I’m not really posting as much as I want to. As usual, I end up disappointing myself. In the last week, the only news seems to be sad, anyway. Alan Rickman. Glenn Frey of the Eagles. Brian Bedford, who I only knew as the voice of Disney’s Robin Hood. They have all passed away this past week. Honestly, the loss of David Bowie has upset me the most. This past Sunday morning I had a meeting at work, and as I was warming up my car in the 1 degree weather to leave before returning in the afternoon, I was really upset because Starman was on the radio, but it was ending. But even just the ending was quite lovely to listen to. Then they played Rebel Rebel, and I was still just chilling in my car and this point, shaking it a bit because I couldn’t help but dance, even if it wasn’t to the fullest potential because I was still sitting in my car. Then at least two more Bowie classics played while I was still driving…I can’t remember for sure, but I think it was 97.1fm the Drive pulling on my heartstrings. The music of David Bowie brings me so much joy, and I like to think I’m honoring his memory by dancing when he comes on.

Earlier this week I was going through a drawer in my room (everyday I’m off I attempt to go through things and dispose of what’s unnecessary; I’m a bit of a pack-rat), and I found my little patch collection I had started when I was like…12? 13? I had plans to put them on a jean jacket…that never happened.  Alas, I still have the jacket, since I think I only purchased that in high school, and you can see here that I still have the patches…most of them, anyway. I have a Spinal Tap patch somewhere I can’t find.

And yes, I know I’m missing Peter Criss, but that’s not my fault; my brother gave me the Kiss ones as part of a large collection of his he passed down to me and either couldn’t find Peter to even purchase, or lost it…but it’s cool, I have other cool Kiss things from him to make up for that.

But just admire my David Bowie patch for a minute. It still has a sticker on the back that says “WILD ROOTS $4.99”. Wild Roots is a little store in the town I’ve lived in my entire life, they sell tie dye shirts, band shirts, posters, incense, hemp jewelry – it’s a delightful hippie store so naturally I love it. And yes, that Rolling Stones one is light pink…because why the hell not?! Isn’t it pretty?!

Again, I need to either actually do my jean jacket plan, or find something else to put these on; they are all way too cool to just sit in a drawer. Or maybe I’ll make something I’ll find on Pinterest, like a collage of patches in a frame…and I didn’t even think of that until just now! I’m a genius!

But guys. Alan Rickman. Such an amazing actor. I like how much he creeped me out in Sweeney Todd and how gentle his heart is in Sense and Sensibility, but as a child he got me the most as Snape. Okay, here’s some background- when I was a child and the Harry Potter phenomenon was invading everywhere, I decided to like Slytherin because little Rita had a crush on Tom Felton, otherwise known as Draco Malfoy. Also, I personally think he has the best name, but that’s besides the point. As a Slytherin fan, of course I loved Snape. When my best friend Hallie and I would play with our Harry Potter action figures, I pretended that one of the Hermione toys we had was a character I had conjured up myself; Star Snape, the daughter of Severus Snape. I imagined a backstory for her, explaining her mother’s whereabouts (she was probably dead in my story) and whatnot, but I don’t remember the details of it. And of course, Star was in love with Malfoy and they were going steady so I could imagine myself with Malfoy. Naturally, Daddy Snape approved the crap out of this courtship. And yes, I realize this is all incredibly silly, but I was a child!

This month must be stopping being so crappy.

Fellow lovers of rock, today we all mourn the loss of our David Bowie. He had been battling cancer for 18 months. He was 69 years old and his birthday was just this past Friday, he also released his last album that day. I was so shocked when I read the news, because he had kept his illness out of the press. I just kept thinking about how he literally released a new album just days ago, how could this be? Evidently David Bowie actually intended to this last album, Blackstar, to be a farewell gift; the last he would be able to give his fans.

