Despite myself, I’ve enjoyed watching Daisy Jones and the Six, Amazon Prime’s ten-part rock story based on a successful novel. There were some engaging performances, the music was much better than I was expecting and there was even a surprise or two at the end I wasn’t expecting. Ideal ‘lunch break’ TV when I’ve been working at home.
That said, it does contain an almighty number of ‘rock story’ tropes that, real story or not, it appears all films/series of this nature seem to have to include by law. Walk the Line, Rocket Man, That Thing You Do, Still Crazy – they’ve got most of these cliches. Also spoofed very well in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
So, I invite you to add to my bingo card of rock on screen. A seemingly mandatory tick list that would have you in rehab, were it a drinking game and not a bit of fun. What would you add to these? SPOILER ALERT for people who haven’t seen DJATS but, come on, not much of a spoiler – this is my argument entirely.
• Someone getting wasted and falling in a pool.
• Someone drinking Jack Daniels out of the bottle on a tour bus.
• Jaded old producer/industry veteran going to a bar and seeing a raw young talent on the tiny stage. His face lights up as he has an epiphany that nobody else there seems able to see.
• Someone overdosing in a hotel bathroom.
• Performer playing to a large audience off their trolley. Band sharing concerned glances.
• Hoary old road dog of a tour manager whose main job, it appears, is to dispense hard-earned wisdom.
• Band playing their first big song in a studio, set up in a circle and playing live, like nobody actually does.
• Following this, jaded old producer saying ‘you’ve just cut your first hit single’.
• Montage of Billboard chart positions/gig crowds/promo interviews/travel while first hit single plays in the background.
• Performer’s wife deciding to surprise her hubby on the road, only to find him enjoying the attentions of an impressionable young lady.
• My Drug Hell montage of performer staggering down hotel corridor (Dutch tilt on the camera gets an extra point!), necking pills, snorting stuff off table, then looking at themselves in the bathroom mirror and realising the jolly jape may have gone a little far.
• Bad wigs.
• Even worse ‘old person’ makeup as the band put differences aside for tearful reunion.
Any more?
Seeing a young singer (or singers) on stage in a club, the hero character asks his manager the guy’s name is only to be told “a talentless no mark name of Bob Dylan. He’ll never amount to anything”
Buys house for parents who had always exhorted him/ her to get a “proper job”.
Wall of Marshall 4×12 cabs in a provincial Village Hall venue.
You’ve been watching Midsummer Murders again!
All these years later, and I’m still annoyed!
Clueless manager books band into honky-tonk truckers venue, band plays behind wire mesh and gets storm of empty bottles thrown at them.
Lead singer and main writer is inspired by redneck club experience, writes first smash hit.
Rhythm guitarist, childhood pal of lead singer, writes follow-up, which bombs; cue much angst before he is fired for being crap. Lead singer cries.
Band gets ripped off by manager. Skint band splits. Main writer descends into penury and squalor, writes about it, reforms band, records new songs, gets new manager, has enormosmash album hit, old manager pissed off mightily. Band wins.
The visibly nervous band take to the stage and the singer announces their name to collective indifference from the bar full of people talking and drinking (and a squeal of feedback). Miffed by this he/she he turns to the band and says something to the effect of ‘play fucking loud’. By the end of the first song the room has been completely converted into a room full of grinning, cheering, arm waving devotees.
Oh, gawd, yes.
Microphone feedback squeal before anyone has even opened their mouth.
Yes! The microphone squeal (see also: nervous person making big speech on podium in Hollywood film) – another thing that I have never, ever come across in real life.
And the new comedian who takes to the stage spontaneously, and despite having no stage experience or prepared material is a huge hit. That’s a standard, but the most recent I can remember is The Marvellous Mrs Maisel,
Nervous singer: “One-two, testing. Can you hear me at the back?” followed by high-pitch squeal and grimace.
Band finish set, rowdy audience still calling out for more and are about to kick off. Band look lost, bassist/drummer/kazoo player says “I’ve been writing this one. Follow my lead.” Ta-da!: it’s The Hit. Audience singing along before the first chorus is over.
Rick Astley/Ed Sheeran/Chris Martin is, years before their fame, the band’s Roadie.
As sure as night follows day …
Invariably cute girlfriend of band member pleads with radio DJ to give their record a spin, switchboard lights up.
Singer rehearsing new song, tells lead guitarist he’s playing it all wrong. Guitarist throws guitar down, leaves room in a strop, slamming door, amid sound of feedback.
Friend of the band, picks up the guitar & (despite having shown no musical prowess) plays it perfectly.
