Any information about her (or them) or why no mention of this? He was obviously close with his daughters, "a family man," he took them with him on his trip to South Africa and they seem sincerely fond of him.
(I said 'them' because 2 daughters looked somewhat similar but a third is much less so; so she could have a different mother.)
i think Eva mentions that she's his stepdaughter at one point.
shareThe wives were probably a pain to him (as they often are) so he possibly felt uncomfortable talking about them. There's no need for him to go retread that ground if he doesn't want to, the women were most likely not worth his time. The daughters all seemed like good girls though so maybe the mothers weren't complete whores but it's a long shot in my opinion.
shareRather harsh we do not know anything about them.
shareMy, my. Someone is getting a little personal here ... no luck with the ladies himself apparently.
shareHoly crap, Batman. That's a gargantuan argument from silence.
If one of your kids comes home an hour and a half late from school, do you surmise that they were acting as lookout for some of their gangsta friends in a stick up in which a shop attendant was killed, helped dispose of the body and the weapon, AND lapped Donkey Kong at the arcade before stumbling home?
IMDb: The Reason There Can Never Be Peace In The Middle East.
No I assume he was the hold-up man and cleaner... I assume my kids know enough about disposing of bodies that they wouldn't need help.
shareDoes anyone else think his daughters were super hot?
share"Does anyone else think his daughters were super hot? "
As for Regan, absolutely.
Less so for the other two.
All three of them seem super well-adjusted and nice. Dad's sense of contentment and tranquility appears to have rubbed off on them.
Makes you wonder: if Rodriguez had become a big superstar, would his children have turned out so well?
I thought highly of his daughters also.
And as far as who got the money, it was that Clarence Avent guy who was the head of the long-defunct RPG records or whatever. They sent him the checks and he cashed them, and that was that. Remember how grumpy and defensive he got during his interview. That's why. Guilt.
First of all, it was EVA who was the hot one, and she seemed the most involved of all his daughters. Secondly, we don't know if he even had a drug problem, so, don't start defaming someone without proof. And third, to insinuate all Native Americans have drinking issues is TOTALLY out of line, Mr Perfect!
shareThe girls mention that there is Native American blood on both sides....and references to a "blue corn bowl" and "my people drowning themselves in alcohol" in the a couple of the song lyrics. No mention of their tribal roots....but personal fame is shamed as it takes away from the tribal group in some tribes. His voice sounds Native American (glottal accents) and he looks VERY American Native. I think there is more mystery about his past yet to be uncovered......
shareThe director mentioned in an interview that there were interviews with the wife, but she changed her mind and asked not to be included.
shareI thought Eva mentioned European and Native American [i.e. N. American Indian} heritage coming from their mother. They just said that Rodriguez's parents were originally from Mexico. FYI: Mexicans can be white, indigenous, mestizo...it's a nationality. So yeah, he can be 100% Mexican and have 100% Indian blood. Not that complex...but it definitely would have been nice to learn a bit more about his family--why they immigrated to Detroit (apparently in the 20s) and not elsewhere, etc., what influenced his songwriting, etc.
Maybe I missed that the girls had different moms, but I don't think that was ever said. Never thought it was weird that Eva looked a lot more white than the other sisters--anyone with a multiracial family knows you can all come out looking vastly different! That's genetics for ya.
Totally.....It was his reference in the theme song "Sugar Man" several times to a "bowl of blue corn"......used specifically by the Hopi Indians of the southwest in their ritual and kiva ceremonies as a "blessing" that make me wonder if his heritage is Hopi....also that many of the native rituals involve taking of haluciogens.....which makes sense since it it a song about drugs. Just interesting that there is this reference. Made me wonder about his heritage and if he had spent some time there (in the southwest).....maybe with his mother. Very interesting too that the Hopis believe that their rituals are important to restore/retain balance in the entire world and what an impact his music had in South Africa.....amazing.
shareIt was his reference in the theme song "Sugar Man" several times to a "bowl of blue corn"
......used specifically by the Hopi Indians of the southwest
In the lyrics that come with the CD, it's "for a blue coin", not corn.
