Cocksucker Blues (1972)

This fly-on-the-wall documentary follows the Rolling Stones on their 1972 North American Tour, their first return to the States since the tragedy at Altamont. Because of the free-form ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Frank

Stars:

Truman Capote, Dick Cavett, Marshall Chess

Cast

Credited cast:
Truman Capote	...	Himself
Dick Cavett	...	Himself
Marshall Chess	...	Himself
Chris Collins	...	Connection
Ahmet Ertegun	...	Himself
Steve Geolke	...	Make-Up Man
Nicky Hopkins	...	Himself
Bianca Jagger	...	Herself
Mick Jagger	...	Himself
Bobby Keyes	...	Himself
Bobby Keys	...	Himself
Otto Levine	...	Producer
Jim Price	...	Himself
Lee Radziwill	...	Herself (as Princess Radziwill)
Keith Richards	...	Himself

Storyline

This fly-on-the-wall documentary follows the Rolling Stones on their 1972 North American Tour, their first return to the States since the tragedy at Altamont. Because of the free-form nature of filming, Cocksucker Blues captured band members and entourage members taking part in events the Rolling Stones preferred not to publicize. It can only legally be screened with director Robert Frank in attendance. The title of the film is the same of that of a Rolling Stones song (aka Schoolboy Blues), which was written to complete the band's contractual obligations to Decca Records and specifically to be unreleasable.

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Plot Keywords:

live performance | classic rock music | hotel party | female rear nudity | hippie | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

CS Blues

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although The Rolling Stones have never officially released the film themselves, black and white scenes form the infamous documentary can be seen in their subsequent video/DVD releases. These include: Video Rewind: The Rolling Stones' Great Video Hits and Rolling Stones: 4 Flicks.

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Connections

Referenced in Let's Make Lemonade (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Happy"
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Performed by The Rolling Stones

User Reviews

Suppressed documentary is mostly much ado about nothing considering all thats happened since it was shot. How much you enjoy this will depend on how much you like the Stones

A couple of things at the start. The rating of five is purely because I can't accurately rate this movie. Enjoyment is based upon your love of the Stones. My feelings for the Stones is one of like not love. I do enjoy their music but I think that they are little more a money machine now with their interesting music coming out of the various side projects.

This is the story of the Stones 1972 tour (sort of, director Robert Frank is interested in doing more than a straight documentary). Mostly its following the Stones from Hotel room to hotel room and performance to performance. Its the rich and famous interacting with the not so rich and far from famous, with everyone behaving badly. In its way its a sad story as Mick and the boys seem to drift aimlessly with in the confines of their cages. How they manged to survive it and, not go mad and continue on the road is probably a story that needs to be told. This story on the other hand is a bit dull and long at 90 minutes. It comes alive in fits and starts, mostly when we get to see one of the too few musical numbers (the Stevie Wonder/ Stones piece is amazing).

This film is rarely screened since due to a lawsuit it can only be run once a year and only when the director is present. Its rather dumb if you ask me, but the Stones were unhappy with the result and how they are seen to be. Why this film is still restricted considering all thats passed in the 30 plus years since its filming is beyond me. At this point it couldn't hurt the boys at all, since all it does is give visualization to what we knew already.

If you can manage to see this and you're a Stones fan do so. If you're not a fan you may want to give it a try, if for no other reason than its a unique and rare experience (due to the law suit that restricts its viewing).