Somewhere in between the death of Jimi Hendrix and the moment that Run DMC hit the studio with Aerosmith, the African American influence that birthed what we call Rock & Roll had been effectively obscured in the collective cultural consciousness. This struggle for recognition and respect is the focus of Electric Purgatory: The Fate of the Black Rocker, a recent documentary, directed by filmmaker Raymond Gayle. Picking up where Afro Punk--The Rock and Roll Nigger Experience, James Spooner’s 2003 documentary, left off, Electric Purgatory deals head-on with the disconnect between what mainstream popular culture views as appropriately Black, and the areas to which African Americans have consistently contributed.
Historically, while the Bo Diddley’s and Chuck Berry’s were relegated to footnotes and guest spots, boys from Britain and Ireland became music industry darlings. Pop culture shifted, and many Black musicians fell into the cracks; which were summarily covered up by "urban" radio programming. In between those cracks, groups like Fishbone, Bad Brains, and Living Colour developed and rose to prominence.
In a recent interview with The Boston Globe, Gayle offered the following: “We're here to put the work out there and change perceptions. Our job is to say the things that Hollywood won't say. That's what Oscar Micheaux and Paul Robeson did and they opened the door. My job is to walk through--or bust through if need be.”
Screening since June of 2005, and most recently at the Turks and Caicos International Film Festival, Electric Purgatory has enjoyed a run at 10 national and international film festivals. With more dates to come, EP continues to roam the indy film circuit. Don’t hear about it, be about it.
