't believe him,
1317
01:17:09,860 --> 01:17:13,710
about the album
and how it got to be so popular.
1318
01:17:13,780 --> 01:17:15,450
Somebody had a bootleg copy
of this thing
1319
01:17:15,580 --> 01:17:17,620
and it spread around and everyone...
1320
01:17:17,700 --> 01:17:22,380
It got to be so popular
that children could recite it
1321
01:17:22,460 --> 01:17:26,800
and sing the song word for word...
all of the songs word for word.
1322
01:17:26,880 --> 01:17:30,300
And I had never heard of the album
and I said, "Can you get me an album?"
1323
01:17:30,380 --> 01:17:31,800
And he couldn't even get me one.
1324
01:17:31,880 --> 01:17:34,730
I mean, that's how
obscure of a thing it was.
1325
01:17:34,800 --> 01:17:39,810
But he had all these photos and stuff,
with these giant crowds,
1326
01:17:39,810 --> 01:17:42,810
20,000 people,
like Woodstock or something.
1327
01:17:42,890 --> 01:17:44,490
Like, "Are you kidding me? That's you?"
1328
01:17:45,810 --> 01:17:48,820
I thought it was Photoshopped
or something. I didn't believe him.
1329
01:17:48,900 --> 01:17:52,580
But he had all these giant crowds
and he was quite content
1330
01:17:52,650 --> 01:17:56,320
to just go and sweep up people's lawns
1331
01:17:56,320 --> 01:17:56,330
or clean up and do manual labour.
He stayed.
to just go and sweep up people's lawns
1332
01:17:56,330 --> 01:18:00,330
or clean up and do manual labour.
He stayed.
1333
01:18:01,330 --> 01:18:06,840
He lives a very, very, very modest life.
1334
01:18:08,750 --> 01:18:10,130
Definitely.
1335
01:18:10,840 --> 01:18:13,010
There's definitely no excess,
1336
01:18:14,470 --> 01:18:19,600
and he definitely still works hard
in order to make ends meet.
1337
01:18:20,310 --> 01:18:26,190
And there's no glamour to his life
in that sense.
1338
01:18:26,190 --> 01:18:28,860
(male interviewer)
But he must be a rich man today?
1339
01:18:28,860 --> 01:18:31,030
(Regan) No.
1340
01:18:31,110 --> 01:18:35,030
Rich in a lot of things
but perhaps not material things.
1341
01:18:35,110 --> 01:18:37,460
I guess it just never got to that.
1342
01:18:37,530 --> 01:18:39,120
(male interviewer) But he's sold
hundreds of thousands of records
1343
01:18:39,200 --> 01:18:40,700
in South Africa.
1344
01:18:40,700 --> 01:18:42,120
Well, yes.
1345
01:18:43,200 --> 01:18:47,000
But I believe there's a great deal
of perhaps bootlegging,
1346
01:18:48,210 --> 01:18:51,430
piracy, such like that. Perhaps...
1347
01:18:52,670 --> 01:18:54,890
Perhaps other people are rich.
1348
01:18:59,220 --> 01:19:01,520
(♪ I'll Slip Away by Rodriguez)
1349
01:19:13,780 --> 01:19:18,030
♪ And I forget about the girl
that said no
1350
01:19:18,950 --> 01:19:22,870
♪ Then I'll tell who I want where to go
1351
01:19:23,540 --> 01:19:27,710
♪ And I'll forget about your lies
and deceit
1352
01:19:28,420 --> 01:19:32,420
♪ And your attempts to be so discreet
1353
01:19:32,880 --> 01:19:37,630
♪ Maybe today
Yeah
1354
01:19:38,090 --> 01:19:40,140
♪ I'll slip away
1355
01:19:42,930 --> 01:19:46,980
♪ And you can keep
your symbols of success
1356
01:19:47,640 --> 01:19:51,770
♪ Then I'll pursue my own happiness
1357
01:19:52,400 --> 01:19:55,780
♪ And you can keep your clocks
and routines
1358
01:19:55,900 --> 01:19:57,490
(Segerman) You know,
when I think about that night
1359
01:19:57,490 --> 01:19:59,450
when I spoke to Eva on the telephone,
1360
01:20:00,160 --> 01:20:03,330
we could not have imagined
how much our lives were gonna change
1361
01:20:03,330 --> 01:20:04,990
after that phone call.
