Musicians in Movies

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Sonic Youth's first drummer was the parking lot attendant in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I think Bob Dylan played a part in "Don't Look Back," too.

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

But seriously, folks...

Theresa (Butthole Surfers drummer) was in "Slacker."

Al Johnson (Shorty/U.S. Maple singer) played the Beefheart-obsessed nerd in "High Fidelity."

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 14:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Bob Bert?

the Dickies were in 18 Again, with George Burns.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Did you know, I didn't realise that that was Debbie Harry in Videodrome until a few months ago?

― kate (kate), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Will Oldham:
Julien Donkey-Boy
Radiation
Thousand Pieces of Gold
Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure
Matewan

John Taylor:
Sugar Town

Courtney Love:
Sid and Nancy

Stephen Malkmus:
Sweethearts

― Will (will), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:11 (twenty-two years ago)

You know, a little explanation of a funny/interesting cameo is better than any list.

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Huey Lewis and Flea and ZZTop were all in Back to the Future movies, and Joan Jett was in some other Michael J. Fox movie.

Is MJF the most rock/roll midget of the pre-Joe C. era?

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:14 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.80s.com/saveferris/images/cast/edson.jpg

― Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Did you ever see the episode of Homicide: Life on the Street with that guy? It was one of the best. He's so wonderful. He was Bruno Kirby's pal and his car radio was always tuned to the 70s station and BK wanted to kill Frank Pembleton and they stole a severed head.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Will, what is "Sweethearts" and what role does SM play?

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Greg Dulli - "Monument Ave"
Afghan Whigs - Bar band in "Beautiful Girls"
J. Mascis - "Gas, Food, Lodging"

― Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Musicians/Rockstars acting in Films - Search/Destroy

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Surprisingly Art Bergman in Highway 61 got overlooked.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:24 (twenty-two years ago)

What about Joey R. in Roadkill?

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I've actually never seen Sweethearts, but it's a Janeane Garafalo (sp?) romantic comedy. SM plays a coffeehouse poet/ folkie I think. I've heard the movie is shit.

Art Garfunkle: Caranal Knowledge

― Will (will), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

uh, that'd be "Carnal"

what did Jimmie Dale Gilmour do in the Big Lebowski? I seem to remember his face, but nothing about the role.

― Will (will), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, the guy from Live was a waiter in Fight Club.

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Some choice musician appearances in films:

*Flea as a fucking hilarious nihilist in The Big Lebowski*
*Tom Waits as a non-lethal weapons-inventor in Mystery Men
*Fishbone following around the pimp in I'm Gonna Get You Sucka!
*I think Bjork had a brief cameo in Dancer in the Dark, no? *wink*

*Jimmy Dale Gilmour is the bowler that John Goodman pulled a gun on in The Big Lebowski

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Precious Metal in "Rich Girl"
L7 in "Serial Mom" (as Camel Toes!)
Ramones, "Rock and Roll High School"
Alice Cooper, "Wayne's World" (and you're still not worthy)
John Doe (X), Mojo Nixon, "Great Balls of Fire"

>Joan Jett was in some other Michael J. Fox movie

"Light of Day," she co-starred and sang the title track written for her by Bruce Springsteen

― Chris Clark (Chris Clark), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Mos Def's performance in Bamboozled made me laugh heartily during earlier sequences like the audition (oh yeah, almost forgot, The Roots were in that film too) and had me freaked-the-fuck-OUT and in tears by the end of the film.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Mojo Nixon was also in Super Mario Bros, and in one of the best Troma distributed films EVER: Buttcrack the Movie.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Everybody in Tapeheads (Junior Walker, Sam from Sam n Dave, Fishbone, many others).

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Cannibal Corpse as themselves in Ace Ventura

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Tav Falco was also in Great Balls of Fire (he was the drummer, Mojo was the bass player, and John Doe played guitar)

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:54 (twenty-two years ago)

I think Richard Harris (of "MacArthur Park" fame) was in some movie one time.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 15:55 (twenty-two years ago)

"Mojo was the bass player, and John Doe played guitar"

No, John played bass, and Jimmie Vaughan played guitar

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:02 (twenty-two years ago)

The Circle Jerks-Bar Band in "Repo Man"
Ed Hall-the band that plays during the Continental Club scene in "Slacker"
Blink 182-the garage band in "American Pie"
Peter frampton-played Humble Pie's manager in "Almost Famous"
That Red house Painters guy played bass in the "Almost Famous" band.
Tom Waits has been in a shitload of Coppola movies

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Urge Overkill in "Kingpin."

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Jon, Richard Edson has been in a ton of movies, including Good Morning Vietnam and Sunshine State.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:09 (twenty-two years ago)

VIC CHESNUTT! (and ok, that other country singer guy) in Sling Blade. Chesnutt is weird and great in his small role and gets thrown into a door despite being paraplegic (sp?) in real life which kind of freaked me out.

― NA. (Nick A.), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought Neil Diamond was pretty good in "The Jazz Singer", he acted the yarmulke off Laurence Olivier anyway - but then Olivier was always shit anyway.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Arlo Guthrie / Pete Seegar / Lee Hays -- Alice's Restaurant
Jushua Redman as "Lester Young" in Kansas City
Flea as "Budd" in My Own Private Idaho
Tom Waits as "Igor" in Dracula

Favorite:
Annie Ross as "Tess Trainer" in Short Cuts

― christoff (christoff), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:42 (twenty-two years ago)

how could I forget - Levon Helm in Coal Miner's Daughter!

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Iggy Pop - Dead Man. Cry Baby.
John Doe - He's an actor too, so I won't list em all.

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay,

Mojo was the drummer, Tav was the "new bass player" after John Doe left due to JLL marrying his daughter???
Haven't seen the movie since it was in the theatre. Whatev. Jimmie Vaughn was Roland Janes, who deserves his own movie. Yowza!

But seriously, if anyone here is a fan of cruddy movies, check out Buttcrack.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Gibby Haynes, CB4: "I remember the first time I heard 'Sweat On My Balls'..."

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Iggy Pop's disembodied voice: Hardware

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Roy Harper in "Made" - a kind of morose early 70s study of a rock star and his marriage problems which I recall being quite interesting. Haven't seen it in years tho.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 16:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Elvis Costello, Joe Strummer, Courtney Love, the Pogues and no doubt a few others in Straight to Hell, another fine Alex Cox film.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 17:07 (twenty-two years ago)

...and who could possibly forget Florian Fricke of Popol Vuh in "The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser".......... whaddaya mean you ain't seen it? Phuggin' philistines.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 17:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Lee Ving (Fear), "Flashdance"
Jane Wiedlin (Go-Go's), "Clue"
Aerosmith, others, "Sgt. Pepper's"
Olivia Newton-John, "Xanadu"
Marianne Faithfull, "Naked Under Leather"
Mick Jagger, "Performance"
Elvis Presley, "Viva Las Vegas," others

― Chris Clark (Chris Clark), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 17:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Chris Isaak was the hamburger guy in some movie. I can't for the life of me remember what it was though.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 17:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Chris Isaak was also the SWAT team leader in Silence of the Lambs.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 11 June 2003 17:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Harry Chronic Jr. was a psycho in that one movie with Sigourney Weaver and also did the voice of the beatnik in Iron Giant.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 17:30 (twenty-two years ago)

er, Harry Connick Jr., my bad

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 17:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Chris Isaak was the hamburger guy in some movie

Married to the Mob -- don't ask me how I remember. (And as Demme directed that and Silence of the Lambs, there ya go.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 17:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Joe Strummer was also in "Mystery Train" along w/Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Rufus Thomas,and Tom Waits. (I'd also like to amend what I said about Waits & Coppola. T.W. has been at least as many Jarmusch pictures as he has Coppola's, if not more.)

Trent Reznor was in "Light of Day", and wasn't David Johanson in "Married To The Mob"?

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 18:03 (twenty-two years ago)

DavJoh was also in Scrooged

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 18:07 (twenty-two years ago)

...and "Freejack", a film in which he was the best part.

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 18:23 (twenty-two years ago)

David Bowie was incredible in Into the Night. Not nearly as hammy as in Labyrinth.

― Sommermute (Wintermute), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 18:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds in Wenders' 'Wings of Desire'.

'I'm not going to do a song about a girl...'

― Bill E (bill_e), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 19:01 (twenty-two years ago)

There's a bunch of people in "Back To The Beach"(aside from Frankie&Annette):Dick Dale, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and even Fishbone.

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 19:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Nick Cave was also in Johnny Suede, one of only two Brad Pitt films I'll admit to seeing.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 19:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Pearl Jam in Singles.

― David A. (Davant), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 19:33 (twenty-two years ago)

flea and anthony in Point Break. why do i remember this?
Iggy Pop in Dead Man
want nick cave in johnny suede? all his good scenes were cut i once read.

elvis was in a few* movies also

― kephm, Wednesday, 11 June 2003 19:37 (twenty-two years ago)

J.Mascis-the Brian Wilson character's engineer in "Grace of My Heart"
The Clash are in "The King of Comedy" for like 1/10th of a second and Jesse Malin played a doorman in "Bringing Out The Dead".

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)

It's entirely possible that ALL the good scenes were cut out of Johnny Suede.

