"Universo Lobão" is a nice summarization of events on the life and career of controversial rock star Lobão, from his early years as band
member of groups such as prog rock Vímana and a brief stint on Blitz, where he was the drummer and later on his rise as a solo artist with his group
Lobão e seus Ronaldos, creating great and significant works such as "Cena de Cinema", "O Rock Errou" and "Vida Bandida" (recorded during his time in
jail after the accusation of drug trafficking). The documentary also presents facts and stories about his life and work as a writer and TV host.
Being a fan of the guy and having read his amazing autobiographical book "50 Anos a Mil" (which got an updated version a few years after
its release), most of what's covered here I already knew so it worked as a confirmation of facts. But the special treats come from interviews with
people who knew him, such as Nelson Motta, Marianna Weickert, Roger Moreira (Ultraje a Rigor), Ritchier (Vímana) and others; and the also the small
gig where Lobão perform his hits and other songs. Unfortunately nothing from his materials and albums are presented here, possibly due to
copyrights issues, and it's a pity since just seeing and hearing the live versions aren't all that great. New audiences need to discover him
through his 1980's and 1990's albums - my advice for those folks is to hear the 2007 unplugged album, which ressurected his career after years in
oblivion after his denounce of Payola and bribe schemes radio stations used to do in order to keep an artist having a heavy airplay on the radio.
To the fans, it's an incredible way to know a lot more about the artist and man, he's very open in his interviews; and to those who know
nothing or just a little about him, it's a very good way to get to know him and follow his career - a little in the shadow lately thanks to his
political opinions and critical books on the theme. But I'll always admire him - had the chance to see a small gig of his in 2007 with him and
another guitarist which was amazing, they really rocked that shopping mall. 9/10.
