The story of Arthur Russell's life is easy to mythologize. A Midwestern farm boy runs away from home to the hazy streets of San Francisco, befriends Allen Ginsberg, and is locked in a closet by a half-assed charlatan who at least has the wit to recognize Russell's talent as a cellist. Then suddenly Russell relocates to Manhattan where he shares a street address with the likes of Ginsberg and Richard Hell. Without skipping a beat Russell befriends and collaborates with The Modern Lovers' Ernie Brooks; Philip Glass; David Byrne; Robert Wilson; and other luminaries of the New York City avant-garde and, more importantly, of the burgeoning disco scene.
Almost overnight Russell is producing groundbreaking experimental disco tracks under a host of aliases, all while continuing to explore his primary interests: his cello and his voice. Despite his quest for popularity, Russell descends into self-doubting paranoia which leaves him at home endlessly recording and re-recording songs dedicated to this lover, Tom Lee, before eventually falling prey to AIDS in 1992.
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