Jandek on Corwood is a documentary about veteran reclusive folk/blues artist Jandek. Unlike most popular music documentaries, the subject himself is not seen in the film in any way; instead, various critics, disc jockeys and journalists, many of whom have had some contact with the notoriously reclusive artist, discuss Jandek, his equally mysterious independent record label Corwood Industries, and his music (which reached 39 albums at the end of 2004).
While Jandek himself does not appear in the movie (except in the form of the pictures on many of his album covers and in excerpts from the only phone interview he has ever done in his career, with musician and writer John Trubee for Spin Magazine in 1985), he did authorize and endorse the project through Corwood Industries (any correspondence to the artist is usually signed "Corwood" rather than "Jandek"), allow the filmmakers to use whatever recordings from his discography they saw fit, and suggest people that could be interviewed for the documentary.
The film ends with the mention of the release of his 2002 album I Threw You Away; after the film's release in theaters, this album and its succeeding four releases are excerpted in a bonus feature on the DVD.
The film only saw limited theatrical release, as the producers planned to distribute the film primarily as a DVD. The DVD release contains several bonus features, including an album cover commentary on Jandek's albums from 1978 to 2001, the full tape of the John Trubee interview, all of the printed reviews of Jandek's albums from OP and Option magazines, and other materials.
"Naked In The Afternoon" from Ready for the House (Sample lyric: "I got a vision of a teenage daughter who's growing up naked in the afternoon")
"What Did I Hear?" from Later On (played during spinning record visual, spiraling into center hole; snippet from printed review describing music as "suicidal void". Sample lyric: "you deceived me mister, it sure seems that way...I guess you knew that wasn't possible..I guess there's no such thing as today")
"You're The Best One" from Six and Six (Sample lyric: "you're the last one I want to see...you're one in a million")
"Niagara Blues" from The Living End (Sample lyric: "Sometimes I go to Niagara, sometimes I go to the grave")
"The Beginning" from The Beginning (solo piano, played over album cover discussion)
"They Told Me About You" from Ready for the House (discussing the Jandek on Corwood print ad)
"Om" from Somebody in the Snow (Wordless chant/cry with multiple overdubbed vocalizations, discussing theories of his mental health and reclusiveness)
"Nancy Sings" from Chair Beside a Window (discussing first use of outside musicians)
Down in a Mirror" from Chair Beside a Window (discussing the way to listen to Jandek—“having a few glasses of wine and sitting down with Jandek and just listening”. Sample lyric: “we can’t deny there’s spirits in this house you shut the door the wind closes two more”)
"Upon The Grandeur" from One Foot in the North (electric guitar)
"Point Judith" from Six and Six (Representative of “1st period”. Sample lyric: “settle back easy and make up your mind to stay”)
"Governor Rhodes" from "Telegraph Melts" (Representative of “2nd period”. Sample lyric: We are here in earth in life in sky in magic in rain in love in fire in celebration)
"I Passed by the Building" from Blue Corpse (Representative of “3rd Period”)
"Rain in Madison" from Glad to Get Away (Representative of “3rd Period”.)
"I Need Your Life" from Put My Dream on This Planet (Representative of Spoken Word/A Cappella album trilogy)
"You Didn't Lie" from Nine-Thirty (Discussing mystery of Jandek as being part of the appreciation of the music. Sample lyric: “I got someplace that was very hard to get out of Didn’t get too close Wouldn’t get too close”)
"I'm Ready" from On The Way (More standard acoustic strumming and chords than typical of Jandek style.)
"Pending Doom" from I Woke Up (Texas Monthly interview. Percussion and voice only.)
"Walking in the Meadow" from White Box Requiem (Texas Monthly interview continued. Staccato plucking on acoustic guitar, no vocals.
"New Town" from New Town (Dr. Demento discussing how the Jandek story will end. Sample lyric: “I thought I would send you the last song I wrote”)
"Only Lover" from Blue Corpse (Discussing fame and the dashing of your expectations about an enigmatic person. Sample lyric: “worst I had to tell you was I followed you here”)
"I Knew You Would Leave" from Six and Six (Jandek says this is “the one that I think had the most impact out of everything so far, the one that I thought had the best poetry” in 1985 telephone interview.)
Jandek is the musical alias of Houston, Texas based American lo-fi folk singer Sterling Smith. Since 1978, Jandek has independently released over 45 albums without granting interviews or providing any biographical information, releasing on a self-made label "Corwood Industries". Jandek often plays a highly idiosyncratic and frequently atonal form of folk and blues music, frequently using an open and unconventional chord structure. Allmusic has described him as "the most enigmatic figure in American music".
Ready for the House is the debut studio album by Jandek, and was released in 1978 by his own Corwood Industries label, with the catalog number #0739. The artist has said in letters that the number was meaningless. Corwood Industries reissued the album three times on CD, first in 1999, then sometime in the early 2000s, and again in 2005. Jackpot Records, with exclusive permission from Corwood, reissued the album on LP in 2008.