1362
01:20:04,990 --> 01:20:05,000
Eva came on tour with Rodriguez
after that phone call.
1363
01:20:05,000 --> 01:20:07,000
Eva came on tour with Rodriguez
1364
01:20:07,120 --> 01:20:09,790
and the organisers arranged
a chaperone bodyguard
1365
01:20:09,790 --> 01:20:09,800
to drive them around
and they fell in love.
and the organisers arranged
a chaperone bodyguard
1366
01:20:09,800 --> 01:20:12,330
to drive them around
and they fell in love.
1367
01:20:12,330 --> 01:20:12,340
And they have a child.
to drive them around
and they fell in love.
1368
01:20:12,340 --> 01:20:13,840
And they have a child.
1369
01:20:13,960 --> 01:20:18,510
So Rodriguez has a South African
grandson, a South African grandchild.
1370
01:20:18,630 --> 01:20:22,010
For me, I used to be a jeweller
in Johannesburg.
1371
01:20:22,010 --> 01:20:24,470
I now live in Cape Town
and have a music store.
1372
01:20:24,470 --> 01:20:24,480
Things changed so much for us.
I now live in Cape Town
and have a music store.
1373
01:20:24,480 --> 01:20:27,480
Things changed so much for us.
1374
01:20:27,600 --> 01:20:29,980
But, except for one person,
and that's Rodriguez.
1375
01:20:29,980 --> 01:20:32,190
For him, nothing has changed.
1376
01:20:32,190 --> 01:20:32,200
The life that he was living
is still the life that he's living now.
For him, nothing has changed.
1377
01:20:32,200 --> 01:20:35,820
The life that he was living
is still the life that he's living now.
1378
01:20:35,820 --> 01:20:40,030
(Emmerson) What he's demonstrated
very clearly is that you have a choice.
1379
01:20:40,030 --> 01:20:40,040
He took all that torment,
all that agony,
(Emmerson) What he's demonstrated
very clearly is that you have a choice.
1380
01:20:40,040 --> 01:20:43,200
He took all that torment,
all that agony,
1381
01:20:43,200 --> 01:20:45,330
all that confusion and pain,
1382
01:20:45,330 --> 01:20:48,130
and he transformed it
into something beautiful.
1383
01:20:48,830 --> 01:20:51,000
He's like the silk worm, you know?
1384
01:20:51,000 --> 01:20:56,180
You take this raw material
and you transform it.
1385
01:20:56,300 --> 01:20:59,670
And you come out with something
that wasn't there before.
1386
01:20:59,800 --> 01:21:01,220
Something beautiful.
1387
01:21:01,220 --> 01:21:05,060
Something perhaps transcendent.
Something perhaps eternal.
1388
01:21:05,180 --> 01:21:07,230
Insofar as he does that,
1389
01:21:07,350 --> 01:21:12,520
I think he's representative
of the human spirit, of what's possible.
1390
01:21:12,520 --> 01:21:12,530
That you have a choice.
"And this has been my choice,
I think he's representative
of the human spirit, of what's possible.
1391
01:21:12,530 --> 01:21:16,190
That you have a choice.
"And this has been my choice,
1392
01:21:16,190 --> 01:21:16,200
"to give you Sugar Man."
That you have a choice.
"And this has been my choice,
1393
01:21:16,200 --> 01:21:18,400
"to give you Sugar Man."
1394
01:21:18,400 --> 01:21:18,410
Now, have you done that? Ask yourself.
"to give you Sugar Man."
1395
01:21:18,410 --> 01:21:20,530
Now, have you done that? Ask yourself.
1396
01:21:20,650 --> 01:21:22,080
(♪ Crucify Your Mind by Rodriguez)
1397
01:21:22,150 --> 01:21:25,080
♪ Was it a huntsman or a player
1398
01:21:25,160 --> 01:21:27,750
♪ That made you pay the cost
1399
01:21:27,870 --> 01:21:30,590
♪ That now assumes relaxed positions
1400
01:21:30,700 --> 01:21:33,670
♪ And prostitutes your loss?
