Rock n Roll Movies
- Dr. Medulla
- Atheistic Epileptic
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Rock n Roll Movies
This can (and undoubtedly will) be a thread for talking about rock movies more generally, but I wanted to solicit some ideas. I'll be teaching my general rock music-as-history class again as a seminar this summer, and I plan on showing a movie. Keeping in mind that the theme is using rock music as a way of exploring broader historical themes, not the music itself per se, any suggestions for movies? Documentaries are more than fine, too, but I'm planning it for the last class, so I'd like it to be a bit of a breather/entertainment, too.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft
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Silent Majority
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Re: Rock n Roll Movies
Certain you'll have already considered the below, but:Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑27 Mar 2023, 8:22amThis can (and undoubtedly will) be a thread for talking about rock movies more generally, but I wanted to solicit some ideas. I'll be teaching my general rock music-as-history class again as a seminar this summer, and I plan on showing a movie. Keeping in mind that the theme is using rock music as a way of exploring broader historical themes, not the music itself per se, any suggestions for movies? Documentaries are more than fine, too, but I'm planning it for the last class, so I'd like it to be a bit of a breather/entertainment, too.
Jailhouse Rock
Gimme Danger (Jarmusch on the Stooges)
Blackboard Jungle
Filth, Fury
- Dr. Medulla
- Atheistic Epileptic
- Posts: 115975
- Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:00pm
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Re: Rock n Roll Movies
Blackboard Jungle isn’t really a rock movie, apart from the opening and closing music. That’s where audiences made it a rock n roll movie. The closest thing you get to music is the j.d.’s smashing the teacher’s jazz records, tho it’s less because they hate jazz than they’re rebelling against his authority.Silent Majority wrote: ↑27 Mar 2023, 8:30amCertain you'll have already considered the below, but:Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑27 Mar 2023, 8:22amThis can (and undoubtedly will) be a thread for talking about rock movies more generally, but I wanted to solicit some ideas. I'll be teaching my general rock music-as-history class again as a seminar this summer, and I plan on showing a movie. Keeping in mind that the theme is using rock music as a way of exploring broader historical themes, not the music itself per se, any suggestions for movies? Documentaries are more than fine, too, but I'm planning it for the last class, so I'd like it to be a bit of a breather/entertainment, too.
Jailhouse Rock
Gimme Danger (Jarmusch on the Stooges)
Blackboard Jungle
Filth, Fury
Jailhouse Rock is an interesting one, tho, that I hadn’t thought of.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft
Re: Rock n Roll Movies
Rock n Roll High School
- Flex
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Re: Rock n Roll Movies
This is Spinal Tap. Not sure you have any lessons about just how dumb rock and roll really is...
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Pex Lives!
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Pex Lives!
- Dr. Medulla
- Atheistic Epileptic
- Posts: 115975
- Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:00pm
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Re: Rock n Roll Movies
Oh god, I’d love to show that, but not sure what kind of history themes I could meaningfully draw from it.
If it helps where I’m thinking, 8 Mile, Almost Famous, and That Thing You Do are on my consideration list right now. For documentaries, I’m thinking along the lines of Salad Days, tho I’m teaching Kevin Mattson’s book in that class, so that’s a bit of overlap that I’d like to avoid.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft
- Flex
- Mechano-Man of the Future
- Posts: 35799
- Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:50pm
- Location: The Information Superhighway!
Re: Rock n Roll Movies
What would be badass is doing a rocky horror picture show/Hedwig and the angry inch double feature and having a class on gender conformity/non-conformity in rock.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Pex Lives!
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Pex Lives!
Re: Rock n Roll Movies
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another ... ind_(film)Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑27 Mar 2023, 9:46amOh god, I’d love to show that, but not sure what kind of history themes I could meaningfully draw from it.
If it helps where I’m thinking, 8 Mile, Almost Famous, and That Thing You Do are on my consideration list right now. For documentaries, I’m thinking along the lines of Salad Days, tho I’m teaching Kevin Mattson’s book in that class, so that’s a bit of overlap that I’d like to avoid.
