“.. So Rodriguez is back doing what he loves most – which is a stark contrast to much of the past 40 years.
You see, back in the early 70s he recorded tough-talking folk-rock albums Cold Fact (1970) and Coming From Reality (1971) -
- the former including his signature song – Sugarman – and the fearsome fuzz of Only Good For Conversation.
And even four decades on the songs still sound potent and electrifying.
But the albums flopped in the United States – and he ditched his recording career and turned to renovation and restoration work to support his family – while also attending university -
- and even running for mayor of Detroit at one stage…
“I chose the folk song as a genre in music to talk about this social realism.
There was a lot of turbulence in America. The Vietnam War.
There were a lot of things happening. Change.
“There were riots,” he says referring to Detroit’s infamous 12th Street Riot in July 1967.
“Those were the [President] Nixon years and they appointed who was head of the communications division -
- and they were the ones who decided what the radio did -
- and I discussed things that were more political rather than the boy-girl stuff.”..”
(cont..)
go to source/story>>>
Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man – Entertainment – NZ Herald News.
