Socalled: putting the pieces together

From Kiev to Paris, the Apollo Theater to St. Viateur, The Socalled Documentary follows local musician Josh Dolgin, aka Socalled, on a vibrant musical journey. Directed by Gary Beitel, the film offers glimpses of an artistic endeavour that is as much about klezmer and funk as it is about blurring boundaries and genres. NIGHTLIFE met with Dolgin at a Mile End café to talk about the creative process, the appeal of folk music and great cookies.

NIGHTLIFE: What is it like to see your musical process documented on film?
Dolgin: It’s different, because I didn’t make the movie. With music, I take all the pieces, and then sit there and make the choices that create the song. For the doc, I was the subject. Director Gary Beitel had to sit there for days and days, making choices about how he could tell the story he wanted to tell.

And how do you feel watching the story now?
It’s nice to see all of these people that I love, like Irving Fields, Fred Wesley, and Katie Moore, captured on record. If people are curious, they’ll check it out and see these great musicians.

I like the scene where you talk about some of your memorabilia, like your grandmother’s cookie tin, and a book signed by Salvador Dalí. Do these artifacts ever inform your work?
The cookies informed my work because I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t have a steady supply of great cookies to inspire me along the way. I remember being
a young teenager and being into Dalí, and that gave me fodder to be creative. There’s my grandfather’s 16mm camera and the films he shot. He was also a photographer, so there are these crazy photographs. All of these things are influences in my life. I don’t know if the objects inform my work, but we’re all just made up of our memories, influences and perversions. That’s who we are.

There’s a lot of travelling in the movie. How does the reception of your work change with the geography?
Surprisingly little. If the audience is ready to rock, then they’re ready to rock! Last year we played in China, where they don’t really know Eastern European folk music. But they could get the spirit of the party. The crowd dances, sings along and goes crazy. It speaks to the cliché of the universal language of music. I’ll go to Russia, and it’s the same vibe. We played just off the coast of Madagascar to audiences that were dancing and sweating their asses off.

The Socalled Movie
June 3 | Opening night in co-presentation with POP Montreal
Ukrainian Federation | 5213, Hutchison
blog.nfb.ca/socalled