feature :: Jandek on Corwood DVD

"May he never tune his guitar." - SP, OP Magazine issue "Y"

For a quarter of a century, the Jandek mystery has intrigued, grown and kept many fans wondering who this man is, where this creature hides and how he has released 35 albums in his time... . so far.

Ready for the Introduction:: :

Having never owned a Jandek album, and having only heard one complete song ( 'your other man' - from 1987's Blue Corpse ) in my existence of twenty-eight years - Jandek on Corwood has made an instant "junkie" out of me. My precious order has been sent via postal service to the lone post office box in Houston, Texas - the mysterious beginning to where Jandek releases are accumulated.

This chilling, intense and exceptional documentary on one of the least known (if not the) artists of our time should be viewed (at least twice - I recommend more) by any fan of underground / d.i.y / abstract artistry - for it is quite possibly the most moving portrayal of how one of the most fascinating creatures on earth can go virtually unspecified for a grand amount of time.

Within the near 90-minutes that Jandek on Corwood runs, first-time filmmaker Chad Freidrichs and producer Paul Fehler capture chilling spectacles of natural environments similar to those Jandek exposes on his plethora of album covers, all while a countless number of testimonials are delivered from label owners (Calvin Johnson of K), radio hosts (Brooks Martin) and journalists (John Trubee, Phil Milstein) alike.

Legend:: :

The story of Jandek - spoken in such a way that I am reminded of the mysterious gift-giver by the name of Boo Radley in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird (yet Jandek remains unveiled) - is portrayed as one that nearly each guest on Jandek on Corwood agree on: please let the mystery remain. We, the listeners, are Scout and Jem.

"I want the mystery to remain alive. I would feel cheated and robbed if all of a sudden I found out who Jandek was. I don't want finality." - Brooks Martin (from the DVD)

Also included, saved like a precious gem we hope to hear for from the start, is John Trubee's taped phone conversation with Jandek for, then, upstart SPIN magazine from 1985. The aloofness we are told about, the moments of silence and the uncomfortable periods of "hello... . are you still there" are enough to keep you up a little later than you had expected. For the telling of a man who simply remains a shadow and releases music that only adds to his reclusive state, Jandek on Corwood is as haunting as any biography on pathological / sociopathic threats.

That said, it is truly incredible the canvas - infusing Jandek's music, dismal portraits and rustic cinematography - that the Unicorn Stencil team of Fehler / Freidrichs created for the portrayal of a man solely making albums for those that will hear them.

Style:: :

Jandek, who originally chose The Units as a recording name (and released one album, Ready for the House, later re-released under Jandek), makes music that the listener will likely immediately grasp or undoubtedly dismiss. A voice whose rasp and off-kilter style would shun executives at today's corporate labels is often accompanied by a guitar of the same definition. Said to tune his instruments (mostly guitar, at times piano and percussion) in a way that he likes them to sound, many critics and fans have described his unusual style as "spooky", "honest" and "suicidal". In no particular order - I would have to agree and add "hollow".

Analysis:: :

The content impeccably expanded upon here on film is the true story of a legend - much like a mythological being, a character from the tallest tales or the unanswered questions to life's unknown.

Perhaps the most intriguing and solidified point to the mystique that is Jandek, is this story thus far has a 35-album soundtrack and an address.

Anything else, just ask

A brief Q & A with Jandek on Corwood filmmaker Chad Freidrichs.
Jandek on Corwood is set for US release on DVD November 23, 2004.

+ sctas: Is there any indication that Jandek has seen the film?

Chad: Yes. We sent Corwood a copy shortly after the film was complete. We received a reply about two weeks later saying that Corwood appreciated the film.

+ How long did the entire film take to complete (from initial thought / sketches to the date of sending to press)?

We came up with the idea in the Fall of 2001. We researched for about 6 months before we began shooting. We then decided to go to Olympia, Washington for our first shoot in March, 2002. If the interviews turned out to be unproductive, we would have scrapped the project, financially only two airplane tickets to the bad. The interviews were surprisingly lengthy and in-depth. We decided to continue and did so until the film was completed on May, 24 2003.

+ While there is an amazing range of Jandek informatives in the documentary, two Jandek "knowledgeables" aren't present in the film - Beck and Thurston Moore. Was there any attempt to get them on camera?

