THE WEIRD WORLD OF BLOWFLY plays Friday, 4/15 at Regal Winter Park Village, at 10pm, as part of the 20th Annual Florida Film Festival. It will also play at midnight on Saturday night. [details]
BLOWFLY will also beperforming appearing (not performing!) live, at Park Ave CDs, as part of Record Store Day, on Saturday night at 7pm. It'll probably be sexy. [Details]
By Samir Mathur
Clarence Reid claims to have invented rap music in 1965, with his song 'Rap Dirty'. In addition to that achievement, he also wrote classic souls for KC and the Sunshine Band (whose first ever gig was at Clarence's wedding) and Sam & Dave. His fans include legends like Ice T, Chuck D and Jello Biafra, all of whom pay tribute in this film. Oh, and he still tours as Blowfly, which involves putting on a sparkly luchadore costume and singing X-rated versions of classic songs, as well as his X-rated originals.
The film's title is certainly appropriate. It is bizarre to see the mild-mannered Clarence, who carries a battered copy of the Bible in his pocket at all times, as well as a photograph of his mother, pull on the mask and transform into Blowfly, a dude who raps about sex and often has an almost-naked burlesque dancer onstage with him. I say "mild-mannered", but the film shows Clarence losing his cool a few times, including when someone puts pizza on his chair. His manager/drummer Tom has to calm him down, take him to the doctor, and also dress up like Uncle Sam for the shows. Most bizarre of all is seeing the band, who barely attract an audience of ten in Oregon, being invited to play arenas in Germany with nu-metal band Die Arzte. Guess how they were received.
Though there are some scenes of tenderness, where Clarence's kids talk about how their dad was not always there for them, the movie keeps the line between man and character fairly blurred. Even his daughter isn't sure where Clarence ends and Blowfly begins. There's a lot to enjoy here though, mostly his incredibly raunchy takes on songs like 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go'. And Clarence/Blowfly will be in the house to take questions after the Friday night screening. Don't miss.
Check out this interview with the film's director, Jonathan Furmanski, on WFMU's great Seven Second Delay. Bear in mind, the hosts were being electric-shocked by their audience throughout the interview.
BLOWFLY will also be
By Samir MathurContributing writer
Clarence Reid claims to have invented rap music in 1965, with his song 'Rap Dirty'. In addition to that achievement, he also wrote classic souls for KC and the Sunshine Band (whose first ever gig was at Clarence's wedding) and Sam & Dave. His fans include legends like Ice T, Chuck D and Jello Biafra, all of whom pay tribute in this film. Oh, and he still tours as Blowfly, which involves putting on a sparkly luchadore costume and singing X-rated versions of classic songs, as well as his X-rated originals.
The film's title is certainly appropriate. It is bizarre to see the mild-mannered Clarence, who carries a battered copy of the Bible in his pocket at all times, as well as a photograph of his mother, pull on the mask and transform into Blowfly, a dude who raps about sex and often has an almost-naked burlesque dancer onstage with him. I say "mild-mannered", but the film shows Clarence losing his cool a few times, including when someone puts pizza on his chair. His manager/drummer Tom has to calm him down, take him to the doctor, and also dress up like Uncle Sam for the shows. Most bizarre of all is seeing the band, who barely attract an audience of ten in Oregon, being invited to play arenas in Germany with nu-metal band Die Arzte. Guess how they were received.
Though there are some scenes of tenderness, where Clarence's kids talk about how their dad was not always there for them, the movie keeps the line between man and character fairly blurred. Even his daughter isn't sure where Clarence ends and Blowfly begins. There's a lot to enjoy here though, mostly his incredibly raunchy takes on songs like 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go'. And Clarence/Blowfly will be in the house to take questions after the Friday night screening. Don't miss.
Check out this interview with the film's director, Jonathan Furmanski, on WFMU's great Seven Second Delay. Bear in mind, the hosts were being electric-shocked by their audience throughout the interview.