Robert Frank
Cocksucker blues

The art of cinema has often intersected with rock over the years and decades, with interesting results. But if I had to name a title that fully captures all its aspects, even the most controversial ones, I wouldn't hesitate to mention "Cocksucker Blues" directed by Robert Frank (a significant American photographer and director, not much remembered here in Italy, who passed away a short time ago). The film is a documentary focused on the triumphant American tour of the Rolling Stones in 1972 and has a very curious history. First of all, the title (decidedly crude since translated into Italian it would mean the pimp's blues) is the same as the last song that the Rolling Stones, due to contractual obligations, recorded for the Decca record company in 1970. Obviously, the Decca executives refused to publish such an explicit title by the Rolling Stones, and the latter seized the opportunity to leave and found Rolling Stones Records to manage themselves directly and without many prudish impediments.

In 1972, at the time of the aforementioned American tour, the Rolling Stones had reached the pinnacle of creativity and were returning to the USA to promote the new LP "Exile on Main Street." The idea of being filmed on stage and behind the scenes at such a time was certainly not unprecedented if we consider that in 1969, also in the USA, the documentary "Gimme Shelter" was shot by the Maysles brothers, including footage taken during the disastrous concert at Altamont. This time, the Rolling Stones, having knocked on wood, thought they would avoid accidents and unpleasant surprises. Unfortunately, once the documentary was completed, the Stones themselves were not satisfied with the material shot by Frank, and the work remained in a drawer. It even came to the point that, due to the rawness and obscenity of some scenes, it was legally imposed that the film be shown publicly only four times a year and only in the presence of the director himself. Fortunately, in 2003, the film was released in the USA on DVD format, and some rare copies subsequently became available in Italy (e-commerce does have some advantages).

The film opens with the warning that, except for the footage taken during the Rolling Stones concerts, what was filmed does not refer to real people and situations. It is a misleading clarification because director Robert Frank had left cameras also behind the stage's curtains, so what was filmed (with unclear audio and raw photography) is the faithful filmic transposition of the life led by the human fauna aggregated to a rock band at the peak of its fame. Hence, the lifestyle marked by sex, drugs, and rock and roll is explicit in every way. Various people snorting cocaine, smoking joints, injecting heroin, all as if nothing were amiss. Groupies involved in orgies, representatives of the jet set of the time (just to name a few, Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Lee Radzwill, etc.) showing up backstage at concerts just to be part of the rock business caravanserai. And not to be outdone, the Rolling Stones are engaged not only in concerts but also in the frenetic life behind the scenes. The most dazed appears to be Keith Richards, who even at one point, sitting among friends of the entourage, falls asleep with a lit cigarette in his hand on a girl's lap (a delayed sleep from the fatigue of a life on the road, or drowsiness also due to drugs?). Still, the same Keith, helped by the group's saxophonist Bobby Keyes, as soon as he enters a hotel room, deems it fit to take a television set, lean out from the balcony, and throw the television onto the sidewalk below (carefully checking that no pedestrians are passing by).

Substantially, in this film, the Rolling Stones give an unflattering impression behind the scenes of the concerts, and it really makes you think that the life of a rock star might not be as gleaming as one would like to believe, and for good reason, the interested parties themselves, known as the rolling stones, upon previewing Robert Frank's film, realized that their overall image was quite questionable, almost as if they were Dorian Grays described by Oscar Wilde.

But fortunately, when it moves to the concert sequences, the Rolling Stones are truly in great shape, offering some staples like "Brown Sugar," "Midnight Rambler," "Street Fighting Man," "Happy." And they exceed expectations when Mick Jagger takes to the stage alongside a guest of honor like Stevie Wonder with whom he launches into a medley that starts with "Uptight" and beautifully closes with "Satisfaction," with the two wildly singing and dancing, enthusiastically applauded by a warm and thrilled audience. Here, one could truly say that the price is worth the ticket for an unforgettable show. And above all, in my opinion, it confirms that the Rolling Stones are (were?) ugly, dirty, bad according to certain critics, but live they were forgiven for the skill and energy they demonstrated. It's no wonder they rightly sing "I know it's only rock and roll but I like it!". Who can blame them?