Bradley's Buzz

Rock & Roll Picture Show

Well, today I'm a bit hungover - I know all of you who really know me are probably quite stunned, thinking to yourself, "How can you be hungover? I thought you were just always drunk." But the truth is, I do get hung over and today is one of those days where I sit pondering why oh why did I think I needed that last drink and why can't I have a really fat and greasy cheeseburger right now?

Last night, I opted out of the normal routine of watching the double hitter of Wednesday and Thursday's So You Think You Can Dance? to instead head over to the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood with my pal Luther. As a part of Luther's birthday celebration we paid $9 whole dollars to watch a double bill of rock and roll films, the main event was Everyone Stares - The Police Inside Out; not really a documentary so much as a home video of the band The Police taken by drummer Stewart Copeland from 1979-1983 - Stewart was there to introduce the film and take questions from the audience after and let me just say the movie is really really good. It's hilarious and fun and (my favorite part of film) fairly short. He films it from his point of view almost the entire time and you actually feel like you're a part of the band experiencing their lives as they go from travelling together in a car for gigs to the height of fame. Very much recommended, and it's coming to DVD soon! Plus I believe Showtime will be showing this month.

The second film was from 1981 and it was really something to see - Urgh! A Music War is a concert film put together by Stewart Copeland's brother Miles who was the runner of IRS Records - the concert shows bands performing all over the world doing one song and sometimes intercut with one or two little quips about where they are but to see these bands in their earliest incarnations and live is a hoot and a half - Gary Numan with what at the time was surely an expensive and innovative light show, he comes out in a giant chair and moves around the stage all dramatic and when they do a close up we see he moves the chair by using a giant metal stick shift conveniently located between his legs, The Cramps are in it with a way over the top performance, some insanity named Klaus Nomi dressed in space age pleather who goes from gothic growl to Beverly Sills soprano in one second flat, The Go-Gos back when Belinda was the chubby punk girl and with their original guitarist, Joan Jett, The Police open and close the film (of course), UB40, Orchesteral Maneuvers (before they were in the dark - and incidentally very very cute), Steel Pulse, Jools Holland, Echo & The Bunnymen and a ton more - it's great to see things like this in LA because people cheer and clap and stand up and get into it. I was more than pleased to hear the big whoops when Miss Jett appeared on the screen, but have to say the biggest kudos seemed to have gone to Gary Numan and of course the Police, after all this was their event.

I'm not sure if Urgh! is on DVD but if not it looks like its on VHS and it really is something to see and according to Luther, who has it - there was an album released to go with it. I'll let you all know what's on it when he burns me a copy.

After the movies, we headed into Silverlake and into Eagle, which used to be Gauntlet or Gauntlet II or something, basically the leather bar, where a few months ago I was talked into entering the wet underwear contest, and did quite well I might add - this time it appeared all the boys were too gun shy to do anything and they only had one contestant of all the men there! (no it wasn't me) so Luther didn't get the ultimate wet undies birthday present but there's always tonight!

posted by swivek @ 11:21 AM