On the flip side of all that, I've seen some bands in films that convinced me they where real. For me, they where so good I was sadden to know they their lifespan only existed the runtime of the movie. Maybe, in that rare occurrence, that one song on the soundtrack. In this list, I've complied a list of bands I felt where good enough to go beyond the sliver screen.
1. Stillwater from "Almost Famous"
It helps that the guy behind Stillwater's creation use to be a writer for Rolling Stone. Cameron Crowe has been around some of the greatest talent of our time. With that said, would you expect anything less from him when creating a fictional band ? I loved how they where a hybrid of the many 70's rock acts he interviewed. Aside from the extended cut, I bought the "Bootleg Edition" for the Stillwater CD.
2. Spinal Tap from "This Is Spinal Tap"
I love how they parody rock music. A genre that I love and cherish. But at the same time, they are not bad musicians. That was the irony of Spinal Tap; their poking fun at the ridiculous world of rock music but at the same time they can craft some good rock songs.
3. Wyld Stallyns From "Bill & Ted"
Granted, we never heard a Wyld Stallyns song. But judging from how they brought world peace, had George Carlin as a mentor, won the battle of the bands, and had a most excellent journey through time; we can safely say they probably would've been something awesome.
4. The Lone Rangers From "Airheads"
Aside taking a radio station hostage with water pistols, they nailed the music and the lifestyle of a 90's hard rock band to a tee. The drummer and bass player had shit jobs (the singer was voluntary unemployed), the singer was on a ever ending quest to get their demo in the right hands, they only had a few copies of the demo, they didn't suck enough to get popular, and they where desperate to make it. That was real life. It use to be like that for a local musician. I love "Airheads" because it was believable (except for the hostage bit). It was made at a time where being a rock star could still be a possibility.
Fun fact: "Degenerated" is actually a Reagan Youth song......
5. Crucial Taunt From "Wayne's World"
Come on, they had a mega babe for a lead singer !
6. Beef From "Phantom Of The Paradise"
The sheer genius of this film is that it's a complete satire of music of the 70's. You had the singer/songwriter (Winslow Leach), the nostalgic bands trying to market past musical fads (The Juicy Fruits/The Beach Bums/The Undeads), the female vocalist (Phoenix), and glam band (Beef). Beef had this Kiss/Alice Cooper quality to them.
7. The Stains From "Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains"
Probably the only really good fake punk band in cinematic history. This film was made when punk was dead, new wave had taken over, and the american hardcore punk scene was in it's infancy. So really, we have to marvel over The Stains in a way because of those circumstances. This film as a whole could've been a trainwreck if not done right.
8. Steel Dragon From "Rock Star"
Loosely based on Tim "The Ripper" Owens's Cinderella (the concept, not the band) story. I loved how the band was these metal guys and Marky Mark. The songs and the imagery made Steel Dragon believable for me. With all the flaws this film had, I enjoyed "Rock Star". And yes, I own it on DVD.
9. School Of Rock From "School Of Rock"
How do a bunch of private school kids rebel against the man ? Start a band with Jack Black.
And last, but not least.....
10. The Wonders From "That Thing You Do"
What's not to love about the The Wonders ? They had that one song, toured the country, made a brief cameo in "Weekend At Party Pier", the drummer was a genius, and then they quickly faded into obscurity. A simple tale really.....
I loved how they kept playing "That Thing You Do" throughout the movie. Oddly enough, I never get tired of hearing it.