I’ve always loved David Bowie and his ever-changing personas, his style, his voice- heck, I even adore his hair over the years. Sometime mid-afternoon on New Year’s Eve, I got into my car, a bit emotionally distressed. I was sick, stressing out about a lot of things- I was simply a mess. When I turned on the radio, I was excited to hear Bowie’s classic “Golden Years”. I shrieked in excitement by myself in my car because I hadn’t heard that song in a while and I missed it. However, I soon realized it was actually ending. Pretty sure I started swearing in my poor Ruby Tuesday. I wasn’t in the mood or didn’t like whatever played after that, but the next channel I changed it to, “Golden Years” had just begun. I’ve had a lot of lovely moments with my radio, but this one has to be the best. Somehow, somewhere, it was understood that I truly needed that song at that moment. I don’t even remember which station it was, but I simply felt blessed. Like it was meant to be a sign, to show me that I would be alright.

I read the news last night just before I went to bed, and it actually took me over an hour to fall asleep after reading that. I was too stunned, too upset, also in pure disbelief. I read some more of Before the Awakening (yes, it’s a Star Wars book) to focus on something else and eventually I was able to slumber. And I was just thinking about him earlier that night, too; when I was working on my previous blog post, I was writing about Almost Famous, this fantastic rock and roll movie. There is a scene at a hotel where the rock stars are staying at, and David Bowie is there (played by an actor, but still), and this Bowie fan in the lobby who had just been complaining about Bowie’s work at the time just can’t even help himself when he catches a glimpse of his idol heading towards the elevator. Just watch the first twenty seconds or so. Watch him scream in excitement, and look at the other fans around dressed like David Bowie.

Needless to say, I have spent most of my day listening to my favorite David Bowie songs, which include but are not limited to the following: “Let’s Dance”(definitely my #1), “Rebel, Rebel”, “Suffragette City”, “I’m Afraid of Americans”, and so forth. Right now I’m actually watching Guardians of the Galaxy…I know, it only has one David Bowie song in it, but it makes me happy. That’s another movie I can watch a billion times in a row and never get tired of. But when I’m simply listening to the music, I’m dancing around in my room. I’m dancing all over the place, like when Mick Jagger joined David Bowie for some dancing in the street.

Today, my tears and my happiness are dedicated to you, David Bowie. My thoughts and prayers are with your wife, children, and the rest of your family.

Rock in Peace.

I’ve decided to do that fairly standard and slightly stereotypical list thing that websites do; I must present to you a list of the greatest Rock and Roll movies of all time! However, I can’t rank them. There are obviously some I love more than others, but what does that matter? They each deserve recognition and love. And I actually already have dedicated an entire blog post to what I consider to be both the best movie and the best rock and roll movie ever: Pirate Radio. But, to recap briefly, it’s beautiful because it’s funny, charming, filled with friendships and romance, and- most importantly for me- rock and roll and a deep love for that rock and roll. I believe I posted that around the end of December; I delve into my love for that movie pretty thoroughly.

Alas, here are the others that are secondary to Pirate Radio in being a great rock and roll themed movie:

This Is Spinal Tap

One of my favorite experiences in life is laughing, and that’s pretty much the bulk of my reactions to this movie. I already love rock stars, long hair, ridiculously tight pants, British accents, so I was bound to love this movie. This “rockumentary” does well in catering to rock lovers by showing us that stage life, the performances, the backstage environment, but I think the humor and even the vulnerability of these characters are what make this movie appealing to everyone, rock lover like myself or not. Yes, the movie is about an 80’s metal band (who actually have been a band since the 60’s so it’s not even truly fair to label them as only as 80’s metal band, but that’s just so you have the proper image in your head), but this band actually isn’t hugely successful. You’re able to laugh at them, though, when nobody shows up for their record signing or when gigs are cancelled due to low ticket sales. You’re even more able to laugh at them when stage props go horribly wrong, like when they leave their largely incompetent manager to handle things:

Nigel doesn’t even know it just yet, but that little Stonehenge monument being lowered just slightly behind him was actually supposed to “20 feet high”, but because Nigel gave Ian, their manager, this napkin drawing, and Ian didn’t bother you know…fixing it, you end up with disappointed and humiliated rock stars.

