Dead Stars: Dennis Hopper

Dead at 74 from Cancer, Dennis Hopper was a mad man of an actor. he pushed counter culture in his films but probably can't recall any of in. Did you know he was born in Dodge City, KS?
Top 5 Dennis Hopper Roles (no order)
Easy Rider: Billy
Blue Velvet" Frank Booth
Basquiat: Bruno Bischofberger
Speed: Howard Payne
Apocalypse Now: Photojournalist

Here's to you're fuck, Frank!

Top Five Front Men

They strut, stumble and stomp around! The bands front man and singer typically makes the biggest connection with the audience getting them riled up and excited by saying ridiculous things and shaking his money maker. Top five front men; these guys are copied and emulated by just abut everyone.
1. Jim Morrison
Public drunkenness and indecent exposure aside he was a true, timeless rock star
2. Steven Tyler
Brought us scarves and Attitude
3. Mick Jagger
The strut and finger wag are just a couple of his moves that are instantly recognizable
4.David Lee Roth
Karate kickin' coke head band leader
5. Freddy Mercury
The greatest Showmen of them all!

A Top 5!

Why was I thinking about this? Why was I contemplating the end of the world? It's just one of those things that creeps in while riding public transit. Here are my top 5 end of the world songs. (in no particular order)

Ball of Confusion By Love and Rockets
I enjoy the cover more than the Temptation's original.
Eve of Destruction by barry McGuire
You can hear the faded drums in background as bombs exploding in the distance, haunting
When the Man comes Around by Johnny Cash
Biblical Revelations song
Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival
The most chipper song about everything going to hell. This song is not about werewolves.
World Wide Suicide by Pearl Jam
Angry at what the world is doing to it's self song

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.

Top 5: You Should Be Dead

I can't help my morbid ways at times so this is a top five of musicians who should have died.

1. Axl Rose
Mr. Rose should have passed at some point in 1989 while Guns n' Roses were at their biggest and most self destructive. While some of the Use You Illusion songs are fine to listen to it's really not the same thing, in fact it's like listening to another band all together at times.



2. Amy Winehouse
I actually think she may in fact be a zombie at this point.



3. Fiona Apple
Makes me sad she has to walk this earth so miserable but then again maybe it's the whole vegan lifestyle



4. Any Member of Fleetwood Mac
It just seems like one of these folks should have kicked the bucket along the way

5. Sean Ryder
Every music movement needs to make at least one sacrifice to the Rock gods, Sean should have been the Manchester

Honorable Mention:

Nikki Sixx you should have stayed dead at least one of those times

Jim Morrison we all know you're still out there you drunk, fat Lizard King you!

Mr. Morrison you've gone Too Far

Was your life good enough to make a movie about? Jim Morrison asked a similar question at one point and back in the early 90s Oliver Stone decided in Jim's case the answer was yes. So he's had that going for him along with the music he made with the Doors being used in countless films and TV Shows "Apocalypse Now", "JFK", "Family Ties" even in the trailer for Disney/Pixar picture, "Monsters Inc." which is a kids movie. Side note about that, a guy I knew after seeing that preview revealed that he hoped that (Break on Through) song was in the movie.



Do I like Jim Morrison? No, I never met the man; in fact I believe he died before I was born in a bath tub in Paris or was it a night club in Paris or will we ever know? Do I like The music the Doors made? Yes I do, very much. So why all this then? Well, when I was a teenager I was heavily into the music and even read the biography, "No one Here Get's Out Alive" Part of that interest stayed with me and on rare occasion when I find myself at a karaoke bar it is not unusual to hear belt out "Road House Blues" or "Break On Through". There is a simple reason for this; it's easy to croon and growl through those ditties. Maybe if I ever sing again I'll try "Alabama Song"


Once I even dropped myself to the floor to complete the Jim Morrison effect resulting in a very bruised shoulder that hurt for days. Too much whiskey I suppose was the influence rather than Jim manifesting into my body but I digress.


Jim Morrison is the archetype rock star, making it what it is today. Before him there was some bad behavior from Jerry Lee Lewis but Morrison took it to a new level of bad behavior. Doing everything in excess which certain personalities are apt to do especially when the world is available to them. Every douchebag to shimmy into leather pants since has tried to be that man in some way and usually that way is the sex and drugs part. Face it the Rock n' Roll is just a front for most of the tools who prance about on stage singing some sort of unfortunate song. Have I ever got into leather pants you ask? Yes but they never fit so I don't count. I have heard and witnessed guys who start wearing leather pants seem to be taken over by them; they let the pants do the living for them. Did this kill Jim Morrison? No, it was heart problems related to liquor, drugs and fat department. Dennis Leary said it best "Jim Morrison -- I'm drunk, I'm nobody. I'm drunk, I'm famous. I'm drunk, I'm dead."