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Silent Majority
- Singer-Songwriter Nancy
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Re: Rock n Roll Movies
You don't think the j.d.'s are an apt way to spur a discussion on about the moral panic that came up in early rock's wake?Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑27 Mar 2023, 8:37amBlackboard Jungle isn’t really a rock movie, apart from the opening and closing music. That’s where audiences made it a rock n roll movie. The closest thing you get to music is the j.d.’s smashing the teacher’s jazz records, tho it’s less because they hate jazz than they’re rebelling against his authority.Silent Majority wrote: ↑27 Mar 2023, 8:30amCertain you'll have already considered the below, but:Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑27 Mar 2023, 8:22amThis can (and undoubtedly will) be a thread for talking about rock movies more generally, but I wanted to solicit some ideas. I'll be teaching my general rock music-as-history class again as a seminar this summer, and I plan on showing a movie. Keeping in mind that the theme is using rock music as a way of exploring broader historical themes, not the music itself per se, any suggestions for movies? Documentaries are more than fine, too, but I'm planning it for the last class, so I'd like it to be a bit of a breather/entertainment, too.
Jailhouse Rock
Gimme Danger (Jarmusch on the Stooges)
Blackboard Jungle
Filth, Fury
- Dr. Medulla
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- Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:00pm
- Location: Straight Banana, Idaho
Re: Rock n Roll Movies
I’ve thought about showing that in my punk seminar (again, that or Salad Days), but I lean to fiction as a bit of a reward after three months of lotsa reading. Damn, you’re making me question showing The Fabulous Stains this week.revbob wrote: ↑27 Mar 2023, 9:55amhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another ... ind_(film)Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑27 Mar 2023, 9:46amOh god, I’d love to show that, but not sure what kind of history themes I could meaningfully draw from it.
If it helps where I’m thinking, 8 Mile, Almost Famous, and That Thing You Do are on my consideration list right now. For documentaries, I’m thinking along the lines of Salad Days, tho I’m teaching Kevin Mattson’s book in that class, so that’s a bit of overlap that I’d like to avoid.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft
- Dr. Medulla
- Atheistic Epileptic
- Posts: 115975
- Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:00pm
- Location: Straight Banana, Idaho
Re: Rock n Roll Movies
Oh no, not at all, only that unless the students have done outside reading about delinquency in the 50s, the connection between that movie and delinquency is pretty much impossible. The connection is there, but you can’t see rock n roll in the movie itself. If you hit mute for the first minute, there’s no hint of it.Silent Majority wrote: ↑27 Mar 2023, 9:58amYou don't think the j.d.'s are an apt way to spur a discussion on about the moral panic that came up in early rock's wake?Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑27 Mar 2023, 8:37amBlackboard Jungle isn’t really a rock movie, apart from the opening and closing music. That’s where audiences made it a rock n roll movie. The closest thing you get to music is the j.d.’s smashing the teacher’s jazz records, tho it’s less because they hate jazz than they’re rebelling against his authority.Silent Majority wrote: ↑27 Mar 2023, 8:30amCertain you'll have already considered the below, but:Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑27 Mar 2023, 8:22amThis can (and undoubtedly will) be a thread for talking about rock movies more generally, but I wanted to solicit some ideas. I'll be teaching my general rock music-as-history class again as a seminar this summer, and I plan on showing a movie. Keeping in mind that the theme is using rock music as a way of exploring broader historical themes, not the music itself per se, any suggestions for movies? Documentaries are more than fine, too, but I'm planning it for the last class, so I'd like it to be a bit of a breather/entertainment, too.
Jailhouse Rock
Gimme Danger (Jarmusch on the Stooges)
Blackboard Jungle
Filth, Fury
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft
Re: Rock n Roll Movies
That's what immediately came to mind for me.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.
- Dr. Medulla
- Atheistic Epileptic
- Posts: 115975
- Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:00pm
- Location: Straight Banana, Idaho
Re: Rock n Roll Movies
Heh, I jinxed things by starting this thread. The department chair emailed to say he read the course codes wrong and the summer session seminar is for regular faculty, not hobo pretenders. Ah well. Let this officially signal the shift to rock movies more generally.
Also, I'm gonna rewatch Another State of Mind today to see if I should make a last-minute change.
Also, I'm gonna rewatch Another State of Mind today to see if I should make a last-minute change.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft
- Flex
- Mechano-Man of the Future
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Re: Rock n Roll Movies
I didn't think it'd work with your prompt, but surely Don't Look Back stands up as a major rock and roll documentary from a historical perspective. The tour where Dylan goes electric and faces hostile crowds, etc.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Pex Lives!
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Pex Lives!
- Dr. Medulla
- Atheistic Epileptic
- Posts: 115975
- Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 2:00pm
- Location: Straight Banana, Idaho
Re: Rock n Roll Movies
I could actually use that to talk about the relationship between artist and fans (it's a big theme of mine; one of my exam questions is always to ask whether the history of rock music is about artists making music or fans consuming music). My main lecture on the topic is the Beatles and fans, but when I originally conceived it I was going to do it using Dylan. But I decided I preferred talking about the Beatles.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft