CLARENCE REID was the king of the Miami soul scene in the late '60s and early '70s, responsible for writing a ton of terrific R&B hits. He also had a secretive parallel career as Blowfly, releasing "party records" containing absolutely filthy parodies of existing hits. The Weird World of Blowfly checks in with Reid on a couple recent comeback tours, including a Portland stop at Dante's (naturally, Voodoo Doughnut also makes an appearance). The documentary offers an unvarnished look at the aging musician as he pieces together a living performing as a raunchy novelty rapper, garbed nightly in a hooded superhero costume.

Reid is a fascinating character—much of his biographical material is up for debate, including his date of birth: Weird World suggests he is about to turn 70, but other reports assert he was born in 1945. He also vehemently claims that Blowfly's "Rapp Dirty" was the first rap song (it came out a year after "Rapper's Delight"). We watch his sleazebag manager Tom Bowker treat him like a senile old man, and we learn about some truly tragic business decisions, and—all scatological humor aside—there's sweetness at the heart of Reid, and The Weird World of Blowfly finds it.

Hollywood Theatre