Lead guitarist drowning his sorrows in a bar, where the barman asks him “Hey buddy, I thought you were in a band?”
Early gig where the audience is literally one man and his dog. Just in case you’d never heard the expression before.
Young star is on the rise, with his best mate serving as his roadie/PA/Bez. Star lets fame go to his head, and treats best mate so poorly that BM flounces off. Everything immediately goes wrong for star. Cue tearful reconciliation. “You were right all along, Best Mate! Why didn’t I listen? WHY?”
Montage of touring that makes it look like the most exciting job in the world. Screaming thousands, bigger light shows than Pink Floyd, band all smiling at each other as if to say, “Can you believe this is happening? To us?!!!”
Band is about to give it all up so play one last show.
A random promoter and/or record company exec is in the audience (possibly dragged there by their children), signs up the band and great riches follow
(for the exec, but sod all for the band)
We were ready to quit, but then we went to Croydon.
We were ready to quit but then our singer fell off his bike and became the only person in the world who could remember the songs of Gilbert O Sullivan
Ker-ching!!!!
It feels like I should share my script for Jimmy Blue a Del Amitri musical again. I’m sure you’ll be able to tick off your rock story bingo card here. This is an older version. I’ve made Davey into Daisy to get a strong female character in there. 14 years on I still haven’t properly worked out the ending…. House!!
https://fromthissideofthemorning.wordpress.com/2012/09/17/jimmy-blue-a-del-amitri-musical/
Lead singer’s pre-fame squeeze abandoned as band ascend heady heights of stardom. Squeeze sad and walks home alone, after lead singer mocks them in front of guffawing coked-up new cool friends. Cool friends ditch lead singer when records begin flopping. Singer executes stalkerish romantic gesture to win back squeeze and live authentic life playing children’s parties, care homes, etc with squeeze beaming happily from sidelines.
Concert where it all falls apart. Band attempt play new music, fail, punch up on stage. Record company execs poised to issue lucrative new contract look at each other in disgust, exit sharpish, chased by frantic manager.
Better still exit stage left pursued by bear
Exit stage left pursued by Peart.
Underprivileged freakish genius upstart plays for vacant spot at local scene club, after being told his music is too edgy/self indulgent (for the straights who own the club; the real fans get it.) Victory inevitably transpires.
This is probably just Purple Rain and Eight Mile.
It’s also sort of Espedair Street a bit.
Although that elevates these kind of tropes to a new plane entirely.
It’s also sort of Espedair Street a bit.
Although that elevates these kind of tropes to a new plane entirely.
“One-two, one-two”…
That all-important soundcheck cliché. 😏
There has to be one about a horrible singer/headline act who messes up and is blown away by their cinderella-like stand-in/support.act
It’s also sort of Espedair Street a bit.
Although that elevates these kind of tropes to a new plane entirely.
Newly famous male star finds himself in a posh hotel suite. Orders champagne on room service. Puts on towelling robe and slippers, drinks minibar bottles.
Knock on door…room service arrives. He asks for caviar on toast as well. “Right away, Sir”….
Another knock on the door – “That was quick !” he says, but it’s not room service, it’s an attractive young woman! She silently walks in and more often than not undresses immediately.
As the limo glides away, the star asks the driver to slow down, for who is that wretched derelict in rags, huddled in the alley around a glowing brazier? Why, it his music teacher ( the one who told him to stick with the guitar/ trumpet/ bongos)/ his old school chum who asked him to join that fledgling band/his idol, the one he always aspired to be……
Coming off stage, the performers aren’t drenched in sweat.
Recording studio footage – someone says “I can’t hear anything in the cans!”
Guitarists randomly move their hands up and down the neck making strange grippy shapes with their fingers. Keys players are always filmed from the front so their hands are hidden, then by a close up with fingers only. Drummers hit a cymbal, sometimes when there’s even one on the soundtrack! Bass players just hold the neck, making no effort to look as if they are playing (I have been in bands with bass players like that).
I’ve seen bands play the sort of rawwwwwwk where that’s pretty much all that’s expected of the bass player, plus the occasional air punch.
Oi!
Us Root Note Plodders hold it together you know.
Somebody makes a comment and it inspires a famous lyric . “You may have something there. Hand me a pen”
Two examples:
Summer Dreams: The Beach Boys Story
“Hey Brian, look at that spoilt brat with her new wheels”.
“Well, let me tell ya, she’ll have fun, fun, fun until daddy takes her T Bird away.”
Ray : The Ray Charles Story
“Hey listen baby, I’m sorry.”
“Just get the hell outta here. Hit the road, Jack and don’t you come back no more/”