Your Next Viewing: THE EL DUCE TAPES, A Shock Rock Doc Strictly For The Engaged

What makes an artist successful? What makes a band great?

My interest in music ranges from people being surprised that I like it to me being embarrassed for people to know that I like it and a lot of other genres in-between. So when our PR contact reached out to us and asked if we would like to view and review The El Duce Tapes, I volunteered. When a film is advertised about “footage never being seen…until now,” you have to jump on it, right?

So what is the film about? Ryan Sexton followed the band The Mentors in the early 90’s and documented their art and the life of the lead singer, El Duce. The footage has now been released 25 years later and is full of interviews, behind the scenes shots, and clips of El Duce’s appearance on The Jerry Springer Show.

I have to be honest and say that I have never been a fan of The Mentors. I do remember watching that episode of Jerry Springer, though. However, the film was so informative that it did make me want to listen to some of the songs. I can’t say that I now want to research the band or singer more because everything was covered so thoroughly and in such detail that I learned more about El Duce than I even expected to.

If you are a fan of shock rock (though I have to warn you that they do refer to themselves as “rape rock”), The Mentors, El Duce, or just like learning more about how bands are when they are not on stage, you should check out The El Duce Tapes. A word of warning though: the content, language, and lyrics are all graphic so if you have a weak stomach, you may want to skip this one.

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