Little Richard: I Am Everything
The story of the Black queer origins of rock n' roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator - the originator - Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard's complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon's life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.
- Released: 2023-04-11
- Runtime: 98 minutes
- Genre: Documentaries, Music
- Stars: Little Richard, Paul McCartney, Billy Porter, Mick Jagger, John Waters, Tom Jones
- Director: Lisa Cortés
Comments
- jmillerjr-00983 - 24 November 2023
Decent Documentary. I actually think less of LR now though...
Perhaps we could just agree that it's silly to coronate anyone the "king of rock and roll." It's clear from this documentary that Little Richard often felt overlooked, despite his crucial contribution to rock and pop music in the middle of the 20th century. Let's give him the due he deserves. He is the originator, the architect, and the emancipator (whatever that means). He was also a bit of a one trick pony. The man basically gave us a handful of rock 101's greatest songs and then spent the rest of his life milking them. And the funny thing about that is, if the documentary is to be believed, he barely got any money for that. If you look at music from the mid-60s on, it's just a rehash of old hits and uninspired covers. No genius albums. No incredible tours. No inspiring collaboration.
Placing him in the same league as the Beatles and the Stones is just silly. The man never outgrew his pride (hence the documentary's title) and his career suffered for it. Sad to say, the best song he released in the final 50 years of his life was the theme song to "The Magic School Bus." I'm actually surprised that didn't make it in the documentary.
