Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell
Director: Matt Wolf
The mix of interviewees on Wild Combination speaks volumes about the wildly diverse artistic palette of the late American avant-garde musician Arthur Russell. Among them are composer Philip Glass, rock guitarist Ernie Brooks, funk singer Lola Love and Russell's elderly parents, Chuck and Emily.
Russell was a young cellist who left the American prairies to become the director of New York experimental venue The Kitchen, join rock band the Flying Hearts, and finally finish with an astonishing career in disco.
His posthumous stock has risen remarkably in recent years, helped by the re-releases of recordings he left behind when he died of Aids in 1992 at age 40.
Drawing from interviews with key people who shaped Russell's life both personally and professionally, Matt Wolf delivers a moving portrait of a man whose talents were undermined not only by his circumstances but also by his erratic temperament.