Musician Arthur Russell, born in the Iowa farm belt in 1952, died of AIDS in 1992. In between, he joined a Buddhist hippie commune in San Francisco, worked with the likes of Alan Ginsberg and Philip Glass, and created and influenced music across a variety of genres from classical cello to disco. Matt Wolf's biopic weaves interviews with people who knew Russell, including his parents and his lover, with the backdrop of the music he created and influenced. I'm not a musician, nor a music critic, so much of that part of the film flew right over my head. The portrait of life in Iowa, running away to San Francisco, ending up in New York City in the 70's and 80's, I found much more accessible. Recommended for all audiences, highly recommended for students of music history or music theory.Wild Combination: a portrait of Arthur Russell, dir. Matt Wolf, 2008 USA 71 min.
Technorati tags: Wild Combination, Arthur Russell, Music History, Documentary, Frameline32, LGBT Film
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