Okay, so the “rock musical” thread was a Very Sad Thing indeed. This next video treasure hunt gives us ample opportunity to make us feel a whole lot better about the intersection of music and showbiz. What I’m looking for is the best performance — real or lip-synch’ed, actual YouTube links are appreciated — in a dramatic motion picture, in a “supporting role.” There are some ground rules:
- No clips from movies about the featured band
- No clips from musicals or concert films
- No clips from artists or bands who were responsible for writing/directing/producing/making the movie in any way
- No fake bands — though the band can be named facetiously in the script, it has to be a real rock combo, in real or faux performance
I hope this is clear enough. If it isn’t, consider The Yardbirds’ performance in Blowup — or, better yet, consider The Chocolate Watchband in Riot On Sunset Strip:
I look forward to your responses.
HVB
p.s.: Mad Props to Collin Wade Monk, Nashville scenester, rocker, and RTH lurker, for pointing me in the direction of this excellent clip. Hear Collin spiel at http://www.nashvillescene.com/Stories/Arts/Music/SceneCast.
Kenny Rogers and the First Edition – I forget if they were playing themselves or not – in the James Franciscus vehicle, The Dream Makers. (This reminds me: a friend of the Hall owns a 16-mm print of this film, which we’ve discussed building a live RTH gathering around…stay tuned…stay on my case, those of you who know me…)
Mod: you serious?!
I know this doesn’t really count but “Ming Tea” from Austin Powers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa8TyF6lo80
For a real answer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R43ub3z9VwM
Stevie Wonder with Dick Dale and His Del-tones
Hand over the belt!
oops- – From the movie “Muscle Beach”
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire. It’s an actual live performance, It’s GOOD, and it takes the plot further without being ABOUT the band.
‘From Her to Eternity’ is the song they perform, which gives them all extra points from me because it wasn’t the song they were “pushing” at the time. It was, by then, a few albums old.
Also, Fishbone, performing ‘Do The Ska’, in Frankie and Annette’s “Back To The Beach”. This was the first time blue Doc Martens appear in a film, thereby changing my life.
I like the Fishbone in Back To The Beach nomination.
This may all depend on whether or not I can find video of the Sic F*cks doing “Chop Up Your Mother” and “Rock Or Die” in the Jack Palance/Dwight “Howling Mad Murdock” Schultz/Marin Landau vehicle “Alone In the Dark” online.
In the meantime, the Blasters in Streets of Fire which was obviously disqualified from competing in the other thread because it’s a Rock ‘n Roll Fable, not a musical. Totally different thing, you see. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJjj2FszRgI
Wow, Townsman Shawnkilroy, great answers both!
Wings of Desire is one of my favorite movies ever. I don’t really like Nick Cave, but that scene in the club does work. I prefer the scene in the sequel where Lou Reed sits alone in an apartment singing something from Berlin (?) as it was meant to sound — with the guitar played through some kind of octave divider/synth thingy. It turns out Lou, like Peter Falk, is one of the angels. I looked, and it’s not on youtube.
A lesson on how to make an entrance and an exit, featuring Batgirl and The Cardigan YOU Chose To Be Ski Sweater Number One: http://youtube.com/watch?v=7_xBT_xavzM
Alexmagic: we have a new leader! Sorry, Nick Cave and Lou Reed fans, this is just too good — and the scene features Yvonne Craig! Rrrrrowr!
Hrrundi, regarding your earlier question, yes, I’m serious!
I just thought of a good one, so good that you might want to HAND OVER THE BELT NOW: The Circle Jerks in Repo Man, you know, when they’re the louge act in the background of a scene. I’m not finding a clip of that, nor am I finding the clip of Elvis Costello and the guy with the puffy white hair performing “Delilah” in Alex Cox’s underappreciated Straight to Hell.
Alexmagic – FTW!
DI
T.S.O.L &
THE VANDALS
in Penelope Spheris’ SUBURBIA.
The mention of Elvis Costello reminds me … isn’t there a film where he appears out of nowhere to sing Clean Money, the song that showed up on the Taking Liberties LP? Was it Eat the Rich? I can’t locate the info.
BigSteve: I think it was AMERICATHON. With…John Ritter? Think so.
A photo from the scene in question. Never seen the flick, but I LOVE that song. So I’m gonna say… good one!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Elvis-Costello-Orig-Movie-Photo-Americathon_W0QQitemZ7609114417QQihZ016QQcategoryZ85976QQcmdZViewItem
The Circle Jerks in “Eraserhead”!!!!
The Circle Jerks are in Eraserhead??? Do tell, Saturnismine.
How ’bout Los Lobos in La Bamba. They may have been the only good thing in that movie.
no…wait…not eraserhead…
fuck…it’s “repo man”. they’re doing a shticky version of “when the shit hits the fan”.
i was (and am) in a hurry….
Good one, Mod!
I’m surprised the music/film nerds around here haven’t coughed up more examples from cheesey 60s movies, like Cap’n Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters in “Weekend at Party Pier.” That’s the kind of stuff I was hoping we could unearth.
Speaking of film nerd-ery, I watched “The Stuntman” last night, and discovered it wasn’t as totally midblowing as I remember it being when I saw it as an impressionable youth in the theater. Peter O’Toole is fun to watch in a scenery-eating monster kind of way, and that dude who plays the stuntman is *amazing* — but I kept waiting for the movie-within-a-movie-within-a-movie wheels to really start spinning out of control, and they never really did. Anybody else know and love/hate this movie? Dr. John?
Yeah, speaking of 60s cheesy movies, here’s Little Richard from Catalina Caper (saw it on MST3000). He’s definitely hopped up on goofballs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKvfsiBiRIE
Haven’t seen The Stuntman, but always wanted to.
Nice one, Doctor! Here’s the Knickerbockers in another surf party movie doing a really nice, swinging version of “It’s Not Unusual.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amamAyDXx6E
Hrrundi, I LOVE that movie as well!!! I also saw it in the theater as a kid. It’s not quite as magical these days for sure, but neither is Excalibur, which I also saw on the big screen. (both feature humping) Steve Railsback is the name of the Stuntman. He is the guy who played Charlie Manson in the HELTER SKELTER movie. He was also in the alien vampire flick, LIFEFORCE and the John Candy security guard movie, ARMED AND DANGEROUS.
Lovin’ Spoonful in What’s Up Tiger Lily. http://youtube.com/watch?v=V4Q0Wh-sTw0