Rating: NNNN
Mainly known only by underground disco fanatics and experimental music aficionados, this oddball musician has been introduced to a new generation of indie rockers, who’ve noticed that his deeply intimate outsider pop sounds strikingly contemporary more than 15 years after his AIDS-related death in 1992.
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This full-fledged documentary includes a wealth of rare archival footage as well as tear-jerking interviews with Russell’s parents and boyfriend.
The only shortcoming is that it glosses over Russell’s groundbreaking disco career and fails to include interviews with survivors of that era. Dance music may have more credibility these days, but those outside the scene still find it easier to wrap their heads around his avant-garde pop. Luckily, the omissions are tempered by some very rare and evocative footage of legendary not-for-profit party the Loft.
Available for $26.99 at HMV (333 Yonge and other locations), 416-586-9668.
