They sold millions of records, landed three No. 1 hits, and won a Grammy. But they didn’t sing the songs.
Trailer for “Milli Vanilli”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan became two of the biggest pop stars on Earth even though the voices on their records belonged to other singers, including Brad Howell, Charles Shaw and John Davis.
- During a 1989 live MTV performance, the backing track malfunctioned and kept repeating part of “Girl You Know It’s True.” Rob eventually ran offstage. Amazingly, the incident did not immediately destroy the act.
- Milli Vanilli won the 1990 Grammy for Best New Artist. After producer Frank Farian publicly admitted Rob and Fab weren’t the singers, the Recording Academy revoked the award.
Watch “Milli Vanilli”
You can watch “Milli Vanilli” on Paramount+.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 92/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 92/100 (Users); 100/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: Luke Korem directed this 106-minute doc. His best decision was spending about a year convincing Fab Morvan to participate.
Release Date: June 10, 2023 (Tribeca Film Festival); October 24, 2023 (Paramount+)
Other Unique Stuff
- Korem found an audio interview Rob gave while in rehab only weeks before his death. That recording lets Rob tell part of the story himself instead of existing only through old TV clips and other people’s memories.
- Charles Shaw actually exposed part of the secret before the official collapse. He told the press that he was one of the real voices behind the group, but the Milli Vanilli machine kept rolling.
- One of the more interesting fights is over exactly when Rob and Fab knew what was happening. Fab says they were pressured into the scam and faced demands to repay their contract. Ingrid Segieth remembers things differently and says the guys agreed to the setup more readily.
Wrap Up:
I came into “Milli Vanilli” expecting a fun music-industry scam story. I left thinking that the two guys who became the punchline were only a small part of a much bigger con.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc