- Joined
- Feb 14, 2002
- Posts
- 17,797
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- Location
- South-West Gippsland
- AFL Club
- Brisbane Lions
- Other Teams
- Lexton, Northcote Park
Went to see this bloke last night, at Hamer Hall. Seventy year-old fellow of Mexican parentage with biceps like an AFL footballer, playing music which was basically ignored by the world for nearly forty years. I won't bore with the details of his life, but a great, recent documentary called, Searching for Sugar Man does a fine job of detailing that.
He writes folk songs with a hint of rock, rolled in a soupcon of jazz licks. His lyrics are better, more dirty, in an urban sense, and more politically committed than anything Dylan ever wrote. He's still a better singer than Dylan ever was. No difference was apparent in his voice from what he recorded forty years ago. He plays guitar chords the like of which I've never heard. The backing band was like a curate's egg, being simply brilliant in parts, but the overall effect was magic. The man sounds unlike anyone I've ever heard. Not just his voice, but the arrangements, and the strange, seemingly in-apposite sounds he makes work perfectly, to the extent that you could never imagine the songs being done otherwise.
The documentary on his life calculated that he had sold all of six (6) albums in the US when the two of those were first released in the early 70s. Peculiarly, it was only in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa where he originally enjoyed any success, and apart from Australia's interest, he knew nothing of this.
A fabulous concert to watch and listen to, all made possible by my ex-missus who shouted me. She's a good egg.
Edit: There was an amazing spread of ages in the audience. When the lights were up at intermission, the reflections off the balding pates were dazzling. As was the brightness of the mobile phones clamped in the demented claws of the younger patrons. There was a lot of shouting at Rodriguez from the audience, in which very young women appeared to be offering sexual experiences we could only dream of. The only comment I could think to make was towards the end of the show, when I shouted, "Do you know any bad songs?"
He writes folk songs with a hint of rock, rolled in a soupcon of jazz licks. His lyrics are better, more dirty, in an urban sense, and more politically committed than anything Dylan ever wrote. He's still a better singer than Dylan ever was. No difference was apparent in his voice from what he recorded forty years ago. He plays guitar chords the like of which I've never heard. The backing band was like a curate's egg, being simply brilliant in parts, but the overall effect was magic. The man sounds unlike anyone I've ever heard. Not just his voice, but the arrangements, and the strange, seemingly in-apposite sounds he makes work perfectly, to the extent that you could never imagine the songs being done otherwise.
The documentary on his life calculated that he had sold all of six (6) albums in the US when the two of those were first released in the early 70s. Peculiarly, it was only in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa where he originally enjoyed any success, and apart from Australia's interest, he knew nothing of this.
A fabulous concert to watch and listen to, all made possible by my ex-missus who shouted me. She's a good egg.
Edit: There was an amazing spread of ages in the audience. When the lights were up at intermission, the reflections off the balding pates were dazzling. As was the brightness of the mobile phones clamped in the demented claws of the younger patrons. There was a lot of shouting at Rodriguez from the audience, in which very young women appeared to be offering sexual experiences we could only dream of. The only comment I could think to make was towards the end of the show, when I shouted, "Do you know any bad songs?"
