Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted, an unconventional documentary about convention-defying singer, songwriter and record producer Jerry Williams, aka Swamp Dogg, one of the great cult figures of 20th-century American music has been acquired by Magnolia Pictures.
Directed by Isaac Gale and Ryan Olson, the film world premiered at SXSW and will be released in theaters starting May 2.
In the documentary, Swamp Dogg and his “bachelor pad of aging musicians”, including Guitar Shorty and quirky Moogstar, navigate the tumultuous music industry, transform their home into an artistic playground and invite fellow musicians like Jenny Lewis and John Prine and superfans Mike Judge, Johnny Knoxville and Tom Kenny to play in their unique musical sandbox…and paint Swamp Dogg’s pool.
“The natural state of the world seems to be cruel and unforgiving, yet somehow, Swamp Dogg has kept on going – singing, laughing, and refusing to play by the rules,” said Isaac Gale and Ryan Olson. “That’s exactly why this film exists, and why we’re so glad Magnolia saw the vision. It’s truly a dream scenario for us that they are unleashing this psychedelic comedy about real people into theaters, exactly the kind of movie the world could use right now.”
In conjunction with Magnolia’s theatrical release, Pioneer Works Press will publish Swamp’s long-awaited cookbook, If You Can Kill It, I Can Cook It on May 20. For those who appreciate recipes seasoned with personality and history, and stories to go with dinner, this is more than a cookbook: it is a biographical artifact and a journey into the mind of a chef who’ll teach you how to make “Baked Beans Bo Diddley”, “James Brown in Flight Chicken” and “Willie Nelson Potatoes Platter”. It is also a glimpse into the savory life of a musical genius, richly illustrated with tales and photos of family, food, music, and business. As Swamp Dogg says, “This is the book that Hemingway wanted to write, Agatha Christie couldn’t, and Alex Haley didn’t have enough soul for. Now get to cooking!”
Swamp Dogg also has a new album. Swamp Dogg’s Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St. is a record that’s as reverent as it is raunchy, a collection that challenges conventional notions of genre and race while at the same time celebrating the music that helped make Swamp Dogg the beloved iconoclast he’s known as today. Featuring bluegrass staple musicians Noam Pikelny, Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas, Chris Scruggs, Billy Contreras, and Kenny Vaughan, with special guests Margo Price, Vernon Reid, Jenny Lewis, Justin Vernon, and The Cactus Blossoms.
“Swamp Dogg is a stone-cold genius,” said Magnolia Pictures co-CEO’s Eamonn Bowles and Dori Begley. “His almost 70-year career has produced so much incredible music by himself and other artists that it’s almost overwhelming. Directors Isaac Gale and Ryan Olson have done the man justice in this inspired, wildly entertaining film.”