By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Kieran Turner
Country: united_states
Year: 2014
Running time: 102
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1792576/combined
Bruce says: “The hype machine is usually associated with success stories. JOBRIATH A. D. is a fascinating documentary about a colossal failure in spite of tremendous hype. Jobriath (rhymes with Goliath) Salisbury was the stage name chosen by Bruce Wayne Campbell a member of the Los Angeles company of ‘Hair.’ A stage name was a necessity for an army recruit who had gone AWOL. Jobriath was fired from ‘Hair’ and was eventually captured, subsequently serving several months in the psychiatric ward of the Valley Forge Military Hospital.
“Born near Philadelphia, Jobriath was a product of a broken home. His mother was a strange combination of distant yet smothering. Like her son, she never hit her stride. His father remarried and faded out of the picture. Classically trained, Jobriath began composing and orchestrating the first movement of a symphony at the age of fifteen. His body of work echoes passages from Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin. While airplay was give ‘Classical Gas’ and ‘MacArthur Park,’ most popular songs in the classical vein were not considered radio friendly. It is not surprising he would be a hard sell.
“After his psychiatric release, he formed a band named Pidgeon which released an eponymous album then faded into obscurity. Shortly thereafter he was discovered by Jerry Brandt who had once managed Carly Simon. Brandt had been described as a ‘sexy, slimy odious huckster, handsome in a reptilian sort of way.’ A modern Svengali. The hype began. Brandt was determined to turn Jobriath into the first gay rock star. Why? Gay culture did not embrace rock music and many people in the heterosexual music business were homophobic. Brandt envisioned an American version of David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust yet he began marketing Jobriath as the next Beatles or Elvis. A Times Square billboard pictured Jobriath as a ruined torso from an ancient civilization – naked, on his stomach, legs removed. A costly show was announced for the Paris Opera house. Elaborate, outrageous costumes were made. Jobriath worked furiously on songs for the show but it never happened. Brandt did get Jobriath a spot on Midnight Special and he performed live on stage a couple of times. His album was released but did not get played…..or bought. Much later in New York Jobriath achieved some notoriety and fame by assuming the stage name Cole Berlin and playing the American songbook at supper clubs. He lived on the top floor of the Chelsea Hotel where he could climb out on the roof to better experience the city.
“In spite of his ‘gay rock star’ branding, Jobriath was quiet about his sexuality. Friends testify they never saw him pick anyone up. He had no love affairs; like his mother, settling down was not part of his game. He earned a living by hustling in both Los Angeles and New York. Joby was his hustling persona. Jobriath was equally closed about his family. When he was dying of AIDS, his caregiver never heard mention of his past. ‘I need to play piano for you so you know who I am,’ Jobriath said. In spite of her professed love for her son, Jobriath’s mother never came to see him when he was dying. When Jobriath died his body was not discovered for four days. His father, clueless about his son’s talent and career, hired two punks off the street to destroy everything in the apartment – Jobriath’s papers, his costumes and his music. The only thing kept was Jobriath’s journal. But the legacy lives on. Morrissey was instrumental in getting a compilation album released in 2004. Many singers are now discovering Jobriath’s music and are impressed by the intricacy of his compositions. ‘Take Me I’m Yours,’ ‘World without End,’ ‘Blow Away,’ and ‘I’m a Man’ are probably his best known songs.
“JOBRIATH A. D. is reminiscent of THE NOMI SONG, the documentary of Klaus Nomi, an equally bizarre talent who was difficult to label and market for mass consumption. Nomi’s career was better planned and managed. He made his name in the performance art world in underground clubs and alternative venues. Like Jobriath, Nomi also died of AIDS.
“Kieran Turner has done a magnificent job in creating a film that captures a rare, hard-to-define, nearly lost talent. Snippets from extensive interviews with Jerry Brandt are interspersed with a variety of talking heads. Jobriath’s brother also provides valuable information. The film is divided according to Jobriath’s personas; five different animators create the lead-in to the various chapters of his life. Some of Turner’s decisions were undoubtedly difficult. When I saw Will Sheff of the indie band Okkervil River on screen, I was sure the band’s ‘Bruce Wayne Campbell Interviewed on the Roof of the Chelsea Hotel, 1979’ would soon follow. That was not to be. Turner claims that most songs had to be removed for the final cut. Hopefully, they will all turn up on the DVD. 5 cats
“(JOBRIATH A. D. screened at the 2012 Provincetown International Film Festival.)”