Top Five

So I recently went and saw, "The Runaways" a movie about the group of the same name and I came to the conclusion that I have so many other times: rock n' roll movies suck! I can only feel that Rock is so cartoonish that showing the story on the big screen just makes the infantile and self destructive behavior seem cliche. So are there any good rock n' roll movies? "Almost Famous" was nominated for best picture but I found it a bit flaccid. The allure of the rock n' roll ideal is the myth and the imagination that one has about it; the mystery is what makes it interesting. One assumes that the rock star has come form the gutter and has ascended to a place where they can have everything awesome they could desire which could be anything in the world from a pool full of fur coats and greased up bodies to a solid gold cock brace to a room that has flavored walls. Not Sugar Walls mind but that brings me to my next point, the top five rock n' roll movies. No rock operas, no concert films so this negates The Who and Led Zeppelin . . . so for good measure I won't allow Pink Floyd in this list either.



1. This Is Spinal Tap
2. Sid and Nancy
3. Purple Rain
4. The Decline Of Western Civilization
5. Hype

Most Rock movies fail partly because the lack of understanding that the music is supposed to be gritty, dirty and horny; that is the base for the genre, the beginning of it all. The movies often portray the whole experience as glamorous, shiny and crisp. The musicians portrayed as idols rather than the dirt bags they typically are. Additionally the sense of humor that flows in rock generally seems to be missing, if you've ever spent any time with a band you know that there's more joking than anything else; the songs never recorded but played in jest would be the funniest album ever. There's also a lot of beer and pizza and gas; it's not all sex and drugs. Maybe the trick to making a film on the subject is to make it all make sense.

Other Thoughts:
Rockstar was a huge failure.
I never saw Rock n' Roll High School.
Was Streets of Fire any good?
24 Hour Party People sort of fell short, too much about business
Truth or Dare fails because of Warren Beatty and Kevin Costner



The Doors was almost on the list and there is an argument even within my self that it should be, Val Kilmer was great Kyle McClaughlin was goodbut in the end it gets stupid too often and Meg Ryan.