Rob Machado Ain't No Soulman
Stuart Nettle January 7th, 2010 Way back in the 1980's - when rock ruled and trendy folk wore Converse and Rayban Wayfarers - a movie called Soulman flashed across the cinema screens. It didn't leave much of an impact at the time but if you tuned into John Saffran's recent series, Race Relations, you may have seen it referenced. The premise to the film is a white fella, Mark, wins a scholarship to go to college. But, in time-honoured fashion, there is a catch - the winner of the scholarship must be a coloured fella. Never mind, Mark clears the path to free education by necking a load of pills that darkens his skin, turning him into a brother - a Soulman! It's a colour by numbers movie: much hilarity ensues, an awkward situation eventuates, Mark learns a big lesson. In the closing scenes, Mark gets reprimanded by James Earl Jones - the Dean of the college - after his colour gets blown. James Earl Jones with his booming four-ball-deep basso voice tells Mark, "Now you know what it's like to be black". To which Mark, with suprising wisdom, replies, "No, because I can always go back to being white". Cue James Earl Jones giving a knowing nod to our young colour chameleon. I thought of this as I watched Taylor Steele's latest movie on Rob Machado, 'The Drifter'. It may, at first, seem an odd connection but is not Rob in the very same predicament as Mark the pseudo Soulman? I mean, beyond the 'soulman' nickname that journos and commentators tag him with of course. Machado is painted as a barefoot prophet, the archetypal soul-surfer throwing off the shackles of bourgeoise society and renouncing western luxuries to wander aimlessly and surf. The reality is Machado flashpacking his away around the world with a custom Skip Frye fish tucked under his arm and gold Amex card tucked into his wallet. In this instance he has Taylor Steele in tow working the PR angles for him. Rob is relaxed and ripping yeah, but that alone is not the sort of image that can create an image. If you know what I mean. It's an unfortunate truth that if you're upper-class - with associated wealth and privileges - you can't be working-class. Likewise, if you're white you can't be black. You might understand the values, dig the fashions, but the actualities of your situation prevent you from ever being one of them. Any effort to do so is simply an affectation. In the movie, Mark couldn't really be a black soulman because, when push came to shove, he could always go back to being white. In real life Machado can't really be a soul-surfing drifter - because he's got too much damn money in the bank.
Comments
friggen genius dude. polished
Really? I know you're kind of taking the piss but I'd have thought soul was more about expression, creativity and personality than it is about cash. I don't know much about Machado and what he does but I'd put Rasta in the category (as annoying as he is, preaching all the time ;-)) and I'd put guys like wooden board builder Mike Levecchia or Steve Pezman from the Surfers Journal in the category too. I don't care how rich they are.
Yeah, I saw this film and his BoBo (bougoise bohemian) posturing nearly had me barfing , and scrounging for the ff button for the next surfing sequence.Everything he's wearing is an ad for a sponsor. I think what he has tried to appropriate is Wayne Lynch cool and it just looks really SOFT.
Of course this says nothing of his surfing which actually is quite like Lynch in his perfect read and flow.
I couldn't get more than 5 minutes into the film. It was sickly sweet trashy junk of the most septic sentimentality.
I went straight to the extras and watched the surfing sequences.
Benski,
The word soul is vapid, it no longer has any meaning (if it ever did). I only used it cause the link between Machado's situation and the movie 'Soulman' was too good to ignore. So how about we critique what's on offer? The movie is called 'The Drifter' and via it's title and narrative aims to paint Machado as a kind of footloose wanderer, in the mold of a boxcar hobo, going wherever the wind blows. Just driftin'...
Machado was in Indo for just one month, much of the film was staged, and it was funded by Hurley (read: Nike). At the end of filming Machado goes back home to his wife and kids, luxurious house in SoCal, and six-figure salary. It's consumer-driven, wool-pulling and I can't buy any of it.
Well I reckon I agree with you Stu. I wasn't disagreeing with your take on Machado so much as the reasons for it. I'd just say it's blatant commercialism and sellout rather than actual cash that loses the tag of soul. Anyone who puts themselves out as a thinky cruiser usually comes across as a bit of a ponce. From the reviews it sounds like teenage girls will be the biggest demographic that buys into it.
Maybe I'm completely wrong but from my limited knowledge of Machado, the film and what I have read in relation to it, I was under the impression it was supposed to be fiction. I don't know Machado personally but I thought he was aware of the pretentious, wanky picture that it paints for the general surfing community. I thought this film was meant to be aimed at a wider audience that may not know much about surfing or Machado. Even then, I don't think it was a great film but it could illustrate the general idea and feeling of surf adventures that many less fortunate and famous surfers have enjoyed to the general public who don't find any interest in the usual surf flick. If this was the case then Machado probably doesn't deserve to be crucified, but then again if he actually believes himself to be "the drifter" he deserves every bit of criticism....
So... Is Melali the film we should be purchasing to get all the surfing that for some unexplainable reason was cut from the actual Drifter film?
Well, up yours Taylor Steele you double-dipping, money grabbing thief. Why not just make the film we all wanted to see in the first place?
If you were going to throw off the shackles of society and to wander aimlessly and surf you might need a bit of money stashed away for a supply of wax and replacing old or broken surfboards.