Doc captures taste of ‘Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of American Popular Music’
If the name Taylor Mac is unknown to you, it might conjure images of some hard-edged pop diva, known for a tell-it-like-it-is fierceness and a willingness to dive into their personal life for material – and in truth, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong.
Mac, who conceived, wrote and performed the epic performance event at the center of HBO’s eponymous documentary “Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of American Popular Music,” is admittedly hard to classify precisely, though one could use any number of labels – actor, playwright, performance artist, director, producer, singer-songwriter – to describe what Mac does.
Just as easily, one could invoke his numerous honors and accolades – winner of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant, Pulitzer Prize finalist, Tony nominee – to get across how well he does what he does.
In actuality, none of those clunky, generalized designations convey who Mac is, and his milieu could more aptly be understood as a blend that comes together, as needed, to create something greater – or at least, more provocative – than the sum of its parts.
