I’M AN ELECTRIC LAMPSHADE is an offbeat and heart-warming portrait of the world’s least likely rock star. This documentary-narrative hybrid feature tells the story of DOUG McCORKLE, a buttoned up, mild-mannered corporate accountant. After retiring at age 60, Doug puts his marriage and life savings on the line to chase his wildest dream.
In bland, suburban upstate New York, Doug has spent his life blending in with the crowd. But the performances of David Byrne and Michael Jackson led to daydreams of being adored like a rock star. A talented but untested singer, Doug uses his actual retirement as motivation to pen and perform his very first pop video. Encouraged by his colleagues’ reception, he decides to keep going.

With all odds stacked against him, Doug leaves his baffled but supportive wife GINA behind to set off on an international journey, in pursuit of his impossible dream. Our story departs its documentary style and the genre-bending fun begins. We are transported as the film’s second of four chapters offers a modern take on Dorothy’s arrival in Oz. Doug meets an eclectic cast of characters including hard knock drag queens, intimidating coaches, and ghosts of his past who challenge Doug to check his privilege and face his deepest fears. His mission is further complicated by problems at home, where Gina is fighting her own battle with mental illness in his absence. Tormented by guilt, self-doubt and the ridicule of his former peers, Doug’s journey turns inward, taking the form of a surreal music video, culminating in a visually stunning live concert, filmed before an audience of thousands in Mexico City.

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