Sex, drugs, rock’n'roll, oh and action!

It has recently been announced that Martin Scorsese is sticking with music for his film-making inspiration, after making the Stones flick Shine a Light, and he is to complete a project to tell the story of the mobster pin up Frank ‘Old Blue Eye’s’ Sinatra, simple called Sinatra.  This got us thinking about music biopics.

Thinking about it made me wonder why we don’t see more music legends on film? Apart from the recent additions to the genre of Ray and Walk the Line, they are few and far between.  Both of these movies were really entertaining, most people know of their success but the most interesting aspects are always the harsh times stars like Ray Charles went through, before the film I had no idea he was blind (jokes) but I really had no clue that heroin played such a strong part in building and destroying aspects of him. Johnny Cash was a drinker, but his life story was staggering and inspiring for many.

Will all the best films be about the stars who overdosed or died young? Or are some going to be too cheesy and crap like Spice world and just disappoint and not really get you anywhere.

So I thought about this and, although I have probably missed a lot off and forgotten about some, I thought about the bands that I would like to know more about. Maybe they have been made, maybe I have the information wrong, and if I have please point me in the right direction.

 

AC/DC

Selling over 200 million disks worldwide, including 71 million albums in America this band will always have a footing as early pioneers of Heavy Metal. Formed in 1973 in Sydney by Angus and Malcolm Young these brothers created a revolution.

Tragedy struck on 19th February 1980 when lead vocalist Bon Scott died of misadventure after passing out in a Camden club. Reports inform us that he vomited in his sleep and this led to his death. So what did AC/DC do next?

They thought about disbanding but what they had, although it would never be the same, was something special. So they made the bold step to go on, found Brian Johnson and released Back In Black, their biggest hit. From a death of a loved one to one of the biggest bands in the world, there’s a great story waiting to be told here.

 

The Rolling Stones

I have to admit that these boys are my favourite band in the world. What they do on stage is mind blowing, I have seen them a few times and each time was electric. But off the stage they hardly talk, 40 years of being together and sharing limelight can take its toll. We did have the Brian Jones story but there are other fascinating tales from within the Big Tongue brand.

There are many films made about the Stones, but they all seem to be documentaries of moments. There is the story of a free gig in Hyde Park in honour of Brian Jones, the story of a free concert in the states that the Hells Angels acted as security and killed a man and fly on the wall documentaries of concert tours.

Here’s a great example of some of their antics that would feature in a great biopic

 

Tupac Shakur

East Coast West Coast. I will never quite understand what the hell started this battle apart from maybe a very clever PR company that thought about turning music into a franchise. But we had Notorious and if it is to be believed he was just trying to save a friend from getting a beating, and that escalated into the end of Biggie and Tupac’s friendship.
But lets see it in his eyes. A true picture to keep the east coast west coast rivalry alive or simply just blow it out the water so we can remember these greats together. You could make hundreds of endings as well, is he alive or not? If he came back would it resurrect a legend or would people be annoyed that he has hidden for so long.
So what of the man? Someone tell his story, which along with the well publicised feud feature some other great bits of info that aren’t really well known, like the fact his immediate family were active members of the Black Panther party.

 

Chas and Dave

Yes, you read that correctly, Chas and Dave!  They might be considered a bit of a joke in the music industry but they really do deserve a place in Rock and Roll history. They have made two FA Cup Final songs for Spurs, one of their tracks was used for a hook on Eminem’s breakthrough track, the inspired the Libertines, played Glastonbury and in 1979 they opened a gig at Knebworth for a small band called Led Zeppelin.

So what happened to them? They still tour but with the semi-serious/semi-comical brand of Rockney music, a cross between cockney and rock. 14 albums later they are still best mates, work hard for charity and still entertain quite a few.

They really did play Glastonbury, see:

 

The Rat Pack

No, Old Blue Eyes, Deano and the one they racially abused for so long, Davies Jnr. is not the Ratpack I am talking about. Many films are good with them but back in the 1990’s music evolved, the spirit of 60’s free love was back and the party scene was flooded with a new cocktail, Ecstasy, and Rave was born. Thousands would gather to hear loud fast paced music in farmers fields or forgotten airfields or empty warehouses. It was an easy set up, 2x turntables, 1x mixing deck, 1x stereo so loud it would blow woman’s clothes off, 1x microphone for a Master of Ceremonies. You then have the makings of a rave.

It’s not so much the band that deserves a film but more the music and scene. Using the Ratpack is easy as they are the most famous product of what is now beloved as OldSkool. But it could have been any of the DJ’s slamming vynl on any of the pirate radio stations or in-between gogo dancers on a big stage. It defined a generation and spawned influence in mainstream music with the ability of the remix.

 

Amy Winehouse

We need to save this girl. That is what you think when you see the heavily tattooed songstress with the massive beehive hair style. So why haven’t we?

Living in the public eye is hard on anyone, having the press follow you everywhere you go is unfortunately the way a modern celebrity has to live their life. But with this in mind why have we let Wino go the way of Moon, Morrison, Charles Cobain in destroying their lives.

For many the overdose death of a rock star is shocking and sad, for this lass I have heard older people say I hope she doesn’t die or I wont be able to talk to teenagers about music any more. It may have to wait until she does die or become a clean sober nun for this film to be made but it is a wasted talent and a movie could be the wake up call the woman needs.

 

The Who

I recently watched a interview with Pete Townsend, the charismatic beardy who re-invented the electric guitar to be called an axe. He smashed the crap out of stages, bars, equipment and of course his and other band member instruments while also using the full arm strumming technique. But in his interview he told of how he was not that keen on the rock and roll lifestyle and didn’t really like his band.

The anecdote that makes my think that this band needs a biopic was the tale of disgust that Townsend, still angry 30 years on, recounted. The band had played a massive gig state side and had overslept. The road manager wakes them all up and they start heading for an airport with just enough time to get the plane. At this point Keith Moon freaks out. He has to go back to his hotel room, he wont say why but he had to and it was urgent. So they turn round and pull up in the parking lot. As they wait in the car looking at their watches with this plane on their minds they discuss why they had to come back. Forgotten passport, maybe some drugs where still in the room that needed clearing, a firearm still under the pillow…SMASH. In front of the car the hotel rooms television hit the ground and hard, moon jumps back in the car and just says ‘few, I nearly forgot to do that.’

 
So that’s my list.  Can Cameron Crowe, or anyone please step up to the plate and make movies about these legends? Make a film that will go down in history as being as great as the music these people played. Dont limit it to these people either, music keeps evolving and keeps growing, stories keep getting created, so lets tell them.

Oh, why did I mention Cameron Crowe? Well it was his movie that, as well as introducing me to the beauty of Kate Hudson, created one of my favourite scenes in musical film history: