I am honored to serve on the board of consultants for a documentary film about the life and work of painter, songwriter, musician, performer, filmmaker, artist advocate, and cultural provocateur Bob Neuwirth.
29 December 2023
From Holly George-Warren
I first met Bob Neuwirth in 1996, but as a music historian and music journalist, I had been aware of his contributions to popular music and culture for decades prior. He played an important role in Bob Dylan’s early career and the development of the folk music scene in Boston, New York, and San Francisco in the early 1960s.
Much of his influence was behind the scenes; he was the man behind the shades in D.A. Pennebaker’s seminal film, Dont Look Back.
As Janis Joplin’s biographer, my research revealed that Neuwirth was closer to Joplin than perhaps anyone else – in addition to handing her “Me and Bobby McGee,” he cowrote “Mercedes Benz” with her, and gave her the support she needed during her tumultuous personal life and career. As a music journalist whose subject has been Patti Smith, I discovered that Neuwirth “discovered” Smith, urging her to transition from poet to performer. There are numerous stories like these – in which Neuwirth, while continuing his own work as a visual artist, songwriter, and performer – also helped give a voice to the disenfranchised: from women mistreated by the music industry to Cuban musicians to artists with disabilities.
I also have written extensively about artists’ presentation and performative clothing; Neuwirth helped to introduce “Nudie suits” – bedazzled Western wear custom-made by Ukrainian immigrant Nudie Cohn previously worn by singing cowboys – to a new, countercultural clientele, by wearing and popularizing this look among rock musicians and singer-songwriters.
Neuwirth’s garments were featured in a major museum exhibition, “How the West Was Worn,” which originated at the Autry National Center in 2001 and traveled to several other American museums. This is just one more of many examples of Neuwirth’s cultural significance.
An insider’s insider, Neuwirth was also a magnetic raconteur and conversationalist. I’ve served as a producer and/or consulting producer to more than a half-dozen documentary films on popular culture, music genres, the music business, and musicians. I’ve also served as a commentator on a dozen more such documentaries, and I can’t think of a documentary subject more vital and essential than Bob Neuwirth.
As the author, coauthor, and editor of more than forty books on music history and culture and the Grammy-nominated producer of historical box sets, I know that Bob Neuwirth’s contributions to music and culture have been under-reported by the media; his extensive accomplishments need to be acknowledged and celebrated. A humble man who didn’t “toot his own horn,” he played an essential role in the music sphere for more than a half-century. His time has come to be the focus of an in-depth documentary.
Reviewing the pitch deck for The Anonymous Hipster, I’m convinced that this film’s team can make the kind of documentary feature that Bob Neuwirth deserves.
Holly George-Warren
www.hollygeorgewarren.com