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Posted by Lee1975 (U4412355) on Tuesday, 17th February 2009
Discounting largely forgetable instances where musicians play themselves, (although I've always liked Tom Jones' straight-faced cameo in "Mars Attacks), what's the best example of musicians "acting" in film? Note the term "acting" is used very loosely for certain instances.
My favourite at the moment is Issac Hayes as "The Duke" in "Escape from New York"; John Carpenter's finest hour.
Equally, can there have been a worse example of musician turned actor than David Bowie in "Labyrinth"?
Tom Waits does more than okay in Down by Law.
Talking of which, always liked Joe Strummer's turn in Mystery Train. (which also has a great soundtrack).
There are loads more but I need to start another thread. Thanks Lee, carry on the rest of you.
I won't hear a bad word said about 'Desperately Seeking Susan'.
Has anyone seen that episode of Miami Vice where Phil Collins plays a con-man. Called Phil.
Art imitating life?
He was a quiz show host I seem to recall. Sadly, this vehicle was a springboard, (to mix my metaphors), for "greater" things... or at least "Buster".
Which was the bigger crime I wonder?
toms not bad in short cuts either
Huey Lewis is better! Lyle Lovett is okay too.
Crikey. That's a lot of musicians in one film! Sub-thread; what film has the most number of musicians-turned-actors in it?
I fear it may be Straight to Hell
I reckon the Blues Brothers are going to run it quite close actually... but you're probably right.
What's the general feeling about Bowie in The man who fell to earth?
And Tina Turner in Beyond the Thunderdome? Speaking of which, I quite like to put Mrs Fist's leather handbag over my face, fling the smallest child onto my shoulders and get her to squeak "Who runs barter town"? This doesn't go down so well if present company have never seen the film.
Jagger has been rubbish in EVERYTHING.
Would Madonna beat Mick in a "Who's made the most number of genuinely dreadful films" contest?
I think she'd be in with more than a strong shout;
Shanghai Surprise
Who's That Girl
Dick Tracy
Swept Away
A League of Their Own
Body of Evidence
The list just seems to go on, and on, and on...
One of my favourite films is 'Fitzcarraldo' - Jagger was supposed to play the lead character's sidekick and indeed they shot nearly half the film with him. His character was cut entirely when they recast the lead and had to start shooting from scratch, and Jagger couldn't be bothered starting again/was advised not to by the bloke who does his taxes.
Thank God for small mercies.
Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr take some beating in "Cannonball Run". That film is possibly one of the best ways to spend 90 minutes of your life in fact. The highlight is probably the Hell's Angel fight scene.
"Step back dear. I must warn you, I'm Roger Moore"
"Who?"
, in reply to message 12.
Posted by Al McGregor (U2976807) on Tuesday, 17th February 2009
For me, it has to Ms Grogan in Gregory's Girl - never was very good at horizontal dancing.
huey lewis better than tom, my ass
dean martin is horrible in kiss me, stupid
The Huey Lewis comment was a little tongue in cheek to be honest. I wondered if anyone would bite!
If you think Deano was a bit naff in "Kiss Me, Stupid", I can only guess you've never seen him as "Matt Helm" in some of his late '60s films. They were shockingly bad.
, in reply to message 15.
Posted by LoudGeoffW (U11943874) on Tuesday, 17th February 2009
David Bowie of course was involved in one of the most bizarre sequences ever seen in the movies - fighting with Carl Perkins (yes, Carl Perkins) in forgotten eighties thriller 'Into The Night'.
Dwight Yoakam seems to have branched out quite successfully, but pretty much anything by Tom Waits is cheriseable. Try Mystery Men for a good cameo. One could argue that 'Tom Waits' is really a character anyway though....
Sinatra counts, yes?
Only if you'll let me have Gene Simmons from Kiss in the Tom Selleck 'classic' "Runaway".
Now there's a film that's not dated badly in the 25 years since it was released!
Sinatra counts but only after the recording of Songs for Swinging Lovers.
Lee - you are going far beyond the kind of accidental knowledge that a cove might pick up here and there, in the course of a curious life. This borders on the worrying.
I bet you've never even seen Selleck in "High Road to China", the Indiana Jones rip-off he was in after turning down the role of Indiana Jones...
... but I digress.
Who can forget the genius of Damon All-Bran from Blur appearing (mercifully briefly) in "Face"? (Yes you've guessed it, yet another British ganster flick).
Selleck in a sub India Jones flick? It's ringing a distant and ominous bell. Like the start Of "Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath".
Robyn Hitchcock.... he was the star of "storefront hitchcock", popped up in the remake of "the manchurian candidate" and is now to be see in "rachel getting married"... all Jonathan Demme films.
he was also in a TV adaptation of some trendy book or other. he was a groovy dad of one of the main characters.
Grant Lee Phillips crops up as a wandering troubadour in the TV show "the gilmore girls"
not actually Bill Janovitz, but a dead ringer is that ginger bloke in "band of brothers"
I saw Iggy Pop in an episode of a star trek spin-off the other day. he was not advertising anything.
Various 'grunge' stars were in the excellent "singles".
new malden resident, laurence
, in reply to message 23.
Posted by hank plankton (U4792100) on Tuesday, 17th February 2009
Tom Waits also shows up in the wonderful 'Rumblefish', though what surprises me is no mention of soul legend Bruce 'Bruno' Willis. Didn't he dabble in a movie or two?
, in reply to message 23.
Posted by Al McGregor (U2976807) on Tuesday, 17th February 2009
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Stuart Goddard's colourful history on celluloid - I remember him playing a vampire in something, which turned out to be Love Bites, and the most unlikely gangster in something else, which escapes me. Thankfully.
