He’s also a barfly, family man, Collingwood Australian Rules supporter and unofficial Mayor of St Kilda.
Negro’s rich and storied life is finally being committed to film. Brisbane trash movie afficianado and gonzo filmmaker, Andrew Leavold, has brought his a feature-length documentary on the man, “Pub: The Movie” to the post-production stage. It now needs a final injection of money, with the Kickstarter campaign live here.
“For me it’s a character study of a neglected, misunderstood and under-appreciated Aussie character who has never received his dues (not to mention a very old mate of mine, so I know EXACTLY the right stories to tell, “Leavold says.
“It’s also a love letter to St Kilda itself, former bohemian haunt and Mecca of Musical Excess, now tarted up and gentrified to the point where those pockets of grunge that gave St Kilda its disreputable character, its very essence of being, exist as tiny pockets of True Believers.
“In a very real sense, Fred Negro is like a Davy Crockett and the bars he and his keepers of the Rock’n’Roll flame fiercely protect are the Alamo, surrounded by “Mexicans” in $100,000 sports cars and Gucci suits.”
