Recently my wife and I went to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers play at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley. Tom Petty's music is considered to be "classic rock," a genre which has mysteriously grown to include pretty much everything I listened to in college. We didn't know it was classic back then, so we just called it "regular rock." They were great, of course. Petty even hauled out Stevie Nicks for a couple of numbers, which was cool, although it did make me wonder what kind of box he keeps her in off-stage. Petty and Nicks both look the same as they did 30 years ago, but I suppose that's true of most people who are 200 yards away.We were seated in section G1, seats 32 and 33, which is a very precise way to describe "anywhere you can find five square feet on the lawn that's not already covered by somebody's blanket." Actually, "lawn" isn't a very accurate description either. "Grass-covered cliff" is probably closer. Our seats weren't that good at the start of the show, but had gotten quite a bit better by the end, thanks to erosion. The crowd sang along on most of Petty's songs, and those of us clinging for our lives to clumps of vegetation gave added gusto to the chorus of "Free Fallin'." By the time they got to "Learning to Fly," several of us who had foolishly attempted to return to basecamp for provisions had already taken a trip into the great wide open. We lost a lot of good men that night.
We had a great time anyway, although not being stoned at an outdoor Tom Petty concert in Berkeley makes one feel a little like Ronald McDonald at a PETA rally. (Why is everyone looking at me funny? Is it the hair?) By the end of the evening I was walking around with a flashlight, telling the ushers, "Hey, you can't sit there." It's cool, though, because I made a lot of money on parking. And who knew that you could sell oregano for $20 a bag?
I have to apologize for the caption on the picture. It's not very nice, I know, but I'm trying to balance out the relative lack of snarkiness of this post. It's hard to be snarky about a legend like Tom Petty -- unless you bring up his performance as the mayor in the soporific sci-fi epic The Postman, and that's really reaching (I should make a joke here about it being a "post-apocalyptic" movie, but I'm already bored talking about it). Besides, I think there was some kind of contract that you had to sign to be a rock star in the 80s that committed you to a role as either a villain or the leader of a post-apocalyptic civilization in a big budget sci-fi movie.*
Anyway, in order to fill my snarkiness quota and to keep from breaking my tradition of ragging on Nickelback at least once a week, let me add this otherwise unrelated comment:
I'm disappointed that they cancelled the TV show Smith, starring Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen. Why? Because the show earned my loyalty in an episode where one of the main characters, played by Simon Baker**, notices that a Nickelback CD is playing in the Hummer he has just stolen. He ejects the CD, throws it out the window, and puts in another CD. Brilliant. How much chutzpah does it take to pay a band for the rights to use their music in a TV show for the express purpose of dissing the band? And what kind of money-grubbing whores are Nickelback to go along with it? Oh yeah, the multi-platinum kind of money-grubbing whores.
Anyway, I need to get back to my screenplay. It's about a renegade loner who turns out to be the salvation of a society whose existence is threatened by Chad Kroeger. It's semi-autobiographical.
*10 points if you can name three other movies/rock stars in this category. And David Bowie in Labyrinth doesn't count, but I'll give it to you if you can name the sci-fi movie he was in. By the way, I can come up with four other examples off the top of my head, but that's because I'm a freak.
**5 more points if you can also name a sci-fi movie starring each of the following: Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, and Simon Baker. No, not the same movie, smart guy. Three different movies.
Technorati Tags: Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks, Nickelback, Ray Liotta, Chad Kroeger, classic rock, humor
Labels: Music
| posted by Diesel at Saturday, October 28, 2006 |
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The 80s were mostly included in my "media blackout period."
My parents didn't own a TV and there would be none of that rooock music.
So although I know of what you speak I am useless regarding trivia in this catagory. It is my kryptonite.
I have no guessed, but you were quite snarky and I bet Tom is curled in fetal position somewhere crying over it, you JERK!
Way to go, nicely done!
I watched the first episode of Smith. Interesting concept. A show with no sympathetic characters.
At least you are calling Tom Petty a dog and not Stevie Nicks.
All of the movies are called "The Earth is Saved from Millions of Evil Aliens by one Amazing Man!"
Obviously, I've got nothing.
Well, one of those movies is "No Escape." No clue about the others.
You are seriously sarcastic. Sarcasm is the most fun a person can have if one is with others who are also mentally ill. My birth family was SO sarcastic. I got myself into a lot of trouble with it as a kid.
Well if I get Tina Turner, can I claim 3.333 points? Some of my finest memories are driving along in a borrowed vehicle of one of my siblings with the windows rolled down listening to TP&H's epononymously named tape in the deck.
Good stuff.
Petty and Nicks looked like they did 30 years ago for the simple reason that back then they looked about 30 years older than they actually were.
