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Jandek on Corwood

Until last night, I had never watched a music documentary that creeped me out. Well, I watched Jandek on Corwood last night and I'm still creeped out.

When I say "creeped out," I mean like how The Blair Witch Project, The Exorcist and Don't Look Now creeped me out. In other words, what you don't see or what you don't know is the scariest part.

Here's the deal about Jandek on Corwood: it traces the legacy of a man only known as Jandek and his music. Based out of Houston, Jandek has made 20+ albums since 1978, has only performed live a few times and has given only a few interviews. Since his music consists mostly his ghostly voice and an out of tune guitar, the lack of concrete information only bolsters the myth. People don't know what his real name is or where he really lives. This is where it gets really strange.

All of the people interviewed for the film are Jandek fans and they analyze/speculate who Jandek really is. Some speculate that he is a sociopath based on his anti-image, his lyrics and the few published pictures of him. Some say otherwise: they just want to enjoy the music and leave the man alone.

What really messes with your head is the final piece in the film: a snippet of a taped interview with Jandek from 1985. The voice you hear is well-spoken and very conversational. The only stuff he is mum about is personal information.

Whether or not the film fabricates the truth, I was affected.

If you want more info, check out something I found on Google: A Guide to Jandek

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