32 JEWISH TELEGRAPH Friday January 14, 2011 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Ubinz Twinz answer the call of the Wild BY SIMON YAFFE ERAILROADED is a metaphor for someone’s mind or life going off the Dtracks. So it was quite apt that director Josh Rubin and producer Jeremy Lubin named their documentary Derailroaded. It tells the story of the paranoid- schizophrenic Larry ‘Wild Man’ Fischer and his incongruous encounters in the music business. Institutionalised at 16 after attacking his mother with a knife, Fischer wandered the streets of Los Angeles singing his totally unique brand of songs COLLABORATING: Shyne wants to work with others for 10 cents to passers-by. He was even branded The Godfather of Punk. But Josh admits it was hard to deal with Fischer while making the film. Rapper wants He told the Jewish Telegraph from his Venice Beach, California, home: “He is a manic depressive, paranoid and schizophrenic. “Combine all those elements together GO WILD: The Ubin Twinz, Josh Rubin, left, and Jeremy Lubin, flank Wild Man Fischer to shine with and, well, you are going to get a not-so- Josh said: “We found it and we listened neglected child to tortured genius in the happy dude some of the time.” and we listened. It was more than just an film. Discovered by music legend Frank ordinary listening experience. It was a Josh and Jeremy also visited him at his Zappa, with whom he cut his first album, conversion, an epiphany and it changed home and followed him on the streets. Fischer, who is Jewish, became an young Israelis me. From the first moment I heard the And they talked to those who had underground club and concert favourite, song Merry Go Round I knew I’d stumbled witnessed his erratic behaviour, including earning him the title of ‘godfather of REFORMED rapper Shyne is eager to collaborate upon something extraordinary. Frank Zappa’s wife Gail, Weird Al outsider music’. with artists ranging from young Israeli musicians to “Hearing about Larry’s lifelong Yankovic, Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh hip hop moguls Kanye West and Jay-Z. Over the course of 40 years, he appeared struggle with mental illness and listening and soul legend Solomon Burke. on national television, was the subject of After serving eight years in prison for a nightclub to that pain being complemented by an Josh said: “If you talk with Larry, you his own comic book, became the first shooting, the former protege of Sean Combs is now omnipresent sense of optimism and quickly come to realise that his whole artist on Rhino Records and sang a duet living in Jerusalem as an ultra-Orthodox Jew. elation touched me deeply. approach to life is like a jigsaw puzzle of with the Rosemary Clooney. Born Jamaal Michael Barrow, Shyne also now goes “It was heartbreaking, it was real, it sorts. He spends half his time putting the by the Hebrew name Moshe Levi Ben-David. The idea to make a documentary on was surreal, it was funny, it was art and, pieces together, and he spends the other Fischer came about through Josh and his At a screening of two new short films — The most of all, it was the most honest half figuring out ways to take them friend Jeremy. Original and Roller Song — Shyne said he has five example of self-expression I had ever apart. albums forthcoming that have been deeply influenced Josh, 33, recalled: “Jeremy had been heard in my life.” “The puzzle is the jagged, damaged, by his atypical spiritual journey. eating a chicken wrap in LA when he was The duo hastily set up Ubin Twinz beat-up cardboard cut-out of his musical “I am not ashamed of the mistakes I have made. Productions and were intent on making a career. I’m not ashamed of where I was in order to get to film about Fischer — before even meeting “On top of being Wild Man Fischer, he is where I am,” he said. Oversized grimy him. But Green arranged a meeting also Lawrence Wayne Fischer, manic- Since arriving in September, Shyne has met Israel between Josh, Jeremy and Fischer, who cabinet ministers, studied Torah and promoted hands and a mop was keen on the pals’ idea. Israel’s relationship with Belize — where his father is Josh, who grew up in a Conservative Expected of us to prime minister. Jewish home in Detroit, Michigan, first of unwashed hair met Jeremy on the back seat of their Jewish day school’s school van. be into something He remembered: “It was 1990, and the approached by Larry Green, who worked album Jeremy forced me to listen to was Sue explores classic for the DJ Howard Stern. But he wasn’t Grip It! On That Other Level by the as weird as rap alone. ❝ controversial Houston rap outfit The “Behind him stood a large brooding Geto Boys. depressive paranoid-schizophrenic. fellow with oversized grimy hands, a mop Holocaust film “Then we started our own rap group, “It is because of his illness that Larry of unwashed hair, and, well, he was just B.A.R.F. People didn’t really think it was has spent most of the last 30 years of his ENGLISH literature in both dialogue and big and