Sugar for Sugar

It took us a few years to get to Searching for Sugar Man (2012), but once my sister recommended it, I figured we had to watch.

It's a documentary with an interesting hook: In the late 70s, one of the most popular musicians in South Africa (for liberal, white South Africans anyway) was Rodriguez. But nobody knew who he was. Someone had brought one of his records to the country, and it had just caught on. They knew he was American. They assumed he was as famous in America as he was in SA - more than Elvis, just under Paul Simon. Most people believed he was dead - that he had killed himself dramatically onstage in the middle of a concert.

The story mainly follows DJ "Sugar" Segerman (nicknamed after Rodriguez's hit, "Sugar Man"), who tracked down Rodriguez's story. They went from his South African record label, back to an American impresario, who claimed to have no idea about his whereabouts or even existence. Then he found the record's producer, who said he'd just talked with him, and gave Sugar his phone number.

Turned out he was from Detroit, and he was still there. He worked construction (destruction, actually, ripping down derelict houses) - "hard labor" he called it. The guys he know in local bars had some idea he was a musician, maybe even knew he'd made a record. Sometimes he'd play a small gig. But mostly he was just another guy struggling to get by.

So Sugar got him out to South Africa for a concert - he sold out a big hall for a week. He totally killed. Then he went home, and back to construction. He gave most of the money away. He did some shows like this every few years and didn't let it go to his head.

This is an interest doc, although I understand that they may have fudged some of it for dramatic effect. But they seemed to have gotten Rodriguez pretty well. He has Mexican ancestry, long dark hair and sunglasses. He walks all over, sometimes with his guitar, stooped over, beaten down by a hard life. He doesn't seem to like to talk about himself, or money or art. He seems to be mostly concerned about the problems of the poor. I kept waiting to find out his dark secret, but there doesn't seem to be one. He has three daughters (shown in the movie) by two ex-wives, who all seem pretty together.

But you don't care about that, right? What about the music? It's a mix of soul and singer-songwriter - folk music with some funk. Maybe Richie Havens is a good comparison. The songs are poetic and conversational at once. And they mention sex by name, which really got the Afrikaans kids going. I found myself humming "I Wonder" for weeks after. But I haven't ordered one of his records yet.