You want them to win, but it’s just too funny when they don’t. They can’t even go to an airport without one of them being searched and discovering they tried to fool everyone with a foiled-up cucumber in their trousers. For the sake of comedy, please enjoy the crap out of this movie.

School of Rock

This movie is similar to Pirate Radio in that part of its’ appeal to me is how passionate the main characters are about rock.

Okay, maybe just Jack Black’s character in the beginning…but how freaking cool is it that he gives these already musically inclined kids the grand gift of rock and roll?! I love his chart of rock and roll history on the chalkboard, how he gives the kids various albums on CD to listen to for homework, and even shows them a bit of rock and roll (the drumming montage featuring Keith Moon is just beautiful). Also, Jack Black and those kids are hilarious. They’re endearing, some sweet, some sassy, and a few of them insecure, like I’m sure many of us were at that tender middle-schoolish age. I know I was. I had no self-confidence whatsoever. “I can’t play rock and roll, I’m not cool enough,”; how adorable and sad is that?! And you know what?! He certainly was cool enough for rock and roll, bless his shy little heart. And here’s my favorite sassy moment:

Paired with an awesome rock and roll soundtrack and references, these hilarious kids and the even more hilarious Jack Black make this movie one of the best ever. ROCK AND ROLL!!

That Thing You Do!

For whatever reason, I don’t think this movie is as well-known as others on this list, and I have no idea why. It’s written and directed by Tom Hanks!! He’s always been one of my favorite actors, and to me, it’s even cooler that he’s a huge classic rock and roll fan; he loves the Beatles (which he also incorporates into this film in more than a few ways but my favorite way is a major spoiler, so….) and is even an executive producer of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies. This movie even has the gorgeous Liv Tyler, talented actress but also the daughter of the legendary Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith! It’s just so laced with rock and roll, it’s wonderful. It’s about a band in the early 1960’s making it big with their first major hit single, and the journey ahead of them. Like the others on this list, it’s quite hilarious; Steve Zahn and Ethan Embry are both members of the band and they’re both delightful. But you also get the drama and the tension that forms when a band is successful and it all happens so quickly. And of course, there’s a little bit of romance as well. There’s so many little things I love, like the overall 60’s-ness of it all, the reference to other artists from the time, how the band members are with each other…I could go on, but just take these few specific things I love about it; it includes one of my favorite scenes in cinema EVER.

When they hear their song on the radio for the first time, it’s incredibly blissful and sweet. Liv Tyler, who is the lead singer’s girlfriend/muse, hears it first, and gradually the band all meet at the drummer’s father’s appliances store. Guys, I’m not kidding, this scene makes me tear up every single time. They’re just so freaking happy. Nothing can bring them down in this moment. You’re full of crap if you’re telling me you’ve seen a group of people any happier than these kids are.

Even in this poor quality youtube video of the moment, I still cry.

Other thing I love that is kind of a spoiler…but all you need to know is there’s a dramatic break up at some point, and Liv Tyler delivers this beautiful and sad speech. This is just a snippet, but you really should just watch the movie to hear it all:

