YouTube commenter “Heckler 220” mentions thinking about this documentary every day since seeing it: I can relate completely. Everyone who grew up in my generation was saturated with exposure to the Beastie Boys, Run DMC, and all the stars deemed famous by the non-stop pop-culture shock-and-awe of our era. Imagine hanging out behind the scenes with one of the wildest party people given total free range among the glitterati, who had the tenacity, gumption, and skill to capture them all through his camera lens.
That is the scene writer-director Josh Swade and his collaborators plunge us straight into, turning deep admiration and their all-seeing camera toward the world famous Ricky Powell, who lived that feverish dream until leaving us a year ago today at the age of 59. On film, Powell shares his account like it all was no big deal, while subtly conveying his pride in how very much it truly meant. The juxtaposition of low-key normalcy pressed up against spectacular stardom is head-spinning, resulting in a unique showcase for the combined powers of confidence, spirit, talent, and the myriad details we might consider as “luck.”
For me, this is a phenomenal example of what any person might do with a camera to change the world, given enough of those other essential ingredients.
Officially, RICKY POWELL: THE INDIVIDUALIST tells the against-all-odds-story of New York City photographer Ricky Powell, who rose to worldwide fame while capturing one of the wildest, most electric times in popular culture. From the Beastie Boys to Run DMC to Madonna to Warhol and Basquiat, Powell documented the music, fashion and art scenes of the 1980s and ’90s in downtown New York. Powell became known as “The Rickster” – a man who wasn’t just covering the scene, he was the scene. The film is co-written and edited by Christopher McGlynn, with cinematography by Jasper Cicero.
Join the club with Heckler 220 and me, and catch it soon on Showtime – or on YouTube.
