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Cevin Soling is an American writer, filmmaker, philosopher, musician, music producer, and artist. Soling writes articles and books in addition to producing documentaries, animations, short films, and feature films that engage in social critique. He is president of Spectacle Films and
Xemu Records Xemu Records is an American independent record label. History Xemu Records is an independent record label, founded in 1992 in New York City by writer, filmmaker, musician, music producer and artist Cevin Soling as a vehicle for his music and mu ...
. Soling produced and directed the well-received documentary '' The War on Kids'', which argues that American schools are failing to educate and that perceptions of the dangers posed by and to children have become distorted. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' described the film as "a shocking chronicle of institutional dysfunction." It was honored as the best educational documentary of its year at the New York Independent Film and Video Festival, and received accolades from ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' and ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'', among others. He appeared as a guest on ''
The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late night television, late-night Late-night talk show, talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December ...
'' to discuss the film. Soling's other notable works include the following documentaries and animated shorts: ''A Hole in the Head'', ''Urine: Good Health'', ''Boris the Dog'', ''The Bill Johnson Show'', ''Great Moments in Rock'', and ''Captain Stickman vs The Color Black''.


Biography

Cevin Soling was born in New York Hospital in New York City, and grew up in
Scarsdale, New York Scarsdale is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The Town of Scarsdale is coterminous municipality, coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate ...
. His father, Chester Soling, was an architect and real estate developer who founded The Soling Program at
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...
. He attended the
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
, as well as
Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...
, and ended up majoring in English. He has four graduate degrees from
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. These include degrees from the
Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...
, where Soling had a fellowship, and the
Harvard Graduate School of Education The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is the education school of Harvard University, a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1920, it was the first school to grant the EdD degree and the first ...
.


