Boyd Rice Film Screening at Anthology Films in NYC

ICONOCLAST: BOYD RICE

An Epic Film about the life of Boyd Rice

by Larry Wessel

SPECIAL SCREENINGS AT NEW YORK’S INFLUENTIAL ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES

August 20 – Anthology Film Archives, NYC - 7pm

August 21 – Anthology Film Archives, NYC - 7pm

Four hours in length and six years in the making, Larry Wessel’s documentary about the “Godfather of Noise Music” and industrial music pioneer has two screenings lined up on August 20th and 21st at the iconic Anthology Film Archive cinema in New York. To purchase tickets visithttp://anthologyfilmarchives.org

ICONOCLAST is an epic view of the controversial life of American underground artist/musicianBoyd Rice. Currently finishing his forthcoming NON album set for release on Mute in 2012, Boyd recently performed in the UK at the Roundhouse for Mute’s Short Circuit festival. Boyd Rice first came to prominence in the 1970s as one of the founders of the genre known as Industrial Music. Since then, Rice has enjoyed a career spanning four decades, encompassing the worlds of pop culture, music, art, and film. He has been dubbed ‘The Godfather of Noise Music’, authored several books, exhibited his art in a number of one-man gallery shows, and even lectured at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, despite having been a high-school dropout.

Told through the words of the provocative raconteur himself, ICONOCLAST is a roller coaster ride through the fevered mindscape of one of the most controversial artists of the modern age. From Charles Manson to Marilyn Manson, tiki bars to industrial noise, this kaleidoscopic magnum opus features dozens and dozens of interview subjects, including filmmaker Allison Anders, televangelist Bob Larson, satanist Blanche Barton, and disc jockey Rodney Bingenheimer.

"My life, says Boyd Rice, "is a testament to the idea that you can achieve whatever the hell you want if you possess a modicum of creativity, and a certain amount of naiveté concerning what is and isn't possible in this world. I've had one-man shows of my paintings in New York, but I'm not a painter. I've authored several books, but I'm not a writer. I've made a living as a recording artist for the last 30 years, but I can't read a note of music or play any instrument. I've somehow managed to make a career out of doing a great number of things I'm in no way qualified to do."

Along the way, Rice worked as a celebrity bodyguard (protecting the likes of Julie Newmar and Maureen McCormack), owned a Tiki Bar (Tiki Boyd's), starred in an exploitation movie (Pearls Before Swine), and co-edited an influential book on low budget cult films (Incredibly Strange Films).

Check out the film’s website for more info, trailer, cast & credits:

http://www.iconoclastmovie.com/wp/

**

About Anthology Film Archives:  Founded in 1969 by Jonas Mekas, Jerome Hill, P. Adams Sitney, Peter Kubelka, and Stan Brakhage, Anthology in its original conception was a showcase for the Essential Cinema Repertory collection. Its mission is to preserve, exhibit, and promote public and scholarly understanding of independent, classic, and avant-gardecinema. Anthology screens more than 900 film and video programs per year, publishes books and catalogs annually, and has preserved more than 800 films to date.

