TS: movies from the late 80s about bar bands SATISFACTION vs LIGHT OF DAY

I have watched Satisfaction a zillion times and just watched Light of Day again yesterday, that is what prompted this poll.

Light of Day really nails the NEOH bar band culture -- the venues, the people, the bands, the whole thing. The movie itself is VERY dull unfortunately.

Liam Neeson's song is terrible, Light of Day slightly less so imo. I will choose a rousing but formulaic rock song over schmaltz about the wind and the trees and the breeze I guess.

Schrader tended to be in this period.

Also: Michael J. Fox with an earring.

Their his-n-hers matching haircuts were way ott

Dear Tina Yothers and Brian Bonsall, it's never too late to make a late-80s bar band movie.

Also the dynamic between Joan and MJF was very weird -- she refused to tell her mom who the father of her kid was (was it Joe?!?!) and they also had a romantic slow dance scene. I don't have any brothers so idk if that is normal but ?

I've never slow-danced with my non-existent brother.

Britta Phillips in Satisfaction is one of the most memorable characters in a movie from my childhood. I thought she was so cool and pretty and talented. Justine Bateman's singing is terrible compared to Joan Jett's, but the cover songs in Satisfaction were well chosen.

recent Joan Jett doc covers Light of Day, MJ Fox and JJ fondly reminiscing about each other is cuet

also feel like this was a whole subgenre in the 80s, Eddie and the Cruisers etc

never forget John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band!

u r not Joan Jett, Alfred

Britta P singing "Mr Big Stuff"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nFDKCKoYcg

Joan Jett & the Hunzz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTXie5md48Q

Both leading ladies (Joan & Justine) have an unshakable belief in "the music"
Only one of them gives a valedictory speech featuring the term "techno-teat" though...

Trent Reznor's film debut!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM0MmNjy97s

oh yeah that too! his band was hilarious!! The Problems!
it did evoke the difference between the bar band culture and the just-bubbling to the surface underground "progressive" culture

there was a bar near my parents' house in akron that always had random regional metal acts and that is where (iirc) the new singer for judas priest was discovered in a JP cover band!

Tina Yothers (maybe around the same time?) had her moment on stage when she sang "Goodbye to You" for some reason or another on Family Ties.
Brian Bonsall appears to be in a band acc to his twitter profile pic? https://twitter.com/mrbrianbonsall

Even Elyse Keaton got her stage time on that show when she went through her "I want to be a folk singer" phase. I always liked that story arc bc it was so poignant.

yeah wasn't there a whole Family Ties storyline about Tina Yothers' music career aspirations

Light of Day really nails the NEOH bar band culture -- the venues, the people, the bands, the whole thing.

Yes!

The movie itself is VERY dull unfortunately.

Also yes!

That video w/Reznor (and the rest of the scenes in that same place in the movie) is not a soundstage, that's the actual Euclid Tavern interior. I stood on that same stage many times.

i have stood in the audience but never on the stage! i loved seeing the old euc again <3

oh also SATISFACTION was also titled GIRLS OF SUMMER so you've got the noun + prepositional phrase linking this movies as well
such vibrant originality in the late 80s!!

GIRLS OF SUMMER

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

too low

For real. Maybe no one has seen Satisfaction aside from me?

I gotta reaction, to say the least, from Britta at a Tower records appearance years ago, when I brought up Satisfaction and Mr Big Stuff while she was signing some Luna stuff.

What was her reaction?? Spill!

lolz at the Trent Reznor vid. Was that the irl Exotic Birds he was in for a minute?

True story: I'm walking through my parking garage and I stop to check out the giant heaters that were once used to heat the garage. It says "Reznor" on them. It couldn't be! I check the fine print and yep it says "New Castle, PA", the very birthplace of Trent.

Oh yeah, Reznor is a pretty big name in HVAC and heaters.

A local Cleveland friend of mine posted this on FB this morning.

https://i.imgur.com/53rkf8S.png

In comments, she explains: That’s (my niece and nephew) with Michael J Fox. He was filming a movie in the house next door to my parents. We all met him, and he autographed Haggadahs for us. Later that night, a member of the production crew came over quite apologetically to say that our very loud singing was being picked up by their mics and asked if we knew when would we be done!

haaaa!! that is awesome!! everything about that picture warms my cold heart

the houses in light of day were perfect -- all of the settings were perfect (the movie was boring unfortunately)

i bought the dvd of satisfaction, finally. idk why it took me so long. as i recalled, the beginning is really solid! the speech is still ridiculous but like everything about this movie, it has its charm. i think my early memory of having seen this movie tells me things go south fast when the romance with liam neeson starts to overtake the musical part. can honestly say they all still look pretty cool even by today's standards.

really earning my 1 vote for satisfaction!

I found the Light of Day novelization in a used bookshop yesterday. Great value for a buck. It's full of fun little NE Ohio details and I can't remember if they were in the movie (MJF and Joan Jett live in Cleveland Heights, the parents live in Lakewood, several references to Kid Leo, etc.).

Love it!! Even if the story is thin (it is) I bet it's a fun read