Rock and Roll High School

Okay, so based on my previous experiences of showing this movie to my friends who aren’t quite as rock and roll obsessed as I am, this one might be considered more enjoyable for us rock fans. That, of course, isn’t to say that it is exclusively for rock fanatics; it has so much silliness that you can’t resist it. But, back to the rock and roll; like the others, the soundtrack is amazing. Unlike the others, this one actually stars a legendary rock band in the flesh: the Ramones. Released in 1979, this was pretty much at the height of their punk rock career. They actually perform in it and drive the plot. Riff Randell, played by P.J. Soles (who is otherwise known for playing bitches in horror movies in the late 70’s), is just an awesome character. A passionate lover of rock, all she wants in life is to see the Ramones in concert and give them the songs she has written for them. Basically, Riff Randell is the original fangirl. She loves them so much, and I adore that about her. I feel like I am her. Of course, I have never been cool enough to write songs for any of my favorite bands; I’ve only fantasized about the Rolling Stones writing a song about me once I tell them that’s what it will take for them to be a step above the Beatles in my heart. One of my favorite scenes is when the Ramones just show up at the line of people waiting for people to buy concert tickets (in the days before the internet, people actually physically waited in lines to see their favorite artists) and they’re doing one of my favorite songs of theirs (“I Just Want to Have Something To Do”) and Riff is just having the time of her life (when she’s not battling the bitch groupie that cut in front of her in the ticket line while Riff was sleeping). She is dancing, jumping, smiling- you look at her and know she’s in pure ecstasy. For some reason, the internet does not have any pictures of this moment I’m so in love with, so I awkwardly attempted to capture this moment with my phone camera while watching it on DVD…however, my blu ray player kinda sucks and doesn’t let me rewind in slo-mo AND pause- my last one did. Oh well. JUST LOOK AT HER HAPPY FACE, SHE IS TOSSING HER HEAD IN BLISS BECAUSE HER IDOLS ARE A MERE LIKE FIVE FEET AWAY:

Out of context, this looks creepy, but it’s one of my favorite scenes in this movie. You just can’t beat the feeling of rock and roll.

My other favorite scene is when she actually meets them, and she’s just so happy. Joey Ramone, her favorite and her dear crush, remembers her name and even sweetly waves to her as she is rushed out of the room by their stereotypical jerk manager.

So, if you want to see a series of unlikely events like a rock band come to a high school and help its’ students take over the school, you are in for one heck of a treat. Seriously, I can’t get enough of this movie. I’ve watched it a handful of times every year since I was 13.

Almost Famous

I know I said I wasn’t going to rank these movies, but honestly speaking, this is probably the absolute best aside from Pirate Radio. Based on the real-life experiences of former rock journalist turned movie dude Cameron Crowe, this just feels so authentic. We follow the sweet William Miller as he writes a piece for Rolling Stone Magazine, on the road with Stillwater, your stereotypical fighting, dramatic, pain-in-the-ass of a modern rock band. This is the early 70’s, so we are a bit past my favorite decade of rock and roll, but there’s still plenty of references to the best. When William is a little boy and his sister leaves the house, she leaves him her record collection. Sweet little William touches the records and looks at them like they’re gold. Which, to people like me, they truly are. My favorite is that he starts with Tommy, an iconic album by the Who that also happens to be one of my favorite albums ever. Later in the film, you see another album of theirs that is also awesome in the background, Who’s Next, and then one of the band members references the wisdom of Pete Townshend. Anyway, I feel like a lot of the people who love this movie love self-proclaimed-not-a-groupie-but-totally-is-a-groupie-in-that-she-admits-to-preferring-famous-people “band aid” Penny Lane. I actually can’t stand her. Probably because I relate more to the quiet William Miller. I truly feel like I am William Miller. (Yes, he’s hopelessly in love with her, but he really shouldn’t be. Alas, you can’t control your heart.) I just want to punch her when she tells him “you’re too sweet for rock and roll”. She’s so vain and awful. Then again, so are the rock stars themselves, but I couldn’t even hate them if I tried. But any hatred aside, this movie is amazing. Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is also in Pirate Radio, has a smaller part in this movie but I love him just the same- except when he insults the Doors. Again, similar to This Is Spinal Tap, it’s endearing and entertaining to watch a trying band in their best and worst moments- to their performances, to their silly arguments over band merchandise (actually that argument isn’t so silly but their constant bickering with each other in general is), to affairs being revealed and nearly dying with each other, you see all of it. They’re not based on one band in particular, but Cameron Crowe was inspired by many of the bands he dealt with in that time period. This movie already has a billion cool points, but one of my favorite aspects is its’ reference to Creem Magazine, which is a magazine I actually worshipped when I was younger because I had all of my dad’s copies from the late 70’s and early 80’s, and I’m still not over that it’s no longer in publication but Rolling Stone still is. Yeah, Rolling Stone is still cool sometimes, but Creem gave you just rock and roll. Music only, none of these movie reviews, interviews with hot actors at the time, and political crap. Again, those are fine too, but once you’ve read so many issues of a music-only-focused magazine, it’s hard to go back.