dirty, all the way around.” ❝ weird that two Jewish kids started their life trying to ward off any hint of professor Sue Vice filmic technique. Green introduced the unkempt hulk to own rap group because we both went to professionalism due to the fact that his dissects Claude Vice uses some of the Jeremy as the world-famous Wild Man Lanzmann’s epic 1985 Hebrew school and all our friends were mind simply cannot cope with the film’s interviews — Fischer. Jewish. unforgiving dog-eat-dog world of the film Shoah in a new including that with “He’s straight from the 1960s,” Green music business. book. “We were kind of crazy back then so it Abraham Bomba, a said. “He’s a legend — this man is a was kind of expected for us to be into “Larry can not handle the harsh BFI Film Classics: barber at the death genius.” something weird like hardcore rap.” realities of life.” Shoah (Palgrave camp Treblinka, and one Josh added: “After Jeremy got home Josh later went to read film at New Fischer, aware that he had been duped Macmillan) explores the secretly filmed with and told me about his meeting, we found film both as cinema and York University and was living in New out of cash during his career, was at first guard Franz Suchomel — out that every single thing Green had as an example of York City writing screenplays and trying sceptical about Josh and Jeremy’s to explore the said about the man was true. to figure out what to do with his life when project. But he came round to the idea Holocaust “We read something on the internet representation. background to the film, the Fischer project came along. and signed a contract — after a year of about Fisher being an acid casualty, persuasion. Vice, who works at the difficulties in its He and Jeremy had been looking to living in an underpass and being “I think the film is done with the University of financing and production work on a film project for some time. discovered by Frank Zappa, so I had to sensitivity, but I guess that is up to the Sheffield, follows and the long process of know more. “I always knew that I wanted to do viewer to decide,” Josh explained. Lanzmann's declaration editing that led to “Was it all true? Even if it wasn’t, I something meaningful,” Josh said. that “Shoah is a fight Lanzmann's realisation “I do think we portrayed Larry and his could tell that there was more going on “Something with emotion and substance condition in an honest light.” against generalities” in that “the subject of my here than just a strange homeless- and filmmaking is a medium that offers Josh is currently finishing work on a emphasising the film is death itself, death looking man.” me that emotional outlet.” rock musical. importance of the detail and not survival”. The next day Josh and Jeremy went on Archival footage from Fischer’s early a hunt for An Evening with Wild Man days, including his TV and club Watch the trailer at tinyurl.com/6kxyser and buy Fischer. performances, trace his life from the DVD at tinyurl.com/5sr2zgw TV JEWS Garfield on the rise Live from Network is winner LIVERPOOL-BORN actor Jason Isaacs stars as an JEWISH actor Andrew Garfield has been AARON SORKIN’S The Social Network swept American soldier in powerful drama Green Zone, nominated for this year’s BAFTA Rising Star London which debuts today on Sky Premiere. the board at the National Society of Film Critics award. CHASSIDIC reggae Set in Baghdad, the film portrays life inside Iraq’s Awards. The 27-year-old was recently nominated for a sensation Matisyahu has Green Zone. The film, about the origins of Facebook, was Golden Globe award for best supporting actor for released a special live EP, How the IRA traded intelligence with Nazi named best picture, while Sorkin claimed best his role in The Social Network and he has landed recorded in London. screenplay. Jessie Eisenberg was named best Germany is revealed in Nazi Collaborators on the lead role of Peter Parker in the next Spider- Tuesday (9pm) on the Yesterday Channel. The four-tracks recorded actor for his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Man movie, due out next year. Zuckerberg and David Fincher was named best The rise of King David to the throne of Israel is at Dean Street Studios can Garfield is up against former Bond girl be downloaded for £1.99 director. Israeli-born actress Natalie Portman was discussed in Battles BC on Tuesday (10pm) on the Gemma Arterton, Inception star Tom Hardy, named best actress for her role as a ballerina in History Channel. American actress Emma Stone and Kick-Ass’ only from bit.ly/matis- store. the forthcoming Black Swan. Gorgeous pop star Rachel Stevens’ 2008 Aaron Johnson. THE new James Bond film is to be directed by appearance on music quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks The winner will be announced at the BAFTA The EP features the tracks One Day, On Nature, Sam Mendes. The 23rd Bond film will again star is repeated on Wednesday (10pm) on BBC2. awards on Sunday, February 13. Daniel Craig as 007. I Will Be Light and Thunder.