We would've loved to have had them.. .we tried contacting both. Thurston was, unfortunately, very busy during the course of production and we were never able to hook up with him. Beck never returned our correspondence.

+ What was your first Jandek experience - do you remember your initial reaction?

The weirdness of the music had been so hyped by everything I had read that by the time that I got around to actually listening to it, I was disappointed. I expected something other than "music" and there it was, a guy and a guitar. It wasn't until about the first 15 albums‹when I was able to create my own "Jandek story"--that I started to appreciate the music. Although not universal, speculation plays largely into many fans' appreciation of the music.

+ In your opinion, what would be the best starting point for new listeners (maybe top 2 or 3 albums)?

For the "Jandek sound": Six & Six

For my (and many others') favorite sound: Blue Corpse (which features Only Lover, the song at the end of the trailer)

For Jandek "pop": Lost Cause

+ The 1985 phone interview with John Trubee, possibly the highlight for me in the documentary (way to save it for the end) - was that edited or is that the entire recording?

It was edited down to 7-8 minutes from an original 50 minutes. There was a lot of really good stuff that we had to cut. Of course, the full 50-minute interview will be a special feature on the DVD.

+ Is it correct that there is an older Jandek documentary, mostly in Japanese? I can't seem to dig up any information on it if so.. .

When we first came up with the idea, I immediately got on the internet to see if there had been a documentary about Jandek already produced. I've never seen any evidence of it, nor had I ever heard that rumor. We have had extensive contact with Corwood Industries throughout this project, and if Corwood was aware of such a documentary, I'm positive they would have informed us. This is not to say that that such a documentary doesn't exist.. . just that they haven't informed Corwood if that was the case. There is, however, an independent fictional-narrative production from New Zealand called Shifter (Corwood sent us the copy) that makes extensive use of Jandek's music. I'm not sure when it was produced, but it appeared to be from the late-90's. I doubt such a documentary exists, but if anyone has a (preferably subtitled) copy of it, I'd love to see it.

+ The cinematography featured in the documentary is astounding - capturing the organic, unpolished feel of Jandek's music - was this really your first film? Are you already planning your next project?

Thank you and yes, this is my first film. We have been shooting our next project since February. It is about political lookalikes / impersonators. We have been following a G.W. Bush lookalike and a John Kerry lookalike through the election season. We hope to tell the story of the 2004 election through the eyes of the candidates' doppelgangers.

+ Do you "buy" the 'Jandek & Me' story that Katy Vine published in Texas Monthly ? Although I have no theory as to why she would make such a story up, it seems sketchy... . [http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Gala/8418/jiview.html]

Yes, absolutely. Although you're not alone in being skeptical. Two facts make it certifiable for me:

1) The story was fact-checked by Vine's editor. He spoke on the phone with a "Corwood representative" and verified that the story represented what really happened (I wish more publications, by the way, would follow a fact-checking policy.. . I've been misquoted, or taken out of context so as to be misleading, more than a couple of times). And one could object that there was a conspiracy between Vine and her editor, but I don't believe a respected outlet like Texas Monthly would want to risk the loss of credibility that comes with fabricating a story on something so relatively obscure as Jandek.

2) Very early in the production process, we sent a letter to Corwood asking for people they would like to see interviewed in the documentary. They sent several names, one of which was Katy Vine. We view this recommendation as a tacit endorsement of her story.

+ Would you like to personally meet the man someday, or have the mystery remain? You did notify him of your filming at the Post Office and such, correct?

Yes, I'd like to meet him very much. After making a documentary about someone who we never met, finally meeting him would have a pleasing symmetry to it. And yes, we did offer him the opportunity to meet us once before. Before we shot the PO Box, we wrote Corwood saying we would be there at a specified date and time. He never showed.

+ Should you meet or talk to him, what one question comes to mind first to ask.. .?

I suppose I'd ask if he shows the documentary to his friends. I sent extra copies for John and Nancy.. ., have they seen it? What did they think?

+ What if [ultra-hypothetical here. ..] Jandek did come into the light now as a result of this documentary and was cast into the mainstreams eyes and ears, only then he then stopped recording or disappeared forever.. . as I said, what if?

What if? We'd definitely have to make a $equel.