Film career

Cevin wrote and directed the short animated film ''Boris the Dog'', which aired as part of MTV's ''
Cartoon Sushi ''Cartoon Sushi'' is an adult-animated showcase program that aired on MTV from 1997 to 1998. It was developed by Eric Calderon and produced by Nick Litwinko, and was the successor to Liquid Television. The title screen opening was illustrated ...
'' in 1998 and later on the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
. It won the "Premio Nuovo" award at the Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival. His short films ''Captain Stickman'' and ''Destruction'' were selected for the 2006 Chicago Indiefest. ''The Bill Johnson Show'', an animated series written and created by Soling, was featured in Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Animation Festival, as well as in its ''Caught in the Act'' video compilation distributed by
Shout Factory Shout! Factory, LLC, doing business as Shout! Studios (formerly doing business as Shout! Factory, its current legal name), is an American home video and music distributor founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases, issued i ...
. Soling was executive producer for the animated short ''Great Moments in Rock''. He was also an executive producer for the 1998 independent feature film '' Relax...It's Just Sex'', which premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
and was shown on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
and
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
. ;''Urine: Good Health'' (1999) Soling executive produced this hour-long documentary directed by Eli Kabillio about urine therapy. This unconventional and controversial practice, which involves the use of one’s own urine for health benefits, has been employed throughout history by people around the world and is one of the oldest modalities of health care. This documentary objectively explores the claims of the users and proponents of urine therapy and the views of some of the world’s preeminent doctors and researchers regarding the medical uses of urine. ;''The War on the War on Drugs'' (2005) Cevin was writer, director, and producer of the film ''The War on the War on Drugs'' which won the award for best experimental feature film at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival in 2005, as well as the ''
High Times ''High Times'' was an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade. The magazine had its own book publishing d ...
''
Stony Award The Stony Awards (a.k.a. the Stonys) recognize and celebrate notable stoner films and television. Created by ''High Times'' magazine in 2000, six Stony Award ceremonies were held in New York City before the Stonys moved to Los Angeles in 2007. Ston ...
for best documentary. It also won the "Clear Creek" Honorable Mention Award at the Winslow International Film Festival. The film was acquired for worldwide DVD distribution by
The Disinformation Company The Disinformation Company (abbreviated as Disinfo) was a privately held, limited American publishing company until 2012 when it was sold to Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari. It also owned ''Disinformation Books'', which focused on current affairs title ...
. ;''A Hole in the Head (2008)'' In 1998, he produced the documentary ''
A Hole in the Head ''A Hole in the Head'' is a 1959 DeLuxe Color CinemaScope American comedy film directed by Frank Capra and starring Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, Eleanor Parker, Keenan Wynn, Carolyn Jones and Thelma Ritter and released by United Artists.' ...
'' on the history of
trepanation Trepanning, also known as trepanation, trephination, trephining or making a burr hole (the verb ''trepan'' derives from Old French from Medieval Latin from Ancient Greek, Greek , literally "borer, auger"), is a surgical intervention in which a ...
. It was broadcast on
The Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It initi ...
and
The Learning Channel TLC is an American multinational cable television, cable and satellite television, satellite television network owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks, Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established in 1980 as The Learn ...
. It won the Best Documentary Award at the Atlantic City Film Festival and the
Brooklyn International Film Festival The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF), prior to 2011 called the Brooklyn International Film Festival (BiFF) is an independent film festival held every June in New York City. Started by Marco Ursino, Susan Mackell, Abe Schrager, and Mario Pegoraro in ...
. In 2008, the documentary found new life with a screening on April 30, at New York City's
Anthology Film Archives Anthology Film Archives is an international center for the film preservation, preservation, film studies, study, and film distribution, exhibition of film and video, with a particular focus on independent film, independent, experimental film, ex ...
, plus the rights of the movie reverted to Cevin, and he made the movie available through mail order. ;''The War on Kids'' (2009) In spring 2009, Cevin's documentary '' The War on Kids'' won "best educational documentary" for the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. While the movie had a week-long run at New York City's Quad Cinema, Cevin was invited to appear on the
Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show foc ...
in which Cevin explained how schools have been transformed into what are "effectively prisons". The film also screened at universities such as
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
, and has been reviewed in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', and ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
''. The documentary was also featured on ''The Dr. Nancy Show'' on
MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
and Soling was a guest on radio shows such as ''
The Lionel Show Michael William Lebron (born August 26, 1958), better known as Lionel, is an American syndicated radio, television and YouTube legal and media analyst. He is known as a leading promoter of the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory. He currently hos ...
'' on Air America, ''The Joe Reynolds Show'' on WOR, and the ''
Leonard Lopate Show Leonard Lopate (born September 23, 1940) is an American radio personality. He is the host of the radio talk show ''Leonard Lopate at Large'', broadcast on WBAI, and the former host of the public radio talk show ''The Leonard Lopate Show'', broad ...
'' on
WNYC WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC- ...
. ;''Ikland'' (2011) '' Ikland'' is a 2011 documentary about a journey into northern
Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
and visit with the notorious
Ik people The Ik people are an ethnic group or tribe native to northeastern Uganda, near the Kenyan border. Primarily subsistence farmers, most Ik live in small clan villages, or ''odoks'', in the area surrounding Mount Morungole in the Kaabong district. ...
. It was produced by Soling, and directed by Soling and David Hilbert. The Ik were famously described as sadistic monsters by
anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...
Colin Turnbull Colin Macmillan Turnbull (23 November 1924 – 28 July 1994) was a British-American anthropologist who came to public attention with the popular books '' The Forest People'' (on the Mbuti Pygmies of Zaire) and '' The Mountain People'' (on the I ...
in his 1972 ethnographic book ''
The Mountain People The Ik people are an ethnic group or tribe native to northeastern Uganda, near the Kenyan border. Primarily subsistence farmers, most Ik live in small clan villages, or ''odoks'', in the area surrounding Mount Morungole in the Kaabong district. T ...
.'' ''Ikland'' examines Turnball's description within the context of the Iks' lives and circumstances, and reveals the Ik in a more human way. The documentary was the Winner of the "Indie Spec Best Content in a Documentary" award at the 2011
Boston International Film Festival The Boston International Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Boston, Massachusetts which showcases over 90 films annually. Established in 2003 by film producer Patrick Jerome, the festival features independent films from ...
, and was positively reviewed by ''
Discover Magazine ''Discover'' is an American general audience science magazine launched in October 1980 by Time Inc. It is currently owned by LabX Media Group. History Founding ''Discover'' was created primarily through the efforts of ''Time'' magazine e ...
'' and ''
Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History 20th century Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen Wheeler, Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 19 ...
''. ;''Mr. Cevin and the Cargo Cult'' (2016) ''Mr. Cevin and the Cargo Cult'' is a 2016 documentary in which Soling sets out to fulfil the tribal prophecy of the
cargo cult Cargo cults were diverse spiritual and political movements that arose among indigenous Melanesians following Western colonisation of the region in the late 19th century. Typically (but not universally) cargo cults included: charismatic prophet ...
of
John Frum John Frum (also called Jon Frum, John Brum, and John Prum) is a figure associated with cargo cults on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu (formerly the New Hebrides). He is often depicted as an American World War II serviceman who will bring wealth ...
, on the island of Tanna in
Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...
. It was produced by Soling, and directed by Soling and David Guinan.


Spectacle films

Soling runs the New York City-based Spectacle Films, Inc.


Music career

In 1994, Cevin worked with Robert Church to produce Church's ''Smile Zone'' album.


