Rodriguez ‘Cold Fact’ Reissued
Issued first in 1971, this album is packed with great songs. He’s finally getting some respect.
Interview from Detroit News by Louis Aguilar 8/28/08
“Sixto Diaz Rodriguez toiled for decades as a day laborer in Detroit’s gritty Cass Corridor. To this day, he rides the D-Dot bus to get around town. Just last week, Entertainment Weekly declared him a genius. Four decades ago, Rodriguez recorded 12 sweet, yet dark, psychedelic-tinged folk-rock songs for the album, “Cold Fact,” in a Detroit basement. It floundered commercially. Fast-forward to 2008 and an avalanche of raves is coming his way, thanks to the album’s re-release last week by the Seattle label Light in the Attic. Two weeks ago, the native southwest Detroiter flew to Stockholm, courtesy of Swedish documentary filmmakers who believe his life story will captivate an international film audience. Next week, the singer-songwriter will travel to New York to play for a private audience of music-industry insiders at a show sponsored by the hipper-than-thou Fader magazine. What’s happening to Rodriguez, 66, is a second chance that is the fantasy of every struggling artist: to be lauded around the world — at least several continents — and the chance to not die in poverty. “It’s been a great odyssey,” Rodriguez says as he sits in Motor City Brewing Works, one of his favorite Cass Corridor haunts. “All those years, you know, I always considered myself a musician. But, reality happened.” His sinewy arms reflect years of renovating old houses, hauling refrigerators and other manual labor he’s done to survive. One of the fingertips on his left hand is missing due to a factory accident. Yet, he has good rock-star hair, long and jet black. “The world is such a big place and there’s enough for everyone. More than enough. To say you want it all — there’s just so much to share and the beautiful part of it is I get to share this with so many people. “Rock ‘n’ roll is a living thing. My friend told me that in a bar about a week ago, and man, I’m going to use that, I’m going to use that.” That’s how a typical Rodriguez conversation goes.”
