The Weird World Of Blowfly (2010) (NSFW)

Directed by Jonathan Furmanski
Starring Clarence Reid and Tom Bowker
Runtime 89min. - Not Rated (NSFW)
3 Stars (out of 4)

"The Weird World of Blowfly" is part of my quirky documentary series.
It's available for FREE on Hulu. This review contains profanity.

Some of the characters in my quirky documentary series are incredibly vulgar, but Blowfly has more fun than the rest while cursing. When Winnebago Man or the guys from "Shut Up Little Man" curse, it's because they're pissed off. (Reviews of both are forthcoming.) When Blowfly curses it becomes a song and dance routine.


Clarence Reid began his career by writing soul and R&B songs for famous musicians. He was quite successful in that regard. His songs were on national TV and he was practically a hero in Florida. Like a true superhero, Blowfly's existence can be traced back to events in Reid's childhood. He was working for extremely low wages on a southern farm and didn't much care for his white employers. When they asked to be entertained he began singing their favorite songs, except he inserted "dick", "pussy" and "shit" into the lyrics as often as possible. Typically in that era, this sort of behavior from a black man would lead to firing, beating and possibly even killing. Instead of outrage, Reid's singing invoked laughter. Not only did he avoid getting fired, he got paid more than normal.

Like many musicians, once Clarence Reid made a name for himself he used his success to fund a passion project. He created the character known as Blowfly and began writing original funk songs and parodies of other famous songs. For instance, "Should I stay or should I go?" was rewritten to "Should I fuck that big fat ho?". The B.T. Express hit "Do It ('til you're satisfied)" became "Suck it ('til your satisfied)". You get the idea.

Blowfly's song "Rapp Dirty" is considered by many to be the first ever rap song having been released in 1974. The documentary uses legendary rappers Chuck D and Ice T to provide some perspective on Blowfly's influence. There's even archival footage of Blowfly hanging out with Issac Hayes. He's improvising lyrics while Hayes plays the piano; "Shittin' off the dock of the bay".

The archival footage, interviews and performances are all mesmerizing. The documentary loses a lot of its impact though, thanks to a person named Tom Bowker. The film probably wouldn't have been made without Bowker's involvement, but that'd be okay with me. He's Blowfly's manager and during performances, his drummer. When he first met Blowfly he wasn't recording or performing. Bowker put together a band and got Blowfly back on tour. He also does new recordings for Blowfly and acts as his part-time caretaker. That all sounds fine, right?

The problem I have with Bowker is his lack of respect. Clarence Reid is in his 70's but Bowker treats him as a child. In addition, Bowker seems to think that he's responsible for making Blowfly relevant again. He takes credit for everything. He believes that he's the creative force behind Blowfly's live performances and Reid is simply a hired actor.

Looking to evolve their performances, Tom Bowker enlists the services of Otto von Shirach. He thinks because they both wear costumes that Shirach and Blowfly would be good on stage together. Maybe they would have, but Bowker also decides he should be on stage with them so he throws on a monster mask and goes for it. The resulting music is just plain terrible. It gave me the impression that Bowker would do anything to gain fame and money, including the exploitation of actual talents like Blowfly. The man sickens me.

When Tom Bowker isn't part of the story, the film is terrific. Blowfly's unique music and comedy could carry 90 minutes on its own and it should have. The entertainment value of a 70 years-old black man dressing like a superhero and singing vulgar funk music to 20-something white kids is limitless. Blowfly even plays a tour in Germany where he has a topless dancer on stage with him. What makes it more entertaining is that the topless dancer isn't even attractive. If you are a disgusting pervert with a passion for music, this is the documentary for you.