Derailroaded is a 2005 documentary film, directed by Josh Rubin and Jeremy Lubin, aka The Ubin Twinz. The film chronicles the life of Wild Man Fischer, an outsider artist who went in and out of several mental institutions when he was a child. During the 1960s he was a street singer in L.A., which gave him a cameo appearance in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in 1968. The same year Frank Zappa gave him the opportunity to record his first album, An Evening with Wild Man Fischer. Fischer's eccentric personality provided some truly unique music, but his mental problems rapidly ended his career. Fischer suffers from paranoia and schizophrenia and thus became impossible to work with, despite the best efforts of other artists to help him. So despite his cult reputation Fischer remained a poor street musician until the end of his life. The film makers tell Fischer's tragic story through archive footage, interviews with people who were once associated with him and also interview Fischer himself. According to the directors, they were having dinner in a restaurant when suddenly Fischer started talking about his career and all the amazing things he did. Unimpressed, the directors went home and tried to check whether these tall tales were true, only to be shocked that they were!
***SPOILER ALERT***
Outstanding documentary about mental illness and raw, honest rock n' roll. It's tragic, it's hilarious; both sides made me cry.
A Wild Man Fischer turd exhibition happened, I love that. I just think that at least he could have learned to play the guitar, but hey, then it would be a little less wild.
Bill Mumy must be the nicest guy ever. Dealing with a singing manic-depressive paranoid schizophrenic, as it was shown, is hell! RIP Wild Man.
FINAL SCORE
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