1401
01:21:33,750 --> 01:21:36,590
♪ Were you tortured by your own thirst
1402
01:21:36,590 --> 01:21:39,380
♪ In those pleasures that you seek
1403
01:21:39,380 --> 01:21:42,260
♪ That made you Tom the Curious
1404
01:21:42,260 --> 01:21:44,850
♪ That makes you James the Weak?
1405
01:21:55,520 --> 01:21:59,900
♪ But you claim
you've got something going
1406
01:22:02,700 --> 01:22:05,570
♪ Something you call unique
1407
01:22:08,740 --> 01:22:11,500
♪ But I've seen your self-pity showing
1408
01:22:13,910 --> 01:22:17,420
♪ As the tears roll down your cheeks
1409
01:22:27,970 --> 01:22:30,640
♪ Soon you know I'll leave you
1410
01:22:30,640 --> 01:22:33,270
♪ And I'll never look behind
1411
01:22:33,350 --> 01:22:36,150
♪ Cos I was born for the purpose
1412
01:22:36,270 --> 01:22:38,980
♪ That crucifies your mind
1413
01:22:38,980 --> 01:22:38,990
♪ So con, convince your mirror
♪ That crucifies your mind
1414
01:22:38,990 --> 01:22:41,700
♪ So con, convince your mirror
1415
01:22:41,820 --> 01:22:44,620
♪ As you've always done before
1416
01:22:44,700 --> 01:22:47,370
♪ Giving substance to shadows
1417
01:22:47,450 --> 01:22:50,620
♪ Giving substance ever more
1418
01:23:00,380 --> 01:23:04,880
♪ And you assume
you got something to offer
1419
01:23:07,720 --> 01:23:10,190
♪ Secrets shiny and new
1420
01:23:13,350 --> 01:23:16,070
♪ But how much of you is repetition
1421
01:23:19,020 --> 01:23:21,650
♪ That you didn't whisper to him too
1422
01:23:34,160 --> 01:23:36,160
(♪ Sugar Man by Rodriguez)
1423
01:23:41,340 --> 01:23:45,840
♪ Sugar Man, won't you hurry?
1424
01:23:47,170 --> 01:23:51,050
♪ Cos I'm tired of these scenes
1425
01:23:51,760 --> 01:23:56,190
♪ For a blue coin,
won't you bring back
1426
01:23:57,430 --> 01:24:01,360
♪ All those colours to my dreams?
1427
01:24:02,940 --> 01:24:07,740
♪ Silver magic ships, you carry
1428
01:24:08,360 --> 01:24:12,910
♪ Jumpers, coke, sweet Mary Jane
1429
01:24:16,080 --> 01:24:20,710
♪ Sugar man met a false friend
1430
01:24:21,580 --> 01:24:25,430
♪ On a lonely dusty road
1431
01:24:26,090 --> 01:24:30,390
♪ Lost my heart when I found it
1432
01:24:31,550 --> 01:24:35,400
♪ It had turned to dead black coal
1433
01:24:36,970 --> 01:24:41,730
♪ Silver magic ships, you carry
1434
01:24:42,400 --> 01:24:46,780
♪ Jumpers, coke, sweet Mary Jane
1435
01:24:49,740 --> 01:24:54,330
♪ Sugar man, you're the answer
1436
01:24:54,910 --> 01:24:59,250
♪ That makes my questions disappear
1437
01:24:59,830 --> 01:25:04,430
♪ Sugar man, cos I'm weary
1438
01:25:05,090 --> 01:25:09,310
♪ Of those double games I hear
1439
01:25:12,260 --> 01:25:14,510
♪ Sugar Man
1440
01:25:15,100 --> 01:25:17,270
♪ Sugar Man
1441
01:25:17,600 --> 01:25:22,100
♪ Sugar Man
1442
01:25:22,480 --> 01:25:24,730
♪ Sugar Man
1443
01:25:25,270 --> 01:25:27,270
♪ Sugar Man
1444
01:25:27,820 --> 01:25:29,780
♪ Sugar Man