Bladfold: Seattle’s New ‘Cult Classic’ Film
A new short film reveals the Northwest leader of a controversial 1970s religious sect.
By Seattle Mag October 17, 2012
This article originally appeared in the November 2012 issue of Seattle magazine.
You may not know much about Brad Nixon, but neither did his son, local musician (in bands “Awesome” and The Half Brothers) David Nixon. On the brink of becoming a father himself, the younger Nixon began to search for details about his deceased father—a charismatic presence who went from being the president of the college republicans at Eastern Washington University to dropping LSD in 1960s San Francisco, to a stay in a mental institution to being the adored leader (much adored, by his female followers) of a controversial 1970s offshoot of Buddhism. In bladfold, Nixon tells his father’s wildly compelling, true story through original songs (full disclosure: my husband, Daniel Spils, contributed music to this soundtrack), old photos and animation. Also on the bill is Nixon’s previous animated musical documentary, The Shelf, a touching look at the filmmaker’s relationship with his troubled brother, which asks the big question, “Who gets to live an average or an extraordinary life, and why?”
11/16–11/17. 8 p.m. $15. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St.; 206.292.7676; acttheatre.org