For most of us, Luther Campbell will always be the guy from 2 Live Crew, known for co-writing such tracks as “Me So Horny,” “Hoochie Mama,” and “Pop That Coochie,” (although he also had a memorable turn in The U, the most memorable of ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentaries). Soon, however, he’ll be taking the indie art scene by storm, starring in a short film directed by a video artist, which was commissioned by the Miami Borscht Group, who previously produced Cocaine Cowboys.
“The Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke,” a short film anchored by former 2 Live Crew frontman Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, has been selected to screen at the festival as part of the 2012 short film program.
Inspired by the 1962 French science fiction film “La Jetée,” the film is set entirely in front of a series of surreal art installations created by director and multimedia artist Jillian Mayer.
Okay, nice, sounds pretty Sundance-y so far… (Additional trivia: Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys was also based on “La Jetée”, which was composed almost entirely of still photos. It’s great, but also really hard to stay awake through).
In the film, Campbell plays a slightly altered version of himself, and recounts his controversial rise to fame, including his fight for 1st Amendment rights. Campbell takes a freaky turn when a nuclear meltdown in Miami turns the city into a radioactive wasteland filled with mutants — naked ones, of course — leaving Campbell as the sole survivor, tasked with repopulating the city the old fashioned way.
YES. Now that’s the Luther Campbell I know. I hope the waste turns everyone into a big booty ho like an 80s malt liquor commercial. This sounds like a waaay better version of I Am Legend. You can watch the trailer for it below, though be warned it does contain a NSFW split second of bare boob.
Mayer is known for her installatons featuring whimsical cut-outs. Here, she pairs plump, thonged bottoms with a cut-out of 2 Live Crew’s controversial “As Nasty as They Wanna Be” album cover to illustrate Campbell’s plight with freaky free speech. [LA Times]
If there’s a better way to illustrate plight with free speech than that, I don’t want to know what it is. I’ve always said “plump, thonged bottoms” was the biggest snub in “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” It was probably in the first draft but got cut out.
And just because, here’s the video for “Pop That Coochie.” SO MANY MULLETS.