, in reply to message 25.
Posted by Chicago Jeff (U13649238) on Tuesday, 17th February 2009
Hey, all!! Wasn't Mr. 'Wicked Game' Chris Isaak in Silence of the Lambs?? I always forget what role he played...
Mr Isaak was in Silence of the Lambs (what is it with Demme and musicians?). he was also in the Twin Peaks film
Bonnie Prince Billy/Will Oldham has been in a couple of films as well.
Jay Masic was in the brilliant "Gas Food and Lodging"
, in reply to message 27.
Posted by Chicago Jeff (U13649238) on Tuesday, 17th February 2009
Aah...Mr. Dinosaur, Jr. himself...brilliant!!
Haven't seen that one...
, in reply to message 28.
Posted by Chicago Jeff (U13649238) on Tuesday, 17th February 2009
Oh, yeah, forgot...Debbie Harry in 'Hairspray'...classic John Waters...
Kris Kristofferson and Bob Dylan in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Surely a double word score.
David Bowie in The Hunger getting all old and bald and weeing himself. Been a template for my life ever since.
Roland Gift in Scandal. Do I need to say it?
Tori Amos in Mona Lisa Smile - that year's winner of the Phil Collins award for doing very little onscreen.* Surely she could have told Julia Roberts and chums to shut the hell up when she was performing?
Aimee Mann in The Big Lebowski.
*as in his very minor role in Hook.
Bowie-wise, I personally thought he was brill in "Labyrinth". I mean, out-acting the Muppets is something the guests on the eponymous Show never achieved!
But we can surely all agree that Bowie's performance there was better than "The Man Who Fell To Earth" - a film conspicuous for an underwear-related episode!
How about Brinsley Forde from Aswad who starred in the Double Deckers?
Was watching Roadhouse a little the other night (on American Movie Classics...although that term scarcely applies...they've taken it to start showing Catwoman, which was a train wreck of a film despite Halle Berry...)
Anyway...Roadhouse had Jeff Healey, the blind blues rocker who hit it back around that time (late 80's/early 90's)...and you could also count Patrick Swayze, although to call him a 'musician' would be stretching the definition to its breaking point...
Further to the Phil Collins mention above - what about "Buster"?
Michael Hutchinson - DOGS IN SPACE
Haven't seen this since it came out, but remember loving this film which I'm guessing means he's good in it, or I was very young:
Plus 2 chinese singers (pop) Rainie Yang and Isabella Leong in Spider Lilies
Don't be mislead by the lesbian drama angle, this is much more of a film about coping with bereavement. It is a beautiful film dealing with the after effects of the trauma from the Taiwan Earthquake.
David Bowie was also in 'The Hunger'
And he was brilliant in 'Zoolander' : )
2006 - The Prestige
1996 - Basquiat
1992 - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
1991 - The Linguini Incident
1988 - The Last Temptation of Christ
1986 - Labyrinth
1986 - Absolute Beginners
1985 - Into the Night
1983 - Yellowbeard
1983 - The Hunger
1982 - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
1982 - Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
1978 - Just a Gigolo
1976 - The Man Who Fell to Earth
OK - thats enough for Mr Bowie!
Total cop out in Last Temptation of Christ though - the only Brit in the film and he had to play a bad guy. Note to Hollywood - it ALWAYS gives the plot away.....
It must have angered you guys with George Lucas using all those British actors to play villians in the Star Wars movies...Iain Macdermid, Peter Cushing, etc. etc.
The only exception to that was Sir Alec Guinness and the guy who provided the voice of C-3PO...
Maybe my theory has some holes in it...carry on...
It must have angered you guys with George Lucas using all those British actors to play villians in the Star Wars movies...Iain Macdermid, Peter Cushing, etc. etc.Β
Windy - it does/did get a bit tedious. Especially when you've got a 1/2 decent plot in a film, but you know the Brit is usually the baddy, so its a giveaway to who's 'dunnit'
Adam Ant was really menacing in the TV "La Femme Nikita"...
Wasn't R2D2 a 'good guy' - with Kenny Baker inside?
Here's 2 more to chuck onto the list!
Meatloaf - 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'
Ryuichi Sakamoto (wearing far too much make-up) - 'Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence'
John Simm
Played guitar with band 'Magic Alex' and then ended up playing Bernard Sumner in '24 Hour Party People'.
(besides being the last Dr WHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOO )
I thought John Simm played The Master in that Dr. Who...
eeeeeerrrr - you're right! Can't keep up these days....or was it wishful thinking?
but he's only the Real Master if he drives a horsebox.
Mind you, you can tell who isn't the real Bill & Ted in the films because the doppelganging Bill & Ted are Evil Robots. Call John Simm "Evil Robot Master Dude" and he'll probably say "Thanks, bodacious dude".
Talking about Doctor Who, Bingo out of the Banana Splits played the Doctor's blonde sidekick Rose Tyler - I think...
(And Lily Allen's dad has played the Sheriff of Nottingham and Pontius Pilate. Is he being typecast?)
tolhurst - what are you on and is it catching????
tolhurst - what are you on and is it catching????Β
I "listened again" to three Gid and Gary shows yesterday. Too much TBH.
Especially when I believed I heard Gid say yesterday we should now call him Hengist Pod - doubtless the Stallion of *other frozen pea brands are available*.
I'm off to Finland tomorrow, too, hope I've not overdone things at all oinkchoo... *snort*
Tolhurst - too much Gid/Gary - hummmmmmm, thats an impossibility
Have a great time in Finland!
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