Meet Famous Eddie Plein – the biggest fashion icon you never heard of. Eddie was the visionary behind grillz, the culture-changing dental jewelry that came to dominate the zeitgeist — celebrities, rappers, athletes, models, anyone who is anybody wears grillz. In his feature documentary, Mouth Full of Golds, Lyle Lindgren showcases the rise and fall of Famous Eddie’s Gold Teeth and the players surrounding grillz. The documentary expertly utilizes archival footage interpolated with modern interviews and reenactments to envisage this history. Mouth Full of Golds stars Famous Eddie Plein, Goldie, Mike Tyson, A$AP Rocky, Dolly Cohen, Michèle Lamy, Ferg, and more. For Lindgren, the film is a testament to independent filmmakers and a love letter to grillz and grillz culture.
The big motivation really for this whole project is having gotten to know Eddie so well and his family. The main priority was etching his position in history into mainstream culture. I wanted the audience to really think when you think about grills, you get a sense of the history of where they come from. I think Eddie had missed that mark. The world had gone from analog to digital, and he just missed the wave. So, it always felt like a bit of a shame that he’d been forgotten. My own selfish message would be that Eddie is the originator. But I think a bigger message is for younger filmmakers to think about those stories that maybe didn’t get digitized, that are getting lost that deserve to be put on a pedestal. I personally still really want to see a Dapper Dan feature film. I think Dapper Dan’s story is crazy, and there are elements to it that people don’t know about him, foregoing University to go and travel around Africa and immerse himself in different cultures. So, I think it’s probably those two layers to be honest.
Lindgren joins The Rolling Tape to discuss his lifelong fascination with grillz, how he befriended and collaborated with famous British Rapper Goldie, his journey as an independent filmmaker, and his experience rummaging through the archives for footage.
Follow our interviewees online:
Lyle Lindgren on IMDB, Instagram
Follow our interview host online:
Mariana Fabian
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Credits:
- Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
- Artwork: Danny Jarabek
- Editor: Danny Jarabek
- Assistant Producer: Evan Miller
- Feature Image Credit to Mouth Full of Golds, Monomania, and Affine Films