Iconoclast

if you are familiar with underground art in any form in the last 50 years, you probably have at least heard his name bandied about. "fingers in many pies" does not describe this social darwinist who will not lie to your face about humanity's drawbacks. influential in everything from the early glam scene, to the roots of experimental industrial noise music, to film, street graffiti, photography, art, and everything in between. boyd rice is a fully aware and conscious mind operating on a level far beyond the reach of 99% of the world. he sees the world and existence very clearly and it scares people. not afraid to take on anyone, this film gives us a glimpse of his genius but not in a "arty" dismissive way. this is raw boyd. watch this 5 times and you may get most of what he projects in this sublime larry wessel documentary.

watch it. then watch it again, watch it some more... then come back to me once you evolve...

Iconoclast is an interesting film documenting the life of an extremely interesting, engaging person. It has, however, all the earmarks of an "authorized" biography, with the omission of a large amount of material that is not as easy to explain or sanitize as are associations with Anton LaVey and Charles Manson. No mention of the Abraxas Foundation - once described by Rice as a "fascist think-tank" formed by Rice in conjunction with Keith Stimely - the editor of the Journal of Historical Review, the premier holocaust-denial periodical of the 80's and 90's. Nothing but a glib dismissal of his association with Bob Heick, the "director" of the skinhead neo-nazi organization American Front, with whom Rice appeared in AF uniform in the infamous picture for Sassy magazine. No mention of the Tom Metzger (of White Aryan Resistance) "Race and Reason" public-access TV interview. Similarly, no mention or discussion of the uncomfortable circumstance of an avowed Social Darwinist fathering a son with genetic abnormalities. Not a single interview with Lisa Carver, mother of said child, who wrote a tell all book (_Drugs are Nice_) that was very unflattering toward Rice.

Instead we get essentially what Boyd Rice wants presented to the world now, is his apparently toned-down middle age. No doubt he is a charming, likable, interesting fellow who is a bona-fide pioneer in industrial music who lived at a very interesting set of places and times, but the documentary comes off as a friend making a film about a friend, and suffers as a result.

One day, in a hundred years, people will realize that "underground" is not synonymous with "quality". As for now though, guys like Boyd Rice rule the weak with his tepid swill of woman- hating, race-baiting, and artsy pretensions stolen from (insert pretty much every Euro art movement here). Ergo Boyd Rice- a guy who believes that rape is the only way to put women "back in their place" (a POV never discussed in this docu), a man who believes that the weak and infirm (read: defective) be disposed of (whose only son is missing a chromosome and will never be able to live on his own, also never discussed in this docu) as well as his views on race (which he eloquently spoke of on Tom Metzger's "Race and Reason", a well-known "white pride" public access show, also not discussed in this docu)...... absolutely nothing is learned of Boyd's real feelings on damn near anything other than pop culture totems like tiki and Tiny Tim. Spread out over two dvds and exhibiting the most ridiculous font-selection and editing style not seen since 1998, its so poorly made and so cheesy that its almost a joke in itself. Did the maker of this docu secretly hate Boyd, and just wanted to present him like a booby with no Deep Thoughts to offer, so how about that record collection? Dunno. I know Boyd Rice isn't as funny as he thinks- his "pranks" consist of throwing bananas at people asleep in hotel rooms- really? You got called an agent provocateur for THAT? Seriously? Fact is, if Boyd Rice had grown up in Alabama surrounded by racists, he would have turned into the swishiest drag queen ever, but no, who grew up in California, so he had to really step outside the box to be DIFFERENT. And that's the whole score, here, folks. In a nutshell. He just likes to make people mad. But, as mentioned before, as to the quality of this depiction, god, its TERRIBLE. TERRIBLE. A 14 year old girl looks like she edited this. And that is insulting to 14 year olds. Goes too long, edits in the worst place possible, and the fonts? THE FONTS. Its like someone have the filmmaker a free set of 30 year old Angelfire style fonts and he just went to TOWN with em. I wish he had never came back.

Anybody who calls this a masterwork, regardless of your feelings for ol' Boyd, needs to watch at least one other film ever, because obviously, they haven't a clue. Seriously? I have seen movies made by high schoolers in a day that had more atmosphere, better editing, and more engaging subjects. In that respect, Boyd and whatssisface deserve each other.

HAIL SATIN!

Boyd Rice has been doing his business for over 30 years. Although most people were introduced to him via his band NON, there is much more to Boyd Rice than noise music. In fact, there is a lot more. Here is a guy, who has lived his life enjoying all of his interests and fetishes. He has lived the American Dream and director Larry Wessel has captured this perfectly. The film, over 4 hours long, captures nearly every aspect of Rice's life and career. From his what subconsciously influenced his youth to his relationships with Anton Lavey and Charles Manson, Wessel has taken six years of his life to capture, carve, and release this amazing film.

Kristian Day

From his earliest pranks in the sleepy SoCal suburb of Lemon Grove to days with Charles Manson and nights with Anton LaVey in San Francisco, to his penultimate glory on stage, TV, and talk radio while reinforcing his bunker in the American heartland of Denver... this is the ONLY total view of the entire life of artist BOYD RICE and his band NON. ICONOCLAST by Larry Wessel, a bullet train packed with fifty years of dynamite underground culture... hidden from view until NOW. Why is the most dangerous artist in America living in a bunker buried deep in aNONymity?? Why has his face been so successfully screened from view that the protesters picketing him, don't recognize Boyd Rice when they are speaking directly to him? Why are his pioneering electronic and metal experimental recordings held under the radar, while his followers have been granted access to the mainstream. Get the FULL story in ICONOCLAST!