Clarence Reid first established himself as a singer, songwriter, and producer of perfectly acceptable and respectable mainstream commercial R&B fare in the 1960's and 1970's, but it was as his outrageously crude, lewd, and rude alter ego of proto-rapper and parodist Blowfly whereby Reid made his most strong and lasting impression as one hell of a colorful and hilariously raunchy dude.
This documentary follows Reid and his band as they embark on a grueling tour in which they largely perform at seedy half empty dives before going to Europe in an attempt to introduce Blowfly to a new younger crowd. Frequently butting heads with concerned, but long-suffering manager and drummer Tom Bowker, this doc doesn't shy away from showing Reid in a warts'n'all manner in which he occasionally comes across as an impatient and cantankerous old grump complete with a bum knee, money problems (Reid doesn't make any royalties from various musical artists who sample his song due to the fact that he sold his catalog for a pittance in 2003), and estranged children from a failed marriage. It's the way this documentary's incisive fly-on-the-wall perspective depicts the still sharp sick humor and wounded humanity of Reid which in turn makes it so touching and involving. Moreover, it's a treat to see such rap icons as Ice-T and Chuck D. give Reid the props that he richly deserves as a true pioneer in the rap music genre (Reid's song "Blowfly's Rapp" has been widely cited as the first ever known instance of a rap song in existence). Of course, the footage of Blowfly performing his uproariously nasty numbers on stage is every bit as gut-busting as one would hope, but it's the underlying sense of tragedy and melancholy just below the surface of all that bawdy fun that enables this documentary to be so much more than some fawning puff piece on Reid and his unique place in music history.
This documentary follows Reid and his band as they embark on a grueling tour in which they largely perform at seedy half empty dives before going to Europe in an attempt to introduce Blowfly to a new younger crowd. Frequently butting heads with concerned, but long-suffering manager and drummer Tom Bowker, this doc doesn't shy away from showing Reid in a warts'n'all manner in which he occasionally comes across as an impatient and cantankerous old grump complete with a bum knee, money problems (Reid doesn't make any royalties from various musical artists who sample his song due to the fact that he sold his catalog for a pittance in 2003), and estranged children from a failed marriage. It's the way this documentary's incisive fly-on-the-wall perspective depicts the still sharp sick humor and wounded humanity of Reid which in turn makes it so touching and involving. Moreover, it's a treat to see such rap icons as Ice-T and Chuck D. give Reid the props that he richly deserves as a true pioneer in the rap music genre (Reid's song "Blowfly's Rapp" has been widely cited as the first ever known instance of a rap song in existence). Of course, the footage of Blowfly performing his uproariously nasty numbers on stage is every bit as gut-busting as one would hope, but it's the underlying sense of tragedy and melancholy just below the surface of all that bawdy fun that enables this documentary to be so much more than some fawning puff piece on Reid and his unique place in music history.
