Too Much Soft Living (1982) is a classic 80's film. A druggy descent into the depths of madness. A subversive underground manifesto parading as a gleaming tech-noir adventure. A bastard love child of William S. Burroughs and Phillip K. Dick. A cult classic ranking with Brother From Another Planet, Liquid Sky, and Blade Runner. And it has a killer, highly collectible soundtrack album.Too bad it doesn't really exist. At least, the movie doesn't exist.
Special Affect was a Chiago- based new wave/ glam band fronted by the flamboyant Frankie Nardiello, later known as Groovie Mann of My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult. Drumming was handled by Harry Rushakoff, later of Concrete Blonde. Playing guitar was Al Jourgensen, who would soon form his own new wave outfit, Ministry. After releasing one EP and one "soundtrack" album, Affect called it a day.Too Much Soft Living joins the ranks of a small, but curious musical genre: unused but released film scores. Notable examples include Alex North's bombastic 2001: A Space Obyssey score, John Zorn's Tresspass noodling, and Coil's industrial Hellraiser score.
It is unclear if the film Soft Living was ever real or not. Was it simply and unfinished work? Little seen or unreleased? Could a lost classic could be gathering dust in some Chicago basement? Let's not forget that My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult was formed in order to make an eponymous "B" movie. Lacking funds or technical know how, the project mutated into a band. Maybe this was Frankie's first attempt?
Or maybe it was just a gimmick for a bunch of young, hungry musicians to get press.