TV's not movies (and it's not a S & D thread), but S: Johnny Cash on Columbo. It's awesome.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 20:11 (twenty-two years ago)

i vaguely remember reading something about a short movie (maybe even just a scene?) in which Iggy Pop is having a conversation with another singer whose name eludes me at the moment (tom waits maybe?). anyone knows what/which film i'm thinking of?

and am I the only one who remembers The Feelies' performance as a band (...yeah) in Jonathan Demme's "Something Wild"? They're playing Crazy Rhythm-songs on a highschool reunion party or something! Trrfc!

(off-topic, as a not-knowing Dutchman I'd like to know the difference between a movie and a film, if there is any... seriously)

― willem (willem), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

what i loved most about sling blade is that it was that other country singer guy, dwight yoakam, who slung vic into the door.

and speaking of chris isaak, he also played a small-time record producer in "that thing you do."

the two guys from spandau ballet in "the krays."

ed's redeeming qualities as the band in "ed's next move."

george harrison interviewing the rutles in "the rutles"

― fact checking cuz, Wednesday, 11 June 2003 20:58 (twenty-two years ago)

anyone knows what/which film i'm thinking of?

Coffee and Cigarettes?

― Sommermute (Wintermute), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 21:48 (twenty-two years ago)

John Lydon in "Cop Killer"(w/Harvey Keitel)
Iggy Pop and Ian Dury in "The Crow 2"
Lee Ving in "Clue"
LOTS of people in "Downtown '81"--Walter Stedding, Tav Falco, DNA,
Rockets Redglare, Kid Creole, etc. etc. etc. Much performance footage,
cameos, etc.

Hasn't John Cale appeared in...some film...somewhere?

― Stephen Boyle (SBoyle), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 22:06 (twenty-two years ago)

costello and love in 200 Cigarettes

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 23:45 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm glad to see Richard Edson get some love. Now I wish he'd get a part that didn't scream "weasely"

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 23:50 (twenty-two years ago)

seriously, if you ever need a snivelly younger brother/henchman/type b personality, Edson is your man.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 23:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Tad in Singles

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 11 June 2003 23:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Tom Waits as "Igor" in Dracula = Renfield?

― David Beckhouse (David Beckhouse), Thursday, 12 June 2003 00:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Chris Isaak in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Marshall Crenshaw as Buddy Holly in La Bamba
The Folk Implosion as the band in Laurel Canyon
GVSB as the band in 200 Cigarettes

― j.lu (j.lu), Thursday, 12 June 2003 03:33 (twenty-two years ago)

evan dando is in 'heavy' - he gets to be liv tyler's boyfriend but he is a jerk. does a pretty ok job in the movie. oh and also debbie harry is in it, and she's great

― ron (ron), Thursday, 12 June 2003 05:20 (twenty-two years ago)

yo la tengo : velvet underground :: georgia hubley : mo tucker (i shot andy warhol)
howard devoto is the washroom attendant for all of two seconds in 24 hour party people. mark e smith is in it for even less than that, if you can believe it.
surprised two-lane blacktop hasn't been mentioned - it's a double whammy with both dennis wilson and james taylor in lead roles. plus it's entirely satisfying, not tossed off at all.
mike watt, thurston moore, kim gordon - these humans "perform" in weatherman 69, by fame-in-phases bad-boy scribbler raymond pettibon.

― Dr. Annabel Lies (Michael Kelly), Thursday, 12 June 2003 05:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks Sommermute, that's the one. title says it all, I guess.

― willem (willem), Thursday, 12 June 2003 06:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Henry Rollins - he was in Heat, and also in Johnny Mnemonic as a total nerd (which was ace)
Flea was also in Suburbia (the original one) as a punk type.

Flea's been in an awful lot of films.

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 12 June 2003 06:20 (twenty-two years ago)

"Marshall Crenshaw as Buddy Holly in La Bamba"

And don't forget Brian Setzer as Eddie Cochran and Los Lobos as that band Richie sees in Mexico

― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Thursday, 12 June 2003 15:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Sonic Youth's first drummer was the parking lot attendant in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

He also starred in Stranger Than Paradise with another musician, John Lurie.
Jimmy Cliff in The Harder They Come
Leroy 'Horsemouth Wallace' starred in Rockers. The rest of the cast was composed almost entirely of other reggae musicians.
Blink and you'll miss Billy Idol in the Doors--he's with a group of people in a bar.

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 12 June 2003 15:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Billy Idol's also in The Wedding Singer

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 12 June 2003 16:03 (twenty-two years ago)

The mention of Kingpin reminds me that Jonathan Richman was in not only Kingpin (the band in the cafe) and There's Something About Mary (the Greek Chorus).

― Bob Crain (bobcrain), Thursday, 12 June 2003 23:37 (twenty-two years ago)

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