By Miv Evans
This is a documentary about Ike Reilly, a singer-songwriter and rock star elect who’s as charismatic off-stage as he is on. The music never stops and is in synch with the story at every beat. Energy is endlessly high and Reilly is the untouchable epicenter of a true rascal’s tale. It’s altogether an enchanting ride.
Ike was born in Libertyville, Illinois, in 1960. He rocked it with different bands until he finally founded his own; namely the Ike Reilly Assassination. His genre maneuvers from folk to pop rock; sometimes even in the same song. His lyrics are steeped deeply enough in working class rhetoric and political barbs to take him into the realm of a revolutionary. Everything that is needed to launch him into the musical stratosphere is in place but…… his march to glory never comes. He’s only ever been a bar band. He’s never headlined a festival or got streamed a million times. The success he, and so many others, believe he deserves, has evaded him. So far.
With an absence of royalties and a house full of kids, Ike at one stage took day jobs to keep the family afloat. One such job was grave-digging, and when he had to deal with the tragedy of burying a childhood friend, he wrote a pop song about it. By becoming personally involved, the wild man of rock shows he isn’t impervious to tragedy. This leads to some poignant film moments and shows a humanity in Ike that isn’t always apparent.
Slipping into troubadour mode, he’s unapologetic when he reveals that, if he feels the urge to write, he simply relinquishes his role as husband and father. He’s happy to lock himself away for days, even weeks, regardless of the fact that his songs are unlikely to make any money. He also admits that he lies to himself to justify his behavior, seemingly indifferent to the fact he’s in a dizzying cycle of narcissism with self-indulgence in the rear view mirror.
Ike doesn’t ever give the reason why he’s never stopped rocking, which is possibly because he doesn’t know himself. It could be that he believes his life won’t be complete until he gets his big break. Or perhaps it’s because he thinks his voice hasn’t been heard yet because he hasn’t written the right song. Either way, it’s a sure case of death or glory.
One of the film’s interviewees loyally attests that Ike is already successful. He insists that writing and recording songs is an achievement in itself, clearly inferring that it’s ‘not about the money’. This is a claim we’ve heard many times before but, the problem is, we’ve yet to hear it from someone who hit the big time and became extremely rich.
RELEASE
27 August, 2024
Video Purchase Online
Directors
Michael O’Brian
Mike Shmiedeler
Distributor
Gravitas Ventures
Publicity
Cinematic Red – Film Public Relations, Entertainment PR
Comandante Manifesto produced by Clean Blood Pictures LLC.
In addition to Ike and his band The Ike Reilly Assassination – Phil Karnats, Dave Cottini, Pete Cimbalo, Adam Krier, Tommy O’Donnell, Ed Tinley, Shane Reilly, Kevin Reilly, and Mickey Reilly, also featured in the film David Pasquesi (“Veep,” “Book Of Boba Fett”), Tony Fitzpatrick (Artist, Actor – “Patriot”) and Mars Williams (Psychadelic Furs – band).
Additional crew includes Field Producer and Director of Photography Pete Schneider (“Severance,” “The Squid And The Whale”), Postproduction Supervisor, Editor & Colorist Joe Langenfeld(“Osso Bucco,” “Waterwalk”), Postproduction Sound Mixer Ryan Staples (“Gangland,” “Inside The Iraq War”) and Director of Photography Sean Fahey(“For Kicks,” “Bailout”).
