Documentary about Lorain native Jason Molina debuts in Athens, Ohio

LORAIN — You never know where art might break out. In the case of "You F*ckers Figure It Out: A Jason Molina Story," the independent documentary detailing the life of the influential Lorain musician and songwriter, it was during the planning of a family reunion at the American Croatian Club. It wasn't Molina's family, but Tommy Nickoloff's that were coming back to roost in the fall of 2021. Nickoloff had known Molina since they were kids at Admiral King High School, years before Molina was playing around the world. Nickoloff sent the cousins a song in their group chat. "It was 'Leave the City.' It's about four minutes long and four minutes later my cousin Kristy Walker called me, and she said 'Why aren't we making a documentary on Jason Molina?'" "I said 'I'll call you back. I have phone calls to make.'" The film makes its world premiere Thursday at the 53rd Athens International Film + Video Festival. "It's super important to have this premiere in Ohio," he said. "I'm super pumped, can't wait." Before he died in 2013, Molina produced 16 studio albums, eight EPs and several singles. In the early half of his career, he played as Songs: Ohia, both in solo projects and with other musicians, and with the band Magnolia Electric Co. in the 2000s. His music blends elements of indie rock, folk, alternative country and slowcore or lo-fi, anchored by haunting lyrics. For Nickoloff, a first-time filmmaker, debuting the project that has taken the last several years of his life is almost a debt, finally paid: to Molina, the friend who was the voice of his youth, always encouraging him and all his friends to follow their talents for art; to Molina's fans, who continue to discover his work; and more than a little bit to Lorain. "I always say he's the most amazing musician nobody in Lorain's ever heard of," Nickoloff said. He and Molina grew up in the shadow of the steelyards, a place where factories died but rust grew like weeds. Lorain's bustling days were already fading, its rich cultural tapestry starting to fray as good jobs left with the industries, a place where you staked your future on what you built with sweat, not creativity. "Art wasn't encouraged in the late '80s in Lorain, Ohio, when everything was dying, and certainly not as a career," he said. "You know, being from here we've all heard of Toni Morrison but we don't hear much about other artists from here." Even in his own family, in a display case at the Croatian Club, there are personal reminders: Nickoloff's great-uncle Matthew Yuricich, won a special effects Academy Award for "Logan's Run'' in 1976. Another uncle, Richard Yuricich, did special effects for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind,'' "2001: A Space Odyssey,'' and all the Mission Impossible films. Molina, brilliant, bookish, with a love for history and the Civil War, grew up in a trailer on the edge of Lake Erie and went to Oberlin College on a full scholarship - but not for music. "He went to one of the most famed music schools in the world and did not study music. He studied antiquities," he said. But Molina knew he would leave Lorain behind and follow music. Always, Molina was there, urging Nickoloff: Just be an artist. But that factory town mindset is hard to overcome. "When Jay died and his physical voice went away in my life, I realized it's up to me now, my life was my responsibility to at least let myself see the possibility of being an artist come in," he said. "And when that call from Kristy came, it just opened the door." As it turned out, Walker — a San Diego photographer — is a huge Molina fan. She had no idea Nickoloff knew him, that his sister Lisa graduated with him, that Molina was a Lorain native. Nickoloff got on the horn to Todd Jacobs and Carl Raponi, members of Molina's high school band the Spineriders, and to Molina's dad. All were enthusiastic. Molina's father died the next day. "He never got to see it," Nickoloff said. Nickoloff wasn't going to be put off by lack of experience or script; Walker had worked on a few short music videos, and knew how to work a camera. A family friend, Alex Green, served as a gaffer operating cameras, carrying gear and other jobs. Nickoloff had a background in industrial design, he knew his way around software. The three set out conducting interviews, in a dozen Ohio locations and in Rhode Island, Seattle and Pittsburgh, stitching together the "contradictions" of Molina's life — as reflected in the title. It comes from a passage in Erin Osmon's biography of Molina, "Riding the Ghost," about the time Molina was pressed to design a band T-shirt for an upcoming tour. According to the story, it's the phrase he came up with, frustrated at the task. To Nickoloff, it encapsulates Molina. "He was always a great storyteller," he said. "Maybe the stories were truthful, but not factual. You never knew if he was telling you a lie or telling you a tall tale. You never knew, for sure, what his lyrics meant. It was just 'You f---ers figure it out.'" There was something about that even in his death. He died at age 39 alone in his Indianapolis apartment of alcohol-related organ failure. "I've seen him drink a total of 1.5 beers over the course of 15 years personally. We were all shocked. Totally, utterly, completely shocked. With what was his inner circle at the time, even his bandmates had a difficult time figuring it out." But his ending is not the story. It may not even be the ending; Molina, who experienced supernatural experiences since he was a kid, may be a ghost, Nickoloff said. "There's a humor and a wit, and ribald humor. That's still the same guy. He is an indie rock icon, but it's a portrait of a human and he started right here," Nickoloff said. "Jason's been dead for 13 years and he has almost 290,500 monthly listeners on Spotify," he said. "He has more fans now under the age of 30 than he did when we were 30." "I just think his unique voice, both lyrically and figuratively, and his authenticity just comes through," he said. The documentary's second screening will be an encore presentation in Athens on Saturday. It will also be shown May 6 at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival and at a "spotlight screening" May 16 at the Appalachian Film Festival in Huntington, West Virginia, a meaningful debut for Nickoloff as Molina's family has roots there. There will be a Jason Molina tribute concert to coincide with the event, featuring a reunion of his high school band, the Spineriders and younger artists inspired by Molina, William Matheny and Tucker Riggleman. For information about the film and future festival appearances, visit yffio.com. Contact Rini Jeffers at rinijeffers@gmail.com.