You must be the change you seek in the world. -- Gandhi
According to numerous sources, Konny is the (biological) mother of the youngest daughter, Regan. The two older daughters are Regan's half-sisters, not her step-sisters (as stated in one of the other responses).
I read an interview that stated (second-hand) that his wife simply Konny declined to be interviewed in the film. After reading Malik Bendjelloul's description of how difficult it was to get Rodriguez to talk on camera, it hardly seems surprising that his wife might shun the limelight! What strikes me as more remarkable is that all 3 daughters both agreed and seemed comfortable, or at least very articulate, on camera.
It wasn't clear to me whether Konny is shown in any of the footage in South Africa, but I don't think so. She's not credited in the film, but obviously not everyone who appears in the 1998 footage was catalogued.
On a more general note, it seems as though many viewers have filled the gaps in the story by assuming the worst. My interpretation of this is that it primarily reflects people projecting their own pessimism because the truth of Rodriguez's life truly boggles their minds. For example, I've read online articles suggesting that:
1) Obviously Rodriguez must be estranged from his wives, since they aren't mentioned.
2) Rodriguez must have a substance abuse problem that accounts for his disappearance(s) from the public eye.
3) His drug use accounts for his failure to achieve popular acclaim in the US between 1998 and 2012.
I don't know all the facts, but I certainly did not see any evidence suggesting any of this in either the film or in his music. It seems far more likely to me that many viewers simply cannot believe the truth and beautiful simplicity of Sixto Rodriguez's story. The movie is accurately titled; it's the story of how a couple of South Africans rediscovered "Rodriguez", not the tell-all story of Sixto Rodriguez's life.
I think that he found it hard to achieve fame from 1998-2012 for a couple of reasons:
1: His attitude. He never seemed to be the most ambitious person.
2: Music taste shifts in this generation. New musicians don't have much of a classic rock sound anymore. People want to buy American Idol winners, hip hop, country, or pop. Many will still listen to classic rock, but they want it to be buy the famous 60's or 70's artists. They won't listen to the same sound if it doesn't have the stamp of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, the Who, Bob Dylan, etc.
3: He was still seen as "Latin." He was too rock n' roll for Hispanics, and not white or black enough for most Americans.
4: He wasn't much of a performer. It sounded like possibly one of the reasons for why he never took off was that he wasn't a good perfomer in concerts. That's how artists make most of their money and acquire most of their fans. Even artists that sound great on CD won't get a decent fanbase without putting on a great show. And you'd have to imagine that he would be even worse after 40 years of not doing it.
That being said, I thought that he sounded amazing. I see him as Bob Dylan with a better voice.
That being said, I thought that he sounded amazing. I see him as Bob Dylan with a better voice.
I totally agree w/ that assessment.
Hello emmstrain, can you tell me which interview you mean in 'After reading Malik Bendjelloul's description of how difficult it was to get Rodriguez to talk on camera,', please? Much obliged!
shareThatDoesn'tMatter, Malik talks in this clip about how Rodriguez didn't like being filmed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33siKhkYAyI
You must be the change you seek in the world. -- Gandhi
:( can't watch it in my country! *beep* youtube
P.S., this is what part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were eliminated. - Mitch Hedberg
I wondered about the lack of a wife's perspective, too. My guess is that she was sickened by Sixto's being cheated out his royalties and also by him not chasing down the money himself. The money would have made all their lives a little easier, a little better educated, a little more insured. She may have told the filmmakers that if interviewed she would not mince her words, either against the industry or against Rodriguez. Rather than have her being bitter on screen and maybe flagging up dissent within the family, the director chose to agree with her that she be left out of the interviews. It's a theory.
shareSounds reasonable. And it's easier for Sixto Rodriguez to come off as calm and appealingly humble on camera, if his wife isn't strenuously arguing that he is being a doormat or a patsy.
share