Who the Fuck Is That Guy? The Fabulous Journey of Michael Alago

10/23/17. I love these documentaries about times gone by, just enough for a look back nostalgically, and while those who were there are still alive to share their bygone experiences. This is one of them from a time when New York City rocked the music world. Those were heady days! Enjoy them from those who lived it!

Michael Alago seems like a nice guy but this is the story of someone that was at the right place at the right time and got a job doing what they love. This happened in his teens... there was no "I went knocking door to door and busted my ass..." This is the story of a gay man and his journey in the music business doing lots of drugs and then turning into a photographer... as told by his famous friends... some of which co-produced the film. I did enjoy some of the stories about how New York was in the late 70's... that was cool. However as a gay man watching this, it's just another sad example of our community and its obsession with excess in all forms.

Director Drew Stone has created a truly insightful and honest look into the life and influence of a guy named Michael Alago - who is Michael Alago? Alago, through his passion for rock, punk, new age, etc. music, helped create the music scene of the late 20th century and right into the 21st Century! His passion was driven for the love of music and not the lust for fame.

He came from a world that offered little future or privilege for an ambitious person. But his intuitive self guided him to artist and new creative talents in the emerging rock scene of the late 20th century pop scene. And he found a means to bring them into the public eye. His own life full of societies bumps, rejection, and pain for a gay man - but his inner passion for music could not be stopped.

A great documentary on a little known person who had a big influence in the music world.

So I wanted to see a music doc but the first 20 mins or so were about the guy's sexuality. Not interested, thanks. Oh and the visuals are just terrible, it looks cheap as hell. I wouldn't care about this if the doc was any good, but unfortunately it's not.

This special documented the life of Michael Alago, a former manager, a die hard rock and metal fanatic, how he rose to the ranks through hard work, perseverance, grit. For me this is a well-made docu, and even though it also touched on the topics of his sexual orientation, escapades, drugs and sex, rock & roll wheel, what is clear is his passion for music. The narrative provided by some members of Metallica, Pantera and some rockers who became his life-long friends is proof that real people can still be found in the cutthroat music industry. From the highs to the lows, and that overcoming drug addiction is a painful battle as attested by James Hetfield, Phil Anselmo and co. Now substance cleared and with HIV under control, Michael is presently busy with photography. An iconoclast of a survivor who has great instinct for music.