Revisit Sixto Rodriguez’s spectacular debut on ‘Late Show with David Letterman’
In the modern, commercial world of music, where fame is desperately sought through any means necessary, it’s almost unheard of for an artist to thrive before seemingly falling off the face of the earth. Such is the subject of the 2012 documentary Searching for Sugar Man, directed by the late Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul, which tells the story of the search for Rodriguez, a mysterious American musician.
Cruising to victory during the 2013 Academy Awards, where the film walked away with the Oscar for ‘Best Documentary Feature’, Bendjelloul’s movie beat out the likes of Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi’s Five Broken Cameras and Kirby Dick’s The Invisible War. A marvellous exploration of grassroots musicians who uphold the purity of the art form, the film is considered to be one of the best music documentaries of all time.
Speaking about the Oscar win for Searching for Sugarman, Simon Chinn, the British producer behind the documentary, told The Guardian: “It is such a surreal experience. We documentary makers don’t get to mix with real Hollywood, but it had got very good distribution in the States, so a lot of people knew about it. I met a lot of properly famous people. I had Joan Collins fondling my Oscar. I wished Daniel Day-Lewis luck before he went on – a great win that, he is a class act”.
Continuing, he praised the subject of the documentary, “Rodriguez doesn’t really communicate by phone or email, so I haven’t spoken with him directly, but I have heard from his daughter Sandra, and apparently he’s thrilled”.
Shortly before the filmmakers would take to the Academy Awards in 2013, the cast and crew of the documentary made a number of media appearances, with Rodriguez appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman, where he delivered a spectacular performance.
“Our next guest, I don’t even know where to begin to tell you,” Letterman stated, introducing Rodriguez to the show, “first of all, if you’re near this movie Searching for Sugarman go see it, it’s jaw-droppingly fascinating and the man is here tonight, the music is incredible”. The musician then proceeded to deliver a Bob Dylan-inspired performance of his song ‘Crucify Your Mind’ from his 1970 album Cold Fact.
Tragically, the debut filmmaker behind the project, Malik Bendjelloul, would pass away in 2014, leaving his filmography perfectly singular, with Searching for Sugarman being his sole masterpiece and a beautiful swan song to the universality of beautiful music.
Watch Sixto Rodriguez’s magnificent performance on the Late Show with David Letterman below, and bask in the might of the late musician.