The Neanderthal Spongecake (1998–2001)

In 1998, his band
The Neanderthal Spongecake Cevin Soling is an American writer, filmmaker, philosopher, musician, music producer, and artist. Soling writes articles and books in addition to producing documentaries, animations, short films, and feature films that engage in social critique ...
released their debut album, ''The Side Effects of Napalm''. Soling and keyboardist Bill Brandau produced the album along with backing from
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
-based band
Scary Chicken Scary Chicken is a Buffalo, New York–based band that was active 1989–2002. Formation Formed at the University at Buffalo, the band recorded and released 4 CDs and 2 cassettes, and has had songs placed in multiple Motion Picture Soundtracks ...
. The songs "This Thing" and the acoustic cover of "
Metal Health ''Metal Health'' is the third studio album by the American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Quiet Riot, released on February 28, 1983.FMQB New Releases (Feb. 18, 1983) The album spawned two hit singles: the Slade cover "Cum On Feel the Noize# ...
" with
Quiet Riot Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads, bassist Kelly Garni, and vocalist Kevin DuBrow. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin Du ...
vocalist
Kevin Dubrow Kevin Mark DuBrow (October 29, 1955 – November 19, 2007) was an American singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Quiet Riot from 1975 until 1987, and again from 1993 until his death in 2007. Early ...
both received extensive airplay on college and commercial radio in the United States. The song "Tastes Like Chicken" has been played on the
Dr. Demento Barret Eugene Hansen (born April 2, 1941), known professionally as Dr. Demento, is an American radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograp ...
show, and the song "Buffalo" was featured in the closing credits of the A&E series Confessions of a Matchmaker. In addition to tours, the band had a large following in their hometown of New York City, while the ''
Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...
'' listed the group as one of the top five bands performing in 1999's CMJ music conference. The band broke up in 2001 with the departure of then bassist Mark Tomase and drummer Martin Trum. Additional songs credited to The Neanderthal Spongecake after 2001 are solo recordings by Soling.


''When Pigs Fly'' (2002)

In 2002, Cevin served as executive producer of the album '' When Pigs Fly: Songs You Never Thought You'd Hear'', which is a collection of popular songs recorded by artists unlikely to record them. After his earlier success convincing
Kevin DuBrow Kevin Mark DuBrow (October 29, 1955 – November 19, 2007) was an American singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Quiet Riot from 1975 until 1987, and again from 1993 until his death in 2007. Early ...
of
Quiet Riot Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads, bassist Kelly Garni, and vocalist Kevin DuBrow. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin Du ...
to record a mellow version of the song "
Metal Health ''Metal Health'' is the third studio album by the American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Quiet Riot, released on February 28, 1983.FMQB New Releases (Feb. 18, 1983) The album spawned two hit singles: the Slade cover "Cum On Feel the Noize# ...
" with him, he got the idea for the project and began recruiting musicians to participate. Some of the songs on the album include a version of "
Unforgettable Unforgettable may refer to: Film * ''Unforgettable'' (1996 film), a thriller starring Ray Liotta * ''Unforgettable'' (2014 film), a Bollywood film * ''Unforgettable'' (2016 film), a South Korean film * ''Unforgettable'' (2017 film), an America ...
" by
Ani DiFranco Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco (; born September 23, 1970) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influenc ...
and
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...
, which he co-produced with DiFranco, Blondie's "Call Me" by
Alex Chilton William Alexander Chilton (December 28, 1950March 17, 2010) was an American musician, best known as the lead singer of the rock bands the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s as a teen vocalist for the Box Tops ...
and his band
The Box Tops The Box Tops is an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1967. They are best known for the hits " The Letter", "Cry Like a Baby", and " Soul Deep" and are considered a major blue-eyed soul group of the period. They performed a mi ...
, and a cover of "
Shock the Monkey "Shock the Monkey" is a song by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was released in September 1982 as the first single from his fourth self-titled studio album, issued in the US under the title ''Security''. The song peaked at number 29 ...
" by
Don Ho Donald Tai Loy Ho (; August 13, 1930 – April 14, 2007) was a Hawaiian traditional pop musician, singer, and entertainer. He is best known for the song "Tiny Bubbles" from the 1966 album of the same name. Early life, family and education Ho ...
which Cevin also produced.


The Love Kills Theory (2007–present)

Cevin is lead singer and songwriter of the band
The Love Kills Theory The Love Kills Theory is an alternative rock band based in New York City. They were formed in 2006 by Cevin Soling, and in January 2007 they released their debut album '' Happy Suicide, Jim!'', a thirteen track CD with philosophical and anti-cons ...
. Their album '' Happy Suicide, Jim!'' was released in January 2007. It charted on
CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...
's top 200 and was played in rotation on over 70 commercial radio stations.


Print media

His poetry earned him the title "Pharaoh of Fluff" at the 2009 Fluff Celebration in
Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 81, ...
. He has also written a series of ten illustrated books under the heading of ''The Rumpleville Chronicles''. The first three titles, ''The Jolly Elf'', ''The Disciples of Trotsky'', and ''The Bomb that Followed Me Home'' were released in the winter of 2008 through Monk Media.


References


External links

*
''The War On Kids'' documentaryXemu Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soling, Cevin Living people American documentary filmmakers 1966 births University of Michigan alumni Harvard University alumni Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni Union College (New York) alumni