Online music documentaries ushered in the so-called golden era of music documentaries, featuring artists as legendary as the Beatles and emerging artists as Billie Eilish. With the proliferation of any product, especially one that has as many restrictions as a non-fiction film, audiences have learned to anticipate certain beats and crowd-pleasing moments in these films. new rock documentary Little Richard: I Am Everything He is no exception, as he sets out to greet the ever-confusing “Rock ‘n’ Roll Architect”—completely by the book.
Directed by Lisa Cortés and co-produced by Dee Rees, the film, despite its traditional and chronological narrative method, at least undertakes a unique mission. Like many Black and queer artists who shaped the rock ‘n’ roll landscape in the 1950s and ’60s, Little Richard (his real name was Richard Penniman) did not enjoy the same visibility or deification as the many white acts he inspired – most notably British like the Rolling Stones and The Beatles. rock bands, the latter making their signature song “Tutti Frutti” a worldwide hit in 1955. In this way, Doctor is an attempt to give flowers to one of rock ‘n’ roll’s founding fathers, who died of bone cancer in 2020. All at once she exposes a man who could never fully accept her, while blaming an industry that wasn’t ready to accept him.
One of the most fascinating parts of the document is its research on Black Christianity. The role of the black church is crucial in telling the story of Little Richard and the contradictions he embodies as a queer man who will give up on his sexuality several times throughout his career. Like many legendary Black performers, he mastered the so-called “chitlin’ circuit” and even the frenetic singing as a choir boy before navigating the drag clubs. A native of Georgia, whose father was a deacon, also learned to play the loud piano in church.
Sociologist Zandria Robinson describes South America as culturally odd and non-normative in one of the many talkative interviews. The Southern Baptist and Pentecostal churches, in particular, were and still are a space where Blacks overcome by the Holy Spirit could act outside the bounds of social decency and dignity. This joy is reflected in Little Richard’s impromptu riffing and exciting stage presence throughout the film. A direct line can be drawn from the booing and shouting that make up the soundtrack of black church services to the opening line of the notorious “Tutti Frutti” for its filth.
Of course, Little Richard’s lifestyle was anything but “godlike” once he became an adult actor. An early section of the document is devoted to the evolution of “Tutti Frutti,” which evolved (with some subliminal messages) from a song about anal sex to a sanitized pop song loved by tight-lipped teens. Regarding his sexual propensities – apart from his search for men in public – Little Richard was a literal rock ‘n’ roll cliche. Likewise, the doctor emphasizes the singer’s affinity for orgies and voyeurism, aided by an expensive drug habit.
Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
Like some other teenage sex symbols of that era, Little Richard had sex with an underage girl, Audrey Robinson (aka Lee Angel), who was 16 when she met the then 24-year-old. The age gap between them is not accepted in the context of rock ‘n’ roll’s group culture and younger audience. (Oddly enough, Richard’s own experiences of childhood abuse are also omitted.) In a short interview, the now-deceased Robinson describes his muse-artist dynamics with nothing more than admiration for the musician.
Without disregarding his bisexuality, the film frames Little Richard’s relationships with women – including his marriage to Ernestine Campbell – in the existential panic surrounding his queerness. this one i am everything‘S The most devastating and compelling aspects as I watch the flamboyant rock star denounce his homosexuality and dedicate his life to Jesus shortly after his entry into the mainstream rock world. Later in the 2000s, the “Good Golly Miss Molly” singer would re-denounce her sexuality. Clips of the musician in television shows, warning viewers of an impending doomsday, are equally disturbing.
As you journey through Little Richard’s paradoxical career, the film takes on an increasingly melancholic tone, not only in terms of his internalized homophobia, but also in terms of his treatment within the wider musical landscape. The film features audio tracks singing the praises of white rock musicians, including Stones frontman Mick Jagger, and quoting him for inspiration. However, these forced cries were never enough for Richard, who throughout his life openly complained about his underappreciated status in the pantheon of rock legends.
A particularly sad moment comes when Little Richard is finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, but is unable to attend the ceremony due to injuries from a car accident. This leads to one of the most interesting and hilarious parts of the movie three years later, when he takes Otis Redding to the Salon, getting into the song and back to his own successes throughout the speech. The chaotic presentation is hilarious, especially the footage of the offended audience members, but underneath all the laughter and impromptu singing, there’s a sense of bitterness and disappointment about her complex legacy.
It’s these moments of frankness that elevate the doctor from a boring history lesson to something bigger—like Richard yelling “I’m not arrogant, I’m convinced” in an Arsenio Hall interview. The singer’s frankness and refreshing rudeness make you nostalgic for an older, pre-internet form of celebrity. Meanwhile, efforts to make the film contemporary, such as CGI pixie dust, galactic imagery, and sequences from contemporary artists executing its catalog, are ultimately less gripping than earlier interviews in which Richard proclaimed his greatness.
By the time i am everything when it’s over, you’re left with greater appreciation for the underrated rock giant and overwhelming pity for his personal demons. It feels like another lightness that the documentary, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and received critical acclaim, only gets a one-day movie screening today before moving to digital. (It’s unclear when the HBO Max-co-produced movie will arrive at the broadcaster.) However, it at least offers the kind of majestic tribute any musician can dream of. In this case, it is better to be late than never.