Top 3 Greatest Rock Movies

I watched “Almost Famous” featuring Band Aid Miss Penny Lane again last night and it never gets old; a perfect movie by any standard. While watching it I got to thinking about the greatest rock and roll movies of all time.

The documentary “Beware Mr. Baker”, about the great Cream and Blind Faith drummer Ginger Baker, is without question the greatest documentary of all time. There’s a fine line between genius and insanity and Mr. Baker is living proof.

And never mind “The Godfather”, the greatest movie of all time is (Ginger drum roll please….) is the coming of age classic “Detroit Rock City”. This is not even open to discussion, just ask Gene Simmons.

Count the headlights on the highway and

Rock on!

GQ

Ozzy Osborne/Filter/ Stuttering John              Jones Beach Theater Saturday, 6/15/1996

Diary of a Madman

Around the time Stuttering John opened for Ozzy at Jones Beach (21 years ago?) and my all grown up daughter was a little girl, MTV played rock videos and I would hold her in my arms and we woud fist pump to “Mama, I’m Coming Home” while standing in front of the television.

Ozzy Osborne’s No More Tours 2 arrives at Jones Beach Theater in September.

 I caught “the end” of the new Black Sabbath documentary on Showtime last night and was kind of shocked at how good the band played. I attended the Madison Square Garden show on the last Sabbath tour and they put on a great show. Ozzy looked and sounded amazingly healthy, and the band kicked ass one last time. The Black Sabbath documentary is well done and it is really hard to believe with the reckless rock star lifestyle Osborne has led that he can kick it into gear for not one, but two, lengthy farewell world tours. 

Ozzy’s next  solo tour is yet another expensive ticket with all sorts of “special” VIP treatments and hopefully he can keep it together for another year or two; with Ozzy you never can be 100% sure. This next tour makes me long for the days of inexpensive seats with rock and roll unpredictability and volatility, special nights of heavy metal mayhem. I would not spend 200 bucks to see Ozzy Osborne one last time but I have seen  him before and have gone to Ozzfests (and besides I won a pair for September’s concert on Q104.3 last week!) but for Ozzy diehards with the disposable income to spend, bang your head against the wall and have fun.

Bark at the Moon

Rock on!

GQ

Eagles Tour 2018

Don Henley is an extraordinary person and not a bad musician. On the heals of piecing the Eagles band back together for The Classic West and East concerts last summer after Glenn Frey’s untimely passing, Henley has once again found a way to cash in, this time by adding Frey’s son to the mix in an effort to mitigate whatever guilt he might have in continuing under the Eagles brand name to keep the money rolling in and as an apparent attempt to appear to legitimize the project. The music is iconic but the greed of this band is legendary. The Eagles were the first $100 concert ticket while also adding a surcharge to parking fees to be donated to their favorite charity. I have not seen the ticket prices for this upcoming tour, but considering the outlandish numbers being charged today ($169 for Smashing Pumpkins at Madison Square Garden?) and the special VIP admissions and “Dynamic Pricing”, it will not be an inexpensive date night with the bride. I love the older acts but even I am getting nauseated by these retirement fund tours. Elton John’s three year farewell tour is supposed to net him $400 million plus and the shows are selling out a year in advance. I’ve seen Elton John several times through the years, and it least one time with Billy Joel, and I will see him again, but a 73 year old John is surely not the same performer he was the 1970’s, 80’s, 90’s or 2000’s. But we will go hoping to hang on to the past glory’s and foggy memories. There will be Grateful Dead stickers on Cadillacs in the fifty dollar parking garages. 

Radiohead sold out four nights at Madison Square Garden yesterday.

Turn the Page

Rock on!

GQ

Eric Clapton A Life in 12 Bars

The Showtime documentary “A Life in 12 Bars” is a bit slow moving but chock full of interesting information and insight as to how Slowhand became a rock and blues legend. His childhood revelation is illuminating and his  love affair with George Harrison’s wife, which led into “Layla and Assorted Love Songs” by Derek and the Dominos, heroin, cocaine, alcoholism and a mixed bag of solo efforts, is enlightening. The birth of a son by a lover and the child’s tragic death is particularly heartbreaking. Eric Clapton was God with John Mayall, then Cream and supergroup Blind Faith. A rain storm knocked my power out two hours in but I think you get the drift. The documentary is mostly for diehard fans of the great EC but those with stamina will find a mesmerizing portrait of a guitar legend and the rollercoaster life that truly earned him the right to sing the blues.

Money and Cigarettes

Rock on!

GQ