Review of Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell (2008) by Anthony B — 06 Dec 2009

It doesn't really tell you anything that you can't find in a cursory read of any of his biographies available online, and in that sense it's not really much more than a really well-produced episode of vh1's behind the music, but at the same time it's buoyed up by the sheer genius of arthur's music and with some great imagery to go along with it. If you don't know anything about him, this is a great place to start... as for me, I was among the untold throngs of curious record store clerks who were initiated into the world of his genius when that comp on soul jazz records came out back in 2004. after looking up his story that year, it was very clear to see how his art was impacted by a life of isolation, eccentricity, perfectionism, paranoia, disease, tragedy, and fear of success balanced by an obsession with mainstream pop music forms. I think that listening to him for all those years with that in mind made him pop out as even more vulnerable, even more human. Watching this movie was like a refresher course on why I find his recordings so beautiful.

Too bad it doesn't feature any performances of what is, in my humble opinion, his best song: "lucky star".