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AlmostAGhost

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Posts posted by AlmostAGhost

  1. Posted

    43 minutes ago, grudlian. said:

    "Hit" is extremely debatable in the US. Cherry Bomb was their highest charting song but didn't get into the top 100 in the US.

    Having a hit doesn't necessarily make you a big deal just as not having a hit means you're nothing. Loads of bands are technically one hit wonders like Jimi Hendrix or The Grateful Dead. Loads of influential bands had no hits like Velvet Underground or Nick Drake or Big Star. 

    My perception of The Runaways is they were basically not a thing at all in the US unless you were really into their scene. I'm not especially into punk but I don't even recall hearing people list them as an influence. Joan Jett (and the Blackhearts) for sure as a touchstone. I'm sure Runaways fans exist, but I don't really hear about them. 

    Yea, though "Cherry Bomb" was a pretty big hit in Japan. I'm not sure the movie made that as clear as it could have.

    They became influential later, probably when Jett became more famous (and even Ford and the others). Now they're recognized as an influential female band, I think. Maybe less in the punk realm though and more towards rock or even metal (i.e. Ford). Actually maybe 'influential' is the wrong word, not sure they changed much really, but they were a pioneering group.

    I was stunned by this number as I was listening to their music the other day. On Spotify, "Cherry Bomb" has over 88 million plays. Their second highest song is at 2 million (my favorite of theirs "You Drive Me Wild"). So yea they're definitely a one-hit wonder type of group.

    • Like 2

  2. Posted

    11 minutes ago, Cam Bert said:

    Who's that bassist? Where is "Robin"? I'm going to have to call shenanigans on this clip.

     

    Legit though, the reason "Robin" is likely in the movie is all kinds of upsetting.

    Yea, for real. And she's had a really interesting life too... became a successful lawyer and a Jeopardy champion!

    But one side angle of that is how they handled her in this. They cast Alia Shawkat who is great, but did she even have any lines? Did she one word? But on the other hand, Fox wasn't even allowed to play on their first album, which this film covers. They ending up using, if I recall right, Blondie's bassist. So in a way, she was somewhat expandable in this story.

    • Like 4

  3. Posted

    Yea I think "Cherry Bomb" was pretty massive, but there's a few other hits. I'm not familiar with their music, beyond their first album. Which I think is amazing. The guitar playing by Jett and Ford is pretty impressive. 

    From what I learned about the group, it seems that in some ways the most interesting story could have been Currie's twin sister. She apparently was left out of the band because Fowley didn't want twins in it. She did end up making some music on her own (and even as a duo with Cherie).

    There's a lot of other drama and controversy between band members and Fowley that didn't get portrayed too.

    I was watching some live clips of the band after I watched the movie and the movie did nail the band in a lot of the details. That sexy lingerie costume Cherie got and Jett was like 'that's too much'... that was real! 

     

    • Like 5

  4. Posted

    I'm surprised how much I loved this movie! This feels like almost the most realistic teen movie we've seen yet, tbh.  

    I did vote yes because of that, but also think the bar for this is impossibly high so probably shouldn't have jumped on the poll so fast. But yea, I was into it. 

  12. Posted

    4 minutes ago, Quasar Sniffer said:

    it was weird that metal was the only genre of music (in this movie about how great and life-affirming rock n' roll is) singled out for such derision.

    Not as egregiously as they do metal, but they also rip on new wave at one point, I think right before Trent Reznor's band plays. Michael J. Fox basically laughs them off and makes a sarcastic jibe about their music.

    • Like 1

  16. Posted

    I used to have that cd. It was a pretty big deal when it came out, the blending of rap with metal and not in a lame Limp Bizkit sort of way was actually somewhat innovative. Sonic Youth had done it a few times (Chuck D is on their album Goo). Don't think I still have it. I sort of interest in metal, so I think I got rid of it. Though the non-metal stuff on there, I still like a lot (SY especially).

  20. Posted

    8 minutes ago, grudlian. said:

    Exactly this. Make this a Springsteen song come to life.

    A guy grew up trapped in a blue collar town. Works at the factory his dad worked at and his dad got him a job. He married his first serious girlfriend out of high school (or high school sweetheart) maybe because he got her pregnant. That's been his life for however many years and will be until he retires...unless his band gets big. It's the only possible escape. He's been playing local bars in his dead end town. The movie could probably just end with them deciding to go on the road. It doesn't matter if he's successful, just that he finally took a chance in his life.

    Nothing ground breaking. Maybe not even particularly great depending on how well Bruce can act. But it already sounds better than this (although, what we got sounds like a good movie in theory).

    Yea not original, Robert Plant tells a similar life story (see Zep's "Ten Years Gone") but it's classic enough that I certainly don't mind it being told over and over.

    That reminds me, I've been reading the new Chris Frantz (of the Talking Heads) autobio and we were discussing the band credits on the Stop Making Sense thread. Franz talks a lot about how Byrne basically stole writing credits. There were songs that Frantz flat-up wrote everything, lyrics and all ("Warning Sign" for one).

    But he also makes it sounds like Byrne did this maybe less out of being awful, and more like he had this strange compulsion to try to breed discontent. Byrne worked better this way, I guess. ==

    • Like 3

  22. Posted

    7 minutes ago, grudlian. said:

    Yeah, they wouldn't have gotten Joan Jett if Springsteen was still in this. It makes me wonder if the 1981 version of this would have been good at all. The movie only makes sense in Bruce is the guy who won't quit music. If he's Michael J. Fox's character, who the hell do you get to play the sister against Bruce Springsteen as the musical one in the family?

     My idea would be what I even think Jett and Fox should've done... they should have been a couple, not siblings.

    Then you can have Bruce/Joan wanting to go on the road and his wife/her husband who rocks and writes better songs than him/her (ha) wanting or needing to sacrifice and stay home. Not great, but I think that presents some drama at least. 

     

    • Like 5

  23. Posted

    1 minute ago, Cameron H. said:

    It would be weird to have the Boss in a band in a movie and be like, "He's the guy who doesn't want to be here."

    He was born to run! I think he was definitely the Joan part, they have a lot of similarities... though I wonder when the kid came in to the story then? That storyline would have been odd for a man.

    • Like 5
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