The " Socalled" Movie

Inspired by \i Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould\i0 (Fran\'e7ois Girard, 1993), in \i The "Socalled" Movie\i0 , director Garry Beitel draws together 18 short documentaries, each with its own visual language and approach. The subject that binds these films is the multitalented Canadian music maker and all-around dabbler Josh Dolgin, whose artist name is Socalled. He acquired his pseudonym by chance, but it reflects something of his creative vision: ''I've always been a dilettante. I think that stops a lot of people. It just inspires me to work." Dolgin has countless outlets for that inspiration. As a musician, he is the Godfather of klezmer hop, a blend of traditional Yiddish music and hip-hop. He also experiments with klezmer funk under the auspices of his hero, the funk pioneer Fred Wesley, whose presence in \i The "Socalled" Movie\i0 underscores Dolgin's interest in past greats, forgotten or otherwise. Dolgin also dabs in magic and has ambitions for a career as a filmmaker - he even hijacks Beitel's film at one point. His zest for work is motivated by a deep appreciation of human creativity: ''How can you see all this stuff that humans have done with their time and brains, and not at least want to give it a try?"