My car had a difficult time starting en route to see Mark Escribano's film documentary of Milwaukee's own Super Noble Brothers. According to my computer the temperature was -7. As my car chug chug chugged, the “man's intuition” crept up, asking if this was some sort of sign. I shouted back, “Shut up man's intuition! Last time you made me eat a Slim Jim!”
I stood in a long line, glad at the line of people who also ignored their survivalist weather instinct for the sake of art. The Oriental Theatre is a pretty place and standing there gave me the opportunity to enjoy the elaborate paint and tile work that almost became condominiums only a few years ago.
It was a double bill that night with Milwaukee's patron saint of clothing design, Fashion Ninja, showing new work prior to the film. During the couture portion of the evening a model would appear from the audience and walk halfway back the center aisle at which point eight men pounced from their seats. The men momentarily elbowed for strategic positions, then flashed cameras at the woman. I never figured out if these photographers were a part of the show or if they were press peoples, but giggling at the Pavlovian response these guys had to fourteen women not making direct eye contact made my night.
Between the fashion and film feature there were previews of other upcoming reels by Milwaukee artists. Andrew Rosas is making a vintage 80's horror film. “What What (In the Butt)” boys Ciraldo and Swant dove back into the future with Hamlet A.D. Frankie Latina's Modus Operandi seemed the strangest and most interesting. I have no idea what it was about, but it featured subtitles, hot chicks, people in masks, general gluttony, and a guy holding a gun to his head. Eureka! Then the documentary began, thankfully without any “I'd like to thank all the coolest people in the room...”
In Escribano's film it becomes evident that older brothers, Andy and Tommy, are archivists and dealers in rare and under-appreciated black music. They fly all over the world to wear respirator masks in moldy record shop basements while searching through boxes of records no one has ever heard. The goal being to find that one rarest of the rare that makes the dance floor explode. Previous to being Lotus Land record proprietors, both played in many bands, which gave them their core understanding of music theory.
While his older brothers began showing intense interest in playing and collecting music, youngest brother, Davey, started painting. It's ironic Davey paints because he looks exactly like a young clone to New York photorealist, Chuck Close. In Davey we follow the life of a frustrated and hopeful artist as he moves several times between Milwaukee and California to pursue love, surfing, and his artwork. Tommy and Andy seem pretty sorted out both financially and emotionally and the viewer ends up rooting for Davey to find the same place.
As a couple, the boys' parents split in the mid eighties and the kids learned to grow up riding the financial and emotional roller coaster of divorce. Father Noble is concerned the boys may not be able to sustain their Bohemian lifestyles while their mother urges them to pursue their own happiness, regardless of the cost. Their mother's smile beams great emotional intelligence and every child should be so lucky.
Escribano finds many ways to show us footage of his subjects being active without becoming hokey or obvious. Visually the film looks real and human without ever stumbling into 40 grit sandpaper docu-drama territory. As the film drew to a close I wondered why it was finished and why we were already watching it. The Nobles appear to have made genuine contributions to their fields, but they're all alive and not even 40 years old. Maybe information would have been lost had the filmmaker waited longer; who knows. The film ended and the long underwear-prepared masses carried themselves back into the night as the after party commenced across the street at Y-Not III.
Can be rented through
Riverwest Film and Video
824 E. Center St.
http://www.thesupernoblebrothersmovie.com/
http://www.agileeye.com/ is Mark Escribano's website.
http://www.lotuslandrecords.net/