July 18, 2001
7:44 AM   Subscribe

You know you have truly made your mark on rock history when VH1 makes a TV movie about your band's catastrophic life. If this prompts me to re-buy Hysteria, I'll just cry.
posted by solistrato (16 comments total)
 
I *heart* Def Leppard
posted by dangerman at 7:49 AM on July 18, 2001


Glad to hear that Anthony Michael Hall isn't all washed up. Oh wait...
posted by witchstone at 8:14 AM on July 18, 2001


When "Behind the Music" just isn't enough to keep ratings up... At least it's music realted. We could be watching "Real Word 74, The Space Station 'Freedom'" or something like that. Can you see it now?

"Fine! If that's how he's going to be, I'm going to shove him out the door."

And when the one virtual member of the cast starts to flip out:

"Open the Pod bay doors Hal. Hal. Open the pod bay doors. Hal?"

"I'm sorry Dave, I just can't do that. This series is of the highest importance."
posted by eljuanbobo at 8:17 AM on July 18, 2001


Oh God, if you check out the video clip "Early Gig Scene" it looks EXACTLY like the scene where they play "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock Ya Tonight" from Spinal Tap.

Makes you wonder if DL's amps all went to 11 .
posted by lawtalkinguy at 8:48 AM on July 18, 2001


Any band that can continue with a one-armed drummer and have *no discernible change* in the quality of the music makes you wonder a little bit.

Now, was it Motley Crue or Def Leppard that had their drummer fall out of the rotating drum kit thing in concert?

you can't *dust* for vomit

c
posted by Kafkaesque at 9:09 AM on July 18, 2001


Motley Crue had Tommy Lee in the rotating, levitating, hovercraft drum kit thing. I don't know why he didn't get killed, that thing was totally unstable.

I always had a soft spot in my heart for Def Leppard, though. It got a little bit toughened when I saw that they agreed to have a shlocky biopic done by the wizards of VH1 - the same ones who gave us the formerly-cool Aidan Quinn in that silly Lennon/McCartney reunion fiction. I shudder to think. I definitely won't tune in.
posted by Dreama at 9:14 AM on July 18, 2001


Tonight, on a very special "Def Leppard..."

Gawd, how can anyone bear to watch VH1? Every, and I mean EVERY, "Behind The Music" and "Legends" and "etc" is absolute cookie-cutter tripe.
posted by davidmsc at 9:15 AM on July 18, 2001


I can't believe that there would be that many females at a heavy metal gig in Sheffield in 1979 - they would have been hanging out in discos hoping to be asked to join The Human League.

Almost as unconvincing as the accents they're sporting in the "Rehearsal Scene".

Personally I think the Rawk band that would make the best biopic would be UFO – almost washed up rock band nick the support act's teenage brother (who doesn't speak a word of English) and go on to several years of touring, drink, drugs, internicine violence and resentment and a bunch of actually half-decent tunes.

Altogether now.. Lights out, lights out in London...
posted by Grangousier at 9:18 AM on July 18, 2001


Because it is the miracle of PURE PROGRAMMING. VH1 realized that the TV schedule was a vacuum, a canvas to be filled, and they have filled with the most addictive and inane wonders known to man. As much as I like to bitch and moan about pop culture, I will gladly confessed that I was GLUED to the Styx "Behind the Music." I don't even LIKE Styx!!! But it's just THERE, begging to be watched!!!
posted by solistrato at 9:18 AM on July 18, 2001


Styx was good. But I think that Poison is still the best. They got so huge, so fast on so little talent that you could see the crash coming a mile away. C.C. Deville as a big fat herion addict just about summed up 80s metal for me.

Incidentally, the BTM worst I've seen was on yesterday - Green Day. Apparently the only bad thing that happened to them was that they made so much money that all their punk friends started hating them. Well, duh. Where's the tragedy in that?
posted by lawtalkinguy at 9:29 AM on July 18, 2001


Whoa now. The VH-1 Meat Loaf biopic was a masterpiece. Especially good was the turning point, where he sees his video start screwing up on "The Midnight Special." He overturns an hors d'oeuvres table, runs outside to an abandoned street on a cold and stormy night, a bottle of whiskey in hand, wind blowing through his hair. He falls down in the middle of the street, then turns his hands upward in agony. All that was missing was a, "Why hast thou forsaken my video?" Also the bit about, "No one wants to hear Ethel Merman, OK?" was a pretty nice touch, right before Meat turns over the baby grand in righteous, if overwrought, anger.
posted by raysmj at 9:33 AM on July 18, 2001


Gawd, how can anyone bear to watch VH1?

Bands on the Run

Have I mentioned how kickass this show is?
posted by andrewraff at 9:42 AM on July 18, 2001


Not to mention "Storytellers", which has had not only a Tom Waits episode, but a Johnny Cash/Willie Nelson edition. Somehow, whenever I think of VH1, mental images of two videos are conjured up: A Touch Of Grey by the Grateful Dead, and that Moody Blues song they always used to play...i think it was called Your Wildest Dreams.

Some of you thirtyish Bay Area folks must have memories of Channel 36 showing that brilliant "MV3" show when we were pups. If the question was "How many times can we show Golden Earring's 'Twilight Zone', Adam & The Ants 'Antmusic' and Siouxsie & The Banshees 'Spellbound'", the answer was "a whole lot".

*sigh* what a great show that was. Even if it did have Richard Blade on it.
posted by Kafkaesque at 10:08 AM on July 18, 2001


Motley Crue had Tommy Lee in the rotating, levitating, hovercraft drum kit thing. I don't know why he didn't get killed, that thing was totally unstable.

Well, Tommy had a special long safety line hooked up in case something happened. And if you've seen his video w/Pam, you know what, um, "safety line" I'm talking about.

Not that I'VE seen the video, mind you, ahem... but I've heard things...
posted by sassone at 1:20 PM on July 18, 2001


Anybody know who/what Anthony Michael Hall plays?
posted by obiwanwasabi at 5:32 PM on July 18, 2001


Holy shit. A friend of mine is that Leppard movie (which was shot in Montreal this winter, BTW). Weird - they really pump these things out eh? Casting to air in less than 6 months.
posted by mikel at 12:43 PM on July 19, 2001


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