Rating:  

Documentary Featuring: Clarence “Blowfly” Reid, Tom Bowker, Ice-T, Chuck D, and Jello Biafra.
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Director: Jonathan Furmanski
Rating: Unrated (Equivalent to an R)
Running Time: 88 Minutes
Release Date: September 16, 2011
Home Video Release Date: November 15, 2011
Box Office: $3 Thousand
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Special Theory Films and Variance Films.

I first learned of Blowfly when I was in college and worked as an assistant manager of a independent music retail store. We had a rather eclectic clientele and although we sold a lot of mainstream releases, we also had a wildly diverse mix of customers who would special order the most bizarre music titles on occasion. Watching The Weird World Of Blowfly, I was reminded of one costumer in particular who purchased as much of Blowfly’s catalog as was available at the time. This guy wanted it all and willing to pay the extra money, wondered if anything was available on import. So, who is this Blowfly singer, you may be wondering?As I very quickly was reminded in the opening moments of Blowfly’s documentary, he is one of, if not the most, raunchy and foul-mouthed rap/soul singers of all time. Apparently, Blowfly was well respected within the music industry as Clarence Reid, and was a successful songwriter for R&B acts Sam & Dave, Betty Wright, Gwen McCrae, and others. Reid quickly became infamous within the music industry for laying down shocking and explicit parodies of popular songs of the day, and his demos would get passed around amongst some significant figures in the late-60′s soul music scene.Dubbed “Blowfly” by his grandmother when she heard him rework Chubby Checker’s “Do The Twist” as “Suck My D***” as a young child (parents must have been so proud…), Reid naturally decided to implement the nickname in his strange stage act and performance persona; akin to something of a low rent homeless superhero. Released under the Blowfly moniker, 1971′s “The Weird World Of Blowfly” arrived to surprising critical acclaim and as Blowfly continued recording throughout the 1970′s, achieving cult status with what became known as “party records.” Blowfly’s sexual and scatalogical referenced songs became so popular that one of his albums, “Blowfly’s Party” peaked at #82, inside the upper half of the storied Billboard 200 album chart.

Blowfly may have watched his X-rated rap/song hybrid parody tracks make him into a superstar of sorts, iconic rappers Ice-T, and Chuck D of Public Enemy, sing his praises and Chuck D even discloses that a controversial line from Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” regarding a “mother” expletive and John Wayne, was a straight lift from one of Blowfly’s tracks. And yet like most cult phenomenons in entertainment, what Blowfly offered the mainstream was limiting and difficult to stomach as a way of entertaining more discerning folks

Today, and still seemingly landlocked in the 1970′s, Blowfly remains on the fringe of anything relevant and as Jonathan Furmanski’s documentary shows us, he is still recording and touring in his low-rent masked superhero costumes, spouting lyrics and singing songs just as nasty as ever.

Furmanski’s documentary is quite intriguing once you get some sense of who and what Blowfly is and tragically, it becomes quite obvious that Clarence Reid, now in his mid-to-late 60′s, has dissolved into this caricature of a party performer; stuck in an era and seeking an audience that has long since passed him by. Distressingly, he seems to have succumbed to bad business decisions and advice and has lost virtually all of his money.

And so here is Clarence Reid. Forever known as Blowfly, clinging to his sophomoric and cringe-inducing music and being booked on tours where his manager and music producer, Tom Bowker, provokes arguments with him and he performs in front of miniscule crowds who have no earthly idea who, or what, they are looking at.

For a performer, who had a niche audience and even more fleeting level of success, Blowfly/Clarence Reid looks tired and beholden to a lifestyle that he seems lost in. Ex-girlfriends and musicians are briefly included by Furmanski and everyone echos the drumbeat of fondness that then is curiously punctuated by Blowfly, in costume, sharing private details about his anatomy, how he plans on using it with the ladies, and all the places he would like to put it to use. For a songwriter who delivered classic R&B singles with engaging hooks and innovative rhythms, listening to Reid spit his uniquely and unmotivated venom is nothing short of tragic.

I am not sure whether this is a good film or not, just as I am unsure if Blowfly is a sympathetic figure who had a brief kiss of fame and has simply spent 30+ years looking for more dates. For those who speak their platitudes about how hilarious, influential, and memorable Reid’s alter ego is, few, if any, have ever appeared with him or as far as I can tell, lent a hand in support to the struggling faded star. I want to believe that The Weird World of Blowfly was made with a well-intentioned heart by a fan of the singer and not another questionable vulture swirling around the remains of a man desirious of fame. What we get is a fascinating and alarmingly uncomfortable look inside the mind of a man who seems like he could never stop being the life of the party, but is simply too blind to realize that the guests all went home a long, long time ago.

Should I See It?

Certainly fans of the performer will be interested, as will those who may have heard of the singer in the past.

If you are a fan of documentaries dealing with unique individuals, Blowfly is absolutely a uniquely compelling figure.

The film is not really all that groundbreaking or innovative. At times, the film stumbles along and shows signs of a first-time filmmaker – pacing issues are off, uninteresting footage is included, bigger issues missed…

I cannot think of one human being I know that would be interested, or even be aware of, Blowfly. That does not mean this is an unnecessary film; quite the contrary. Rather, I have no idea who to recommend it to.