By the way, when folks perform at the Greek Theater, do they sing in Greek? Or is it translated into Greek for the audience? Or what? How does it work?
logophile - I won't back down.
robin - That's exactly how I described the show to my wife one time. Even The Shield lets you root for one of the characters once in a while. Anyway, I guess that's why Smith is gone after 3 episodes.
goldennib - I don't think it can be denied that Tom Petty is one ugly mofo. Stevie Nicks was kind of pretty once, although she always looks like she's attending Jerry Garcia's funeral. That's a good title. TEISFMOEABOAM for short. Wasn't he king of Israel after Jehosephat?
lucy - I'm going to take that as a compliment. I try to use my powers for good, and sometimes I succeed. And yes, the Ray Liotta movie I was thinking of is No Escape. An instant classic of the escape-from-a-futuristic-island-prison genre.
g - Tina Turner in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is good for 3.33333 (repeating) points.
dan - May the wrath of Zeus be showered upon you for your impertinence!
mpdtgg: The sound Stevie Nicks makes when being stuffed back into her box.
There was Sting in The Bride, Brimstone and Treacle, and Dune, but I didn't see that... was he the bad guy? I thought of Tina Turner, but someone got that already, and Hmmm Meatloaf in The Rocky Horror Picture Show? A few years ago, I could've named off several, but I'm losing brain cells fast. Fourth grade math homework will do that to you.
PS Tom Petty has always looked 150 years old.
Miss Cellania - Very good! Sting in Dune was one of the other obvious ones. Extra points for getting The Bride as well, and frankly I've never even heard of Brimstone and Treacle. Meatloaf is also a good one, although Rocky Horror isn't really sci-fi.
There are a couple of other more obscure ones. I'll start giving hints if nobody gets them by the end of the day.
And we're still looking for sci-fi movies starring Virginia Madsen and Simon Baker too. And no cheating with IMDB!
Hey, here I was being all proud of myself that I remembered Sting was in Dune, playing Baron Harkonnen (sp)'s love interest. EW. Now I need to go scrub my brain with Brillo pads. And you aren't even impressed that I remembered it.
Oh, and Sting was also in Baron Munchausen, but does that count as Sci-Fi? Probably not, even though they went to the moon. It doesn't matter, anyway, because he played a good guy.
David Bowie in Labyrinth? David Bowie in The Hunger? DAVID BOWIE IN THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH? David Bowie in a Gap ad?
Poppy - I'm moderately impressed. I don't even remember Sting in Baron Munchausen, but I'll take your word for it. Everyone else was in it, so why not?
I am impressed by your knowing David Bowie in The Man Who Fell To Earth, which is the one I was thinking of (he wasn't a bad guy, but I didn't say he was).
Any more takers before I start dropping hints?
efekg: ef-EG (n) A self-satisfied prick who lords his knowledge of obscure subjects over people around him.
Hummm David Bowie in Sci Fi? Is it The Man Who fell to earth? (Don't ask - I'm married to a super geek.)
Ray Liotta: He was the gate guard in Muppets from Space but I don't think that is what you were referring to.
Virginia Madsen: Dune 2, The prophecy
Simon Baker was just in Land of The Dead - I think thats on Starz this month. :)
cj - Excellent! Poppy already mentioned The Man Who Fell to Earth, and Lucy already got the Ray Liotta movie I was thinking of, No Escape. I have to give you credit for the Muppets in Space, though. Didn't know that one.
And yes, Virginia Madsen was in Dune (Princess Irula?). I'm not familiar with a Dune 2, but there was the SciFi adaptation of Children of Dune, which I haven't seen. She might have been in that, for all I know. Madsen was also in the execrable Highlander 2.
And Land of the Dead was the Simon Baker movie I was referring to (you have to admit that was an unexpectedly good movie). I think he was also in one of those forgettable Mars movies a few years back.
So...On the rock star count, we've got Tom Petty, Tina Turner, and David Bowie. We're still missing 2 rock stars who were bad guys in science fiction movies.
Here's your hint: I'll give you a kiss if you keep your tongue in your mouth.
Is it Run Away????
:)
Ps. I have The Man Who Fell to Earth on LASER DISK HERE!! Its in German. Really Erick's level of Super Geekdom never cease to amaze me!
My sister and I saw Land of the Dead in the theater. The lady at the ticket window was afraid it was going to scare me into labor. *LOL* I actually enjoyed the movie - social commentary was somewhat fitting these days.
Based on the hint alone - Gene Simmons! Now don't ask me which movie.
Man, Blogger is really biting it today.
cj / g - Yes, one of the remaining two I'm thinking of is Gene Simmons in Runaway (with Tom Selleck!).
That hint actually applies to the other rock star I'm thinking of as well (Think lips and a tongue...).
My favorite part of Land of the Dead is where Dennis Hopper shoots one of his lieutenants and then gets a phone call indicating that killing this sycophant was entirely unnecessary. He responds as if he had just eaten something mildly unpleasant, saying something like, "Oh, I just did something I might not have done otherwise." Hilarious.