Here are a few quotes which his brilliance and stupidity:

"Actually I don't remember being born, it must have happened during one of my black outs."

"I am the Lizard King, I can do Anything"

"It's like gambling somehow. You go out for a night of drinking and you don't know where your going to end up the next day. It could work out good or it could be disastrous. It's like the throw of the dice."

"Some of the worst mistakes of my life have been haircuts."

"Where's your will to be weird?"

"When you make your peace with authority, you become authority."

You can decide what stuff he was made of but I'll tell you looking over some of the stuff he was quoted he talked a lot about friends; it seemed important to him or he had his own meaning of the term. Maybe he thought it meant hot dogs, I don't know.
Anyway the Lizrd King was a reckless and hellbent man with his own chaotic agenda that from what I read and figure tore everything around him apart including himself.



Because I want to keep things simple here are my Top Five Doors Songs
1. L.A. Woman
2. Peacefrog/Blue Sunday
3. Road House Blues
4. Break On Through
5. Hello, I love you

Is it wrong that I wish I could sell Doors music through this blog?

Top 5: Crazy Chick Songs

Everybody knows a crazy chick and many people have unfortunately had to see the crazy up close, here are a few of their best anthems.


Here's my Top 5 Crazy Chick Songs


Leslie Gore: It’s My Party
Granted she has every right to be upset and every right to cry her boyfriend is a douche bag but let’s be realistic about this; she should have just sent everybody home. She makes everything sound cute but if you’ve ever been to a party where there’s a crying girl you know it’s no treat and if it is her house it’s even worse for there. Even though there is no consolation everybody better try or run far away.
“It's my party and I'll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to, cry if I want to
You would cry too if it happened to you”


Fiona Apple: Criminal
Yes, I could pick any song from her repertoire but I’m taking this one because it’s pretty over the top.
“I’ve got to make a play
To make my lover stay
So, what would an angel say?
cause the devil wants to know”
Good job proving teenage girls deserve to be kept in the fires of hell until they’re about 24.




Garbage: Vow
Ladies and gentleman: Shirley Manson. She may seem like the cool chick at the party maybe even one of the boys but it’s apart of her greater wackiness
“I came to cut you up
I came to knock you down
I came around to tear your little world apart
I cam to shut you up
I came to drag you down
I came around to tear your little world apart
And break your soul apart"

You burn and burn to get under my skin
You’ve gone too far now I wont give in
You crucified me but I’m back in your bed
Like Jesus Christ coming from the dead”




Hole: Doll Parts
Yes, here’s an obvious choice but then again some crazy is loud and proud. Even if Ms. Love’s late husband wrote the song it still doesn’t change the fact that Courtney is loco!
“I love him so much it just turns to hate
I fake it so real, I am beyond fake
And someday, you will ache like I ache
Someday, you will ache like I ache”




Kate Bush: Running Up That Hill
Some how I never really understood these lyrics until the past year and at that moment I shuddered. Maybe I’m naïve but I don’t think this thought process is healthy.
“You don’t want to hurt me,
But see how deep the bullet lies.
Unaware I’m tearing you asunder.
Ooh, there is thunder in our hearts.

Is there so much hate for the ones we love?
Tell me, we both matter, don’t we?
You, it’s you and me.
Its you and me won’t be unhappy.”



Honorable Mention goes to Peaches for F@#* The Pain Away but the lyrics really aren’t that crazy, just random.

Top 5: Led Zeppelin's Reach

Top fives have been around since there have been countdowns and lists but were made totally valid in the book and later the film, "High Fidelity". Now us geeks can rally around it with a sureness to our categorization style. If you haven't seen the movie you really should, if you read, go read the book; it's a gem!





Top 5 Led Zeppelin songs not by Led Zeppelin

Lenny Kravitz: Rock n' Roll is Dead
"Heartbreaker" is a great song and should be left alone but Lenny is a rock star and can pull off almost anything (including your pants).

Kingdom Come: Get It On
They did have Jason Bonham son of John Bonham drumming for them but it's still not an excuse as much as it is an awesome way to sell your band!

White Snake: Still Of The Night
David Coverdale and company get very sexy and very metal on this 6 minute plus ballad to having sex. It is a great song that makes air guitarists very happy.

Jane's Addiction: Mountain Song
Argue all you want and then go listen to the song again, the elements are there including British 70's style drumming and the bass that keeps you locked in.

Coheed and Cambria: Welcome Home
This is the magnum opus of Coheed and Cambria and I have to believe they know it. The song as it all cryptic lyrics, powerful guitar, thundering drums and vocals not to be messed with. Not only is this song Kashmir on steroids but the video has the guy playing the double neck guitar and the band uses this as there symbol:



vs.