Mayor of the Sunset Strip (2003)
You Should Have Been There ...
Starring: Rodney Bingenheimer, Tori Amos, Billie Joe Armstrong, Beck, Sonny Bono, David Bowie, Leo Braudy, Clem Burke, Cher, Tre Cool, Alice Cooper, Cherie Currie, Michael Des Barres, Mike Dirnt, John Doe, India Dupre, Corey Feldman, Kim Fowley, Liam Gallagher, Deborah Harry, George Hickenlooper, Mick Jagger, Joan Jett, Davy Jones, Kato Kaelin, Lance Loud, Courtney Love, Ray Manzarek, Chris Martin, Paul McCartney, Poe, Joey Ramone, Keanu Reeves, Paul Reubens, Linda Ronstadt, David Lee Roth, Brooke Shields, Nancy Sinatra, Phil Spector, Gwen Stefani, Chris Stein, Pete Townshend, Ronald Vaughan, Brian Wilson, Lisa Worden, Neil Young, Rob Zombie
Director: George Hickenlooper
Running Time: 94 minutes
US MPAA rating: RUK BBFC rating: 15
Documentary, Musical
On DVD Rodney Bingenheimer is his name. If it doesn't ring any bells, then it probably means you're not a) Mick Jagger b) David Bowie c) anyone else who's been big on the US music scene from the 1960s onwards. So, fellow plebs, now's your chance to find out all about the man who the stars love but, at the same time, appear to have been keeping to themselves. Or, at least, it would be your chance to find out all about him, were it not for the fact that George Hickenlooper's documentary film is so massively uninsightful.
Using talking-head interviews with the man himself and the A-listers who seemingly can't get enough of him, combined with a smattering of archive footage, Hickenlooper's flick purports to tell the story of a man who started out life as the school nerd, progressed to glorified rock groupie, and now sits as one of America's most influential radio DJs. It seems like a fascinating story, but unfortunately it's one that the director struggles to tell with any lasting effect.
Of course, we do get to learn some things about Bingenheimer. A trip to his house, which looks just one step up from a special tramp's edition of 'MTV Cribs', reveals that he's made very little money from his career. We discover he was turned down for Davy Jones' part in the The Monkees, but was kept on as a look-a-like. And, most interestingly of all, we get the occasional brief glimpse of what he really is: a sad, nervous and deeply-insecure little man. Then again, with that appalling haircut it's hardly surprising he's not Mr Confidence.
But there's no delving, no analysis, and no pressing Bingenheimer for his opinions on love, life, music or anything else that might have been interesting. I ejected the DVD knowing who Rodney Bingenheimer is, but nothing about what makes him tick.
DVD Extras: Tartan Video's standard trailer reel is accompanied by a choice of audio commentary (either Hickenlooper or Bingenheimer with pal Chris Carter) and a series of interviews with the likes of David Bowie, Brian Wilson, Elvis Costello, Courtney Love and Gwen Stefani. Version reviewed: Mayor Of Sunset Strip (Tartan Video)
It's Got: Sonny and Cher as Rodney's mum and dad, The Monkees as his brothers, and Alice Cooper as the strange uncle that nobody likes to talk about.
It Needs: To go further behind the music.
Alternatives: End of the Century, Live Forever
Summary: This attempted look inside the life of the music industry's number 1 name-dropper fails to gaze deeply enough.
Review by Gary Panton
Review Date: 30th July 2005
External Links
Official Web Site
Mayor of the Sunset Strip at the IMDB
Comments1 Comment |
| I agree with Gary Panton. As myself (Ronald Vaughan) AND Martian singer "Isadore Ivy", I participated in this historic venture. Gary's criticism that the film is too "dark" and "exploitative" really hits home. George Hickenlooper REALLY should have done better! RODNEY discovered, after all,ABOUT HALF THE ACTS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY!! That's NOT an overstatement! He really did it!! So come sometime after 2006, RODNEY is going to get his "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I figure that somebody with LOTS of money to burn (at least $3 Millions) could come forward and get this film RE-CUT and RE-EDITED to make it the movie it SHOULD have been...and BTW, RODNEY was NOT dropped off at Connie Stevens' house by his late mother,Marion...unfortunately, the director FABRICATED that element and told Kim Fowley to mouth it off...and, of course, RODNEY lives in a LARGE, six-bedroom house in West Hollywood...NOT a small apartment. I myself was shown in my then-home near Sunset & Gower,in Hollywood. And for anybody that's interested: First Look Pictures owns the rights to this movie in the USA; and there's enough unseen outtakes of me in the movie for ANOTHER (albeit mini-) docu- mentary. I seek Jennifer Love Hewitt, inci- dentally, because of what the late Peter Hur- kos (legendary Dutch psychic,peterhurkos.com)told me some time ago, when I'd hired him. I'm on film talking about this back in the year 2000, but nobody's ever seen it yet. Ironically, Ms. Hewitt is now working with ANOTHER Dutch psychic, for her TV show (inexplicably successful!) called "Ghost Whisperer",here in late 2005. Anyway, "Mayor..." is like (as I've said on other sites) an UNDER-exploited gold mine!! And, of course, RODNEY B. deserves FAR more prestige at KROQ than he's ever gotten. I'm making my own prediction: this film is going to be around FOREVER...whether as a "cult" movie, or re-worked as a new movie someday...This is truly a one-of-a-kind story that probably won't ever happen again, and American culture is the much better for it! |
| Comment by:- ronald33 | spacemanatlarge.scenejumper.co... | 31 December 2005 | ip: logged |
