In the new trailer for Lisa Cortés’ new documentary, Little Richard: I Am Everything.Little Richard’s radical rock and roll and his complicated legacy and personal life are explored.
Co-produced by Rolling Stone, the doc simultaneously addresses the musical pioneer’s life while exploring the black queer origins of rock music and how it was successfully whitewashed throughout American pop culture. As Richard himself states in some archival footage “Did you know Elvis Presley and Pat Boone sold more of ‘Tutti Frutti’ than I did?”
The trailer also teases several heavy themes including Richard’s tenuous relationship with his own queerness and the way he struggled to live as his true self while empowering others to do the same. The forthcoming film includes interviews with a number of Black and queer scholars, plus some of the artists Richard influenced, from Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney to filmmaker John Waters.
In January, Little Richard: I Am Everything premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and will be released in theaters on April 11 for a special one-night-only screening before a larger theatrical and digital/on-demand release on April 21.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Anna Bleker Public Domain