Four hours in length and six years in the making, Larry Wessel’s documentary about the “Godfather of Noise Music” and industrial music pioneer has two screenings lined up on August 20th and 21st at the iconic Anthology Film Archive cinema in New York. To purchase tickets visithttp://anthologyfilmarchives.org ICONOCLAST is an epic view of the controversial life of American underground artist/musicianBoyd Rice. Currently finishing his forthcoming NON album set for release on Mute in 2012, Boyd recently performed in the UK at the Roundhouse for Mute’s Short Circuit festival. Boyd Rice first came to prominence in the 1970s as one of the founders of the genre known as Industrial Music. Since then, Rice has enjoyed a career spanning four decades, encompassing the worlds of pop culture, music, art, and film. He has been dubbed ‘The Godfather of Noise Music’, authored several books, exhibited his art in a number of one-man gallery shows, and even lectured at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, despite having been a high-school dropout. Told through the words of the provocative raconteur himself, ICONOCLAST is a roller coaster ride through the fevered mindscape of one of the most controversial artists of the modern age. From Charles Manson to Marilyn Manson, tiki bars to industrial noise, this kaleidoscopic magnum opus features dozens and dozens of interview subjects, including filmmaker Allison Anders, televangelist Bob Larson, satanist Blanche Barton, and disc jockey Rodney Bingenheimer. "My life, says Boyd Rice, "is a testament to the idea that you can achieve whatever the hell you want if you possess a modicum of creativity, and a certain amount of naiveté concerning what is and isn't possible in this world. I've had one-man shows of my paintings in New York, but I'm not a painter. I've authored several books, but I'm not a writer. I've made a living as a recording artist for the last 30 years, but I can't read a note of music or play any instrument. I've somehow managed to make a career out of doing a great number of things I'm in no way qualified to do." Along the way, Rice worked as a celebrity bodyguard (protecting the likes of Julie Newmar and Maureen McCormack), owned a Tiki Bar (Tiki Boyd's), starred in an exploitation movie (Pearls Before Swine), and co-edited an influential book on low budget cult films (Incredibly Strange Films). Check out the film’s website for more info, trailer, cast & credits: http://www.iconoclastmovie.com/wp/ ** About Anthology Film Archives:  Founded in 1969 by Jonas Mekas, Jerome Hill, P. Adams Sitney, Peter Kubelka, and Stan Brakhage, Anthology in its original conception was a showcase for the Essential Cinema Repertory collection. Its mission is to preserve, exhibit, and promote public and scholarly understanding of independent, classic, and avant-gardecinema. Anthology screens more than 900 film and video programs per year, publishes books and catalogs annually, and has preserved more than 800 films to date.

Make screening on June 17th, 2011 at the American Folk Art Museum in NYC

This event will also feature a live performance from Brooklyn based band Takka Takka. The DVD of Make will be released on June 21st through Asthmatic Kitty.

On June 21, 2011 directors Scott Ogden and Malcolm Hearn will release MAKE on DVD, the documentary that inspired Sufjan Stevens’ The Age of Adz.  The film is an intimate journey into the lives of four American self-taught artists: Prophet Royal Robertson, Hawkins Bolden, Judith Scott and Ike Morgan. Isolated and struggling with the disabilities life has dealt them, these artists all find their most powerful voice through art. Using the simplest of materials, they each produce work that is both sublime and at the same time completely their own. Primarily driven by scenes of the artists creating, their interwoven stories are told by the artists themselves as well as through family and friends whose lives they have touched. Vintage footage, quiet moments to reflect upon their work, and commentary by scholars and art historians help to round out the film.

The making of this film was a true labor of love. Scott Ogden started filming for this project almost twelve years ago with no clear idea of what he was undertaking. He first spent a week visiting and shooting video of Ike Morgan at the Austin State Hospital and then shortly after met both Judith Scott and Hawkins Bolden. It was quickly evident that something special was happening. These artists’ stories were not only gut-wrenching, but at the same time redemptive. Convinced of the power and emotion behind this footage, Malcolm Hearn agreed to edit and co-direct the film with Scott. Traveling the country together, they collected more interviews, repeatedly visited Ike Morgan, and even made one last pilgrimage to Royal Robertson’s house ten years after his passing. Later, while editing the film from a leaky loft in Brooklyn, they reached out to several of their musician friends. With contributions from Sufjan Stevens, Marc Bianchi, Jim Guthrie, Oneida, Tommy Guerrero, Au Revoir Simone, and several others, they suddenly had a stunning soundtrack.

The film was featured in the New York Times, and shortly after emails started pouring in to the filmmakers. Sufjan Stevens declared the film “a beautiful and insightful look at the sublime task of making art when nothing will else do.” He then went on to create the album, The Age of Adz, which not only featured imagery by Royal Robertson but also used Royal’s life story as a springboard for the album’s narrative. And through some friends of the film, David Byrne eventually received a Sharpee-enscribed copy of MAKE. His reaction:

“Here is a real testament to the power of MAKING art (or music, for some of us) - how that process not only heals and energizes, but the results move me as a viewer as well. They're touching something deep, as any artist should. There's a little bit of all of us in this work. This is as high and as fun and beautifully primal crazy enlightening as it gets.”

www.makedocumentary.com