Rodriguez

Digging on 60 Minutes last night and I was blown away by this story.
There is a guy named Rodriguez who cut a couple of records in the 60's. He was born poor in Detroit and spent his life poor in Detroit.
His records bombed in America. Did nothing, went no where.
What he didn't know was that his records sold like crazy in South Africa. He was bigger than Elvis there, bigger than The Beatles. Steve Segerman, a record shop owner in South Africa said: "To many of us South Africans he was the soundtrack to our lives. If you walked into a random white, middle class household that had a turntable and a pile of pop records you would always see "Cold Fact" by Rodriguez. To us, it was one of the most famous records of all time. It was the 1970's and apartheid political repression was at its height. Rodriguez's lyrics resonated with people who had had it with the system."
How the hell nobody in America knew about this pisses me off. Record companies are notorious for ripping off artists because they are creative humans, not businessmen. But considering his popularity it would have been in the record companies interest to drag him around the world and puppet him on stage to perform. I don't get it.
Anyway for the past FORTY years he has been living in Detroit in a house with a wood burning stove working as a day laborer; demolition, roofing, heavy construction. AND he got himself a degree in philosophy.
Four years ago a Swedish filmmaker heard about him and decided to make a documentary. The filmmaker was struggling. He shot a lot of the film with an iPhone 4 and a $1.00 Super 8 app. Still he almost went broke doing it and pretty much gave up. He finally found producers who submitted his unfinished film to the Sundance film festival in Utah. They liked it so much they opened the festival with it.
It's out there now and it's called "Searching For Sugar Man." I will watch it as soon as possible and suck that bitter sweet vibe directly into my soul.
You should too.
Rodriguez is currently on a sold out tour across America.
His music is beautiful. Exceptionally Dylanesque.
And the guy is incredibly humble. No bitterness. Even though he is now 70 years old, has trouble walking and trouble with his eyesight. He is an incredibly cool cat. During the entire interview he wore humility like a lesson for humanity, accepting his fate as it was and digging his current resurgence gratefully and graciously.
This is probably why his music resonates. It is a direct reflection of a delicate, evolved soul.
This is what I am looking for. Late life redemption.
This is what we are all looking for. "We" being elderly folks like myself.
At least the ones who have not given in to bitterness and cynicism. Hopelessness.
My professional life went horribly wrong forty years ago when I went to college for the wrong reasons and continued down the path blindly. I have been scraping and clawing and hoping my way back ever since. In January 2006 I dug in my heels and tried to stop the negative momentum, but it's like trying to turn an ocean liner on a dime.
A story like this gives you hope that things can change if you try and fight and believe. That a subtle twist in your life vibe can occur that will turn everything around.
Sometimes it is one small occurrence, one simple turn of fate that can bring you face to face with yourself and with the life that you deserve.
It is intimidating to think that many of us are right up against that which will make us whole......and we don't know it. Buried under regret and worry and repression so our senses don't sense.
Rodriguez is the perfect inspiration because of the amazing way he has handled all this. The best of human nature intersecting with the unknowable time table and potential rewards of fate.
His music is delicious. Check it out.
His story is magnificent in its outcome. Learn from it.
There is always hope if you give it room to breathe.