Back to the movie…it’s incredible, okay?! Also let this band aid sum up my whole life:

And this as well:

Honorable Mentions:

I decided not to include actual biographical films of my favorite rock stars; for the most part, I find the movies for the fictional bands to be better. The only one that I love dearly so far is called Love & Mercy, written to show the true story of the struggles of Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson. We see both his youth and success with the band, and then when he is basically in captivity by this crazy, manipulative, scary therapist. It’s awesome. But it’s more than a rock and roll movie, it’s even more than a simple biopic of a rock star; it’s a story of triumph over mental health issues. Of course, he wasn’t cured, but still. He gets the proper help and that alone is incredibly inspiring. It’s important for anyone to see. All of the other rock bio films I have seen thus far have honestly been a bit disappointing, like The Buddy Holly Story and La Bamba. Being a huge fan of both Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly, I am simply disappointed with the casting and the historical inaccuracies (Gary Busey? Really? And Ritchie Valens wasn’t actually that obsessively scared of flying. Isn’t dying when your career has only just started tragic and interesting enough?! The poor guy was only 17!). I hope one day that they both get new movies truly deserving of their legacies. As far as the Jimi Hendrix movie that came out within the last couple of years, I haven’t seen it yet. But man, we need more amazing films like Love & Mercy!!! There was rumors years ago of Kirsten Dunst starring as Debbie Harry in a Blondie film, but that hasn’t happened. I’m very upset; I love Blondie and Kirsten Dunst is one of my favorite actresses. Oh well. Maybe that idea will come back someday??

Also, I want to talk about all of the Beatles movies like Help!, A Hard Days Night and Yellow Submarine, but, oddly enough, aside from perfect soundtracks and performance scenes, they’re not quite the same as these other movies I have talked about. Like, they’re not solely about rock and roll. They are just about rock stars…maybe A Hard Days Night could be considered more rock and roll than the others….crap. Now I have regret. Alas, I’m going to return to my previous assessment that they’re just not quite the same as the others.

Okay…ONE MORE!!!

Like Rock and Roll High School, this one stars the actual members of the band…

Scooby-Doo and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery

Okay, so, this one merely features the real voices of the bands members…not quite the same, but still counts.

I almost forgot about this one…that would have been a tragedy. Without the Scooby-Doo factor, this probably would be in the band-movie category along with the Beatles’ movies, but..whatever, this is the honorable mentions category. Screw it, it counts.

If you’re a fan of rock and roll and even more importantly, a fan of Kiss, you’re going to love the crap out of this movie. It’s set in a Kiss theme park, and it’s filled with song and album references and it’s just so cool. Also hearing the guys voice animated versions of themselves is awesome as well.

Not obsessed with Kiss? Not even rock and roll? But you love Scooby-Doo? Don’t fret, you’re still going to love the crap out of this movie. I showed it to my best friend, Hallie, who is a huge Scooby-Doo fan, and she loved it. She doesn’t know diddly squat about Kiss, but she thought this movie was amazing. See, something for everybody! Because, what kind of person are you if you don’t like Scooby-Doo? I don’t even want to know. It has the relationship dynamics of the gang that we know and love, and even more.

Of course Fred is the only one who doesn’t like Kiss and didn’t want to dress up with the rest of the gang. And yes, Daphne is pissed because his driving ruined her Starchild make-up.

Also, for the rock and rollers- it gets super trippy. I love it so much.

