While fame eluded him before he died from AIDS in 1992, prolific avant-garde composer, singer-songwriter, cellist, and disco producer Arthur Russell has recently gained a strong following for his music. Raised in Iowa, he escaped to San Francisco and New York in the 1970s and worked with Philip Glass. As music director of the Kitchen, Russell became involved with many musical scenes brewing in the period, yet his concern with process and perfection often hampered his collaborations. Over the past five years, selections from thousands of tapes left in his storage space and overseen by his partner have found a rabid audience on CD and online. 2008. U.S., video, 71 minutes.
Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell
