The Living Rockumentary

Massive DVD rental pick-- "Mayor of Sunset Strip--The Rodney Bingenheimer Story"

Damn. Ever wish you could be a fly on the wall for 15 minutes when Elvis Costello met Brian Wilson and they have an intimate (as intimate as Brian can get) conversation? Well, it's here. And this is only in the BONUS MATERIAL.

I've always been a little obsessed with rock stardom, that is until maybe a couple years ago. It just kind of faded away as I realized I was past my prime and what a silly little adoescent fantasy I'd allowed to fester well into my 20's.
Well guess what? This movie brought it all back.

Bingenheimer is basically the LA rock and roll version of Warhol. But with probably less talent, and no less alien charm. He's been a fixture since the mid 60's when he got a part as an extra in the Monkees. Four decades later, and he' son a first name basis with anyone who's anyone (Bowie, McCartney, Iggy Pop..). He's broken (as in made successful) UK bands like The Smiths and Oasis, and Bow Wow Wow, X, and No Doubt here in the US. Just because when he plays something on his radio show on KROQ in LA, the world listens.
The sad part is, not as muc so now--due to all the radio crap of everything being programmed by Darth Vader and the Wizard of Oz.
He is friends with anyone who is anyone, and yet lives very modestly. If he E Bayed all his memorablilia, he could buy an island. The story gets sadder as it goes on.

Lemme tell you about my almost encounter with Rodney. 1989, and my sister and I are at a Monkees show at Great Woods. It's a pathetic show, and we're filing out, but we are intrigued by this line of people going back stage. We mull a bit and Alyssa says, "isn't that that guy from the Monkees book? " I say, "oh my God, Rodney Bingenheimer". But we whimped out trying to meet him because we were feeling a little anti social. And I KNOW it was him. See this documentary (it's at Pleasant St Video), and you'll see there' s NO mistaking him.

I kinda want to send him the Steamtrain song "Beggars in Los Angeles".