The ultimate lesson here? The world needs more rock and roll movies!! It makes me happy!!! And I’m sure I’m not the only one!!!

“War is over, if you want it…”

Sure, it’s mostly a Christmas song, but it’s partly a New Year’s song as well!!

As the year comes to an end, I simply want to reminiscence about the highlights of 2015 for me.

In May, I saw the Who!!! For the first time!! For those who are unaware, I am majorly obsessed with the Who (especially Pete Townshend). I’ve enjoyed them all of my life, but it’s really only been the last few years that I’ve delved deeper and given them the appreciation they truly deserve. When they announced several months beforehand that they would be embarking on a two-part “final/farewell” tour to celebrate their 50th anniversary as a band, I knew I had to see them. I mean, I would have wanted to see them anyway just because I love them, but I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity just in case this farewell declaration turns out to be legitimate.  My heart squealed at every Pete Townshend windmill I witnessed, and Roger Daltrey is still just a majestic and solid rock presence. He still sounds fantastic. I sang right along with him for every song. I had this large Jerry Garcia-lookin’ dude in a button-down dress shirt all up in my business, though. Every time I danced, I nudged him a bit because his right foot was half-way in my spot. But he wasn’t moving, and I wasn’t about to stop dancing. To be fair, he was probably pushed by someone else in the row…but still. Oh well. I didn’t let him ruin my enjoyment. But…I need to see them again. It made me so blissful, they had a phenomenal playlist, and I think I even made my normally modern boyfriend appreciate what he probably considers “elder music” for once.

And this what I wore that night…Joey Ramone and I sorta matched.

Also STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS!! That also made me insanely joyful, and I’ve still only seen it once…guess I’ll have to wait until next year. But anyway, I’m so happy about it. We waited so long and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. I love Rey. She is just the coolest woman ever.

Which brings me to one of my New Year’s resolutions; I need to start working out again. I haven’t done so regularly in over a year. I need to get back on that and also find a regime that will help be at least a quarter of as much as a badass Rey is. Daisy Ridley in real life is also an inspiration; she frequently posts her toughest work out moments on Instagram and it’s super intimidating, in a grand and motivating way. Not to put any pressure on myself, but…I CAN DO THIS, RIGHT?!

Only other highlight I want to add from pop culture this year will be…….

Best Album!!! I’ll admit, I really didn’t buy a lot of new CD’s this year…I mean I bought plenty of CD’s this past year but they weren’t all necessarily released just this year. That being said, one of the few truly new CD’s I did buy was Hollywood Vampires’ self-titled debut. Don’t know who they are? But you like Alice Cooper, other classic rock, Johnny Depp and even Christopher Lee?! Then you need this. I bought it on the Alice Cooper factor alone (LOVE HIM TO DEATH (get it?!?!)) and every single song on there is fantastic. Alice Cooper gathered up many other awesome rockers to pay tribute to his fallen friends; the rockers who died too soon. Like Keith Moon, legendary, crazy drummer and John Entwhistle, the also awesome bassist from the Who! They’re not the only ones, of course; this a massive homage to classic rock and roll. They pay tribute with both cover songs and even a few original songs that are absolutely amazing. My favorite new track? “My Dead Drunk Friends”; sounds grim, but it’s so rocking and catchy. I don’t even like drinking but it makes me want to chill at a bar, particularly “in a tavern full of ghosts,” (preferably with the ghosts of the likes of Jim Morrison and George Harrison; ow ow!!). My favorite cover? That’s a toughie…probably a tie between “Come and Get It”, which Paul McCartney actually sings and kills it (also I learned recently he actually wrote that song for Badfinger back in the day) and “Itchycoo Park”…but then again, “Jeepster” is pretty awesome too. Overall it is an excellent album, and if you like rock and roll, you need it.

I have ditched my boyfriend to bring this to you…I think it’s probably time I save him from this weird meat documentary….

Okay…that’s all I got, folks. See you next year!!