Jobriath A.D.
- Director: Kieran Turner
- Writer: Kieran Turner
- Producer: Kieran Turner
CGiii Comment
Ain't anyone gonna talk about the great big, screaming, pink elephant in the room?
Obviously not!
Well, we will.
Few people have even heard of him!
Despite all the gushing...he was not beautiful. His music...erm, sucked. And - most definitely - he was not the 'new' David Bowie...considering this moniker was attached to him in 1973...is quite ridiculous...in 1973, the great Mr Bowie was starting to find his stride, post Stardust!
Jobriath (seriously, silly name) was an astronomical marketing failure! A more suitable name would have been Icarus...he certainly flew, he certainly burned and he crashed with a God-Almighty thud!
The only actual footage shown - with him talking, sees him bloated in blue eyeshadow declaring that he wants to be glamorous and famous! Not looking like that, lurve!
His much-hyped debut album was released and failed to chart...he became the first openly gay rock star...a dubious claim to fame, since he never actually became a star!
But...what the hell...this film is almost like a second shot at the golden apple, posthumous stardom is - possibly - better than no stardom at all. Notwithstanding the legal issues behind the ownership of his music...Jerry Brandt, his former manager, manipulator and back-stabber is broke. Create a legacy, reap the benefits...Icarus flies again!
There is a little dig at the gay community...saying, as a reason for his failure, they never got behind him! Well, just because it's gay doesn't mean it's any good [musically speaking]...if you are going to run your career based upon your sexuality...make sure the music is bloody good!
Look...this is a devastatingly sad story about a talented man whose decisions were made [erroneously] for him...and the ones he made for himself were equally as bad. Many talented people don't get the opportunities he got...he tried, he failed...he may have been misunderstood, he may have been ahead of his time, he was hyped into oblivion...but, the music always speaks for itself. No-one is singing a Jobriath song on a Saturday night in the karaoke bar...that's what legacy is!
Bruce Wayne Campbell died alone - in 1983, aged 36 - from AIDS-related causes...this film serves as a belated obituary...by family and friends who loved him.
Let him rest now.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
Called "The American Bowie," "The True Fairy of Rock & Roll" and "Hype of the Year," Jobriath's reign as the first openly gay rock star was brief and over by 1975. Now, 35 years later, "Jobriath A.D." spotlights his life, music, groundbreaking influence and the new generations of fans slowly re-discovering him.
Cast & Characters
Jerry Brandt as Himself;
Jayne County as Herself;
Dennis Christopher as Himself;
Joe Elliott as Himself;
Kristian Hoffman as Himself;
Gloria Jones as Herself;
Ann Magnuson as Herself;
Miss Mercy as Herself;
Jake Shears as Himself;
Will Sheff as Himself