Answering a question asked by a journalist over the lack of royalties Rodriguez has not received for over 40 years, he replied, "“Hate is too strong an emotion to waste on somebody you don’t like..."
Rodriguez writes and sings about some universal themes. Most importantly, he writes about the subjects any Detroiter or any resident of Michigan can relate to. He writes about the people who inhabit his surroundings. Just like Philip Levine's body of works, Rodriguez writes about the working-class Detroit and the motif of the heartland. Rodriguez's songs are timeless and insightful. They are about drugs, love, lust, power, human frailty, greed, the rich and poor, the cry of children, the oppressed and the oppressor. No wonder that his music made him as popular if not more popular than Elvis, Dylan, and the Beatles put together in places such as South Africa and Australia. Rodriguez is the true example of the man who is not recognized by his own people but is made hero in another culture or beyond his own borders. He is a genius. A giant. A superhero anywhere else but his own country.
Thanks to Steven Segerman (sugarman pronounced by some) and the South African fans!
Thanks to Malik Bendjelloul for Searching for Sugar Man!
The PDF copy of this ebook is available below:
Book Review
"Sixto Diaz Rodriguez’s Philosophy: Rodriguez’s eBook Guide to Happiness" is about the man, the legend, and the genius who was not aware of his Rock and Roll fame in other parts of the world. It is about Jesus Rodriguez. Sixto Diaz Rodriguez, the folk musician from Detroit, Michigan who has been given a rebirth thanks to the efforts of two South Africans who launched a search party to find out what happened to their favorite singer and song-writer. Rodriguez, as he prefers to be called now, produced two albums, Cold Fact and Coming From Reality, respectively in 1971 and 1972. They received rave reviews, but they did not sell enough copies. Bootleggers managed to take copies to South Africa and Australia where Rodriguez has had a huge following. He did not know about his popularity on those shores. He was busy demolishing and remodeling homes in the United States to make a living. Music was not paying his bills. The release of this movie/documentary "Searching for Sugar Man" was going to change things. As they say, the rest is just history.
Listening to the poetic tunes and great music of Rodriguez, one cannot help but make the comparison between Dylan, Donovan, Phil Ochs and Lou Reed, Jim Morrison, James Taylor, Nick Drake or Elvis. It may be time for the man to receive his public accolades and due! Rodriguez is the true legend!
For most white South Africans (Afrikaners) and black South Africans, Rodriguez was both a prophet and a messiah thanks to his music. Rodriguez's powerful lyrics of repression and protest caught up among the youth of South Africa which was under the apartheid regime.
Sample his music!
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