Staring at the Cellophane is the sixth Jandek album, and his third of 1982. It was released as Corwood 0744. It was reissued on CD in 2001.
Your Turn to Fall is the seventh Jandek album, and was released as Corwood 0745. It was reissued on CD in 2001.
The Rocks Crumble is the eighth Jandek album, released as Corwood 0746. It is his third release of 1983, and is the first Jandek album to feature extensive use of drums and electric guitar. It was reissued on CD in 2001.
Interstellar Discussion is the ninth album by Jandek, and his only release of 1984. It was released as Corwood 0747. It was reissued on CD in 2001.
Glad to Get Away is the 24th album by Jandek, and was released (1994) as Corwood Industries #0762. It continues the acoustic sound of the prior two albums.
White Box Requiem is the 25th album by Jandek, and his only for the year 1996. Released as Corwood Industries #0763, it is essentially a "concept album" about death, loss, and a man who opens a mysterious white "Pandora's box", which some have speculated is a coffin. There are 14 songs with acoustic guitar, half of them with vocals. The instrumental pieces are sparse and experiment with echo, with "restless" passages that music critic Andre Salles has described as "consistently inventive atonal plonking that never sits still".
I Woke Up is the 26th album by Jandek and his only release of 1997. Released as Corwood Industries #0764, it introduced a new male vocalist who sings most of the tracks.
Put My Dream on This Planet is the 29th album by Jandek. It was his only new release of 2000. The first of three consecutive a capella albums, it is Corwood Industries #0767.
Glasgow Sunday is the second of four albums released in 2005 by musician Jandek on Corwood Industries, as (0779). His 41st overall, it was recorded live on October 17, 2004 at The Arches, Glasgow, as part of the Instal festival. This was the first known live appearance of Jandek, who played unannounced with backing from Richard Youngs on bass and Alex Neilson on drums.
Richard Youngs is an English musician based in Glasgow since the early 1990s. His catalogue of solo and collaborative work formally begins with Advent, first issued in 1990. He plays many instruments, most commonly choosing the guitar, but he has been known to use other instruments including the shakuhachi, accordion, theremin, dulcimer, a home-made synthesizer and even a motorway bridge. He also released an album which was entirely a cappella.
Alex Neilson is an English drummer, percussionist and singer who is based in Glasgow but grew up in Leeds. He is a founding member and main songwriter of folk-rock group Trembling Bells (2008-2018). He is also known for his continuing collaborations with Alasdair Roberts, Will Oldham and Richard Youngs, and for his work with elusive American singer/songwriter Jandek.
Khartoum Variations is the first of six releases in 2006 by singer-songwriter Jandek. Released by Corwood Industries, it is his 44th album overall. The recordings are alternate versions of seven of the eight songs from his previous album, Khartoum.
Newcastle Sunday is the 45th release by avant- folk/blues singer-songwriter Jandek, released by Corwood Industries. It is a recording of his second ever live performance, recorded at The Sage Gateshead, England.
Glasgow Monday is the 47th release, third live album, and second-ever double album release, from avant-folk/blues singer/songwriter Jandek. It is his fifth release of the year and features "The Corwood Representative" on piano and vocals, along with the same rhythm section he performed with at the shows documented on Glasgow Sunday and Newcastle Sunday, bassist Richard Youngs and drummer/percussionist Alex Neilson who accents the music with chimes and echoing percussion.
When I Took That Train is the 40th release by avant-folk/blues singer/songwriter Jandek, and the first of four released in 2005 by his own Corwood Industries label, as #0778.
Naked in the Afternoon: A Tribute to Jandek is a tribute album compiled by Moscow, PA-based independent record label Summersteps Records. The album features cover versions of songs by the reclusive avant-folk/blues singer/songwriter Jandek. Many of the artists are members of the Summersteps roster or fans forming one-time combos to participate on the album, but the album also features contributions from Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, Low, and Bright Eyes.
Down in a Mirror: A Second Tribute to Jandek is a tribute album compiled by Moscow, PA-based independent record label Summersteps Records, released as a follow-up to the label's first Jandek tribute, Naked in the Afternoon. As with Naked in the Afternoon, Down In A Mirror features cover versions of songs by the reclusive avant-folk/blues singer/songwriter Jandek. Some of the artists are members of the Summersteps roster or fans forming one-time combos to participate on the album, but the album also features contributions from Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Six Organs of Admittance, The Mountain Goats, Kawabata Makoto of Acid Mothers Temple, Lewis & Clarke and Okkervil River.
The Beatles Anthology is a documentary television series on the career of the Beatles. It was broadcast on UK television in eight parts on ITV between 26 November and 31 December 1995, while in the United States it was seen as three feature-length episodes on ABC between 19 and 23 November 1995. It was released in greatly expanded form as an eight-volume VHS set and an eight-disc LaserDisc set on 5 September 1996. The series was re-released on DVD in 2003, with an 81-minute special-features disc.
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