What are you talking about? People would rather study irrelevant phones and software over and over again, and the protagonist of the film, "Little Sugar Man" Rodriguez, is still completely ignored. And this is exactly the fate of his life to this day. In that era, his reputation was no better than Elvis; in this era, his presence was less than that of a chipped apple. As is often the case in life, talent doesn't always lead to success; but who would believe the talent of this guy who sold six records across the United States and lived on the streets? Who cares about the life and death of such a person? What book to date mentions the name "Rodriguez"? If it weren't for that enigmatic record that flowed into South Africa, Sugar Man would have been buried in the dust of history forever.
Sparks can start a prairie fire. The album and more than a dozen songs of "Little Sugar Man" are not only the origin of South Africa's rock and roll, but also the origin of South Africa's politics. In the mid-1970s, in an African country that still practiced apartheid and closed-door policies, a blues with an "anti-establishment" connotation was powerful because its lyrics told South Africans bluntly that other than "obey", There is another word called "demand"; in addition to submission to authority and force, there is equality and freedom. It sparked a revolution and became a revolutionary anthem. Half a million records were swept away. Genuine, pirated, scratched, intact, a piece of "Cold Facts" spread throughout South Africa. Yet all that is known about Rodriguez is limited to two records and sleeves. No one knows the real name of the singer of these chants, no one knows how to contact him, and no one even knows his life or death: "Little Sugar Man" committed suicide by drinking bullets, "Little Sugar Man" set himself on fire, "Little Sugar Man" "Alive, "Little Sugar Man" wasn't born at all... Rumors spread all over for a while.
Finally one day, after countless efforts, Rodriguez showed up at the South African airport. He was thin and hunchbacked, too shy to glance at the limousine that was picking him up; he was surprisingly calm, not the slightest bit excited by the rush of people in front of him; he was worthy of all the eyes that doubted his identity, and the first sentence he spoke put the whole The concert reached its climax. After returning to the United States, "Little Candy Man" continued to live a poor and bitter life, and gave all the money from the concert to his family and friends.
What makes "Little Sugar Man"?
back to that time. On the other side of the ocean, "Little Sugar Man" Rodriguez knew nothing about his fame in South Africa. Displaced in Detroit's poor neighborhoods, he made a living by carrying heavy loads, moving more than 20 times. In 1971, the recording of his second album was completed. The lyrics of one of the songs read: "I lost my job, just two weeks before Christmas." And that is, two weeks before Christmas, Rodriguez was really fired from the record company, and has since disappeared. His producers called him brilliant and even called him a "prophet", but who would have thought that the so-called "prophet" could be like this?
There is no need to mention the hardships of life, because life is not so much torturing Rodriguez as it is to temper him; the sentence "I lost my job" is just the beginning of him as a "prophet". Next, the lyrics and songs that seemed to be composed by accident coincided with every amazing change in his life and even in the whole world.
"You better beat yourself up and find something better." That's the lyric from another song. Rodriguez did not sink because his talents were not appreciated, but continued to move forward with solid steps. He's done dirty work, elected mayor, participated in demonstrations, and served the community. Although all of these things didn't have any major impact, he never stopped. If we look back and observe carefully, we will find that "Cold Facts", "From Reality" and even rock music have become clouds for Rodriguez, and he never thinks he should have any kind of wealth or happiness. ; It is for this reason that "Little Sugar Man" can deal with everything that happens in front of him with equanimity. The only thing that didn't become the past and the only thing he could control was himself, the temperament and spirit that Rodriguez got from that experience. He is using his actions to fulfill his promise in the lyrics, perhaps to his own life, perhaps to the rock in his life, in any case, he personally did it. He was able to take everything seriously and passionately, trying to explain the history of rock and the nature of life in his own way, and without a doubt, he succeeded. Compared with Elvis, the Rolling Stones and the Beetles, "Little Sugar Man" is more willing to live in poverty, to escape fame and fortune, and to keep his inner pure land. In a way, Rodriguez is the only rock musician worthy of the name. We can't say that a certain kind of music has certain requirements on people, but we can definitely say that a person will start a certain life practice because of music.
"Little Sugar Man" keeps moving forward. In the snow, under the blue sky, singing my own song and walking my own way. Perhaps, looking for a little sugar man is not as simple as looking for a person. It may be said that no one has ever really found "Little Sugar Man", even if you sit across from him, he is wearing sunglasses and taciturn. People will look for clues in the lyrics, and they will find the existence of "Sugar Man" in Detroit, but no one has revealed the real reason why he is hiding himself, because "seeking" is not the end, but the beginning. People are looking for "sugar man" and "sugar man" is looking for himself. Find the prophet, find yourself, and make a pilgrimage together.
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