Entertainment For Lively Minds
Unexpected pop appearances in films
Being a horror fan, I was watching 60s portmanteau flick Dr Terror's House of Horrors the other week.
The setup is a group of men in a train carriage, who receive tarot card readings from the mysterious Dr Schreck. Now, already a few minutes in, Roy Castle's turned up, but he had done some acting in the 60s. But there's an oddly familiar-looking bloke in the train who I was struggling to recognise; and, blow me down, it's Fluff Freeman (pictured, left). Who does a serviceable job to be honest, but whose feature film career, according to imdb.com, only appears to be two films.
And then who pipes up halfway through the picture? Kenny flipping Lynch.
The only other examples I can remember are Manfred Mann's Paul Jones in Hammer's Demons of the Mind and Alanis Morissette's surprising cameo in Dogma, playing God.
Any more examples of this kind of thing? Has your enjoyment of an obscure French art film ever been spoiled by the sudden appearance of Gilbert O'Sullivan?
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Paul Simon
In Annie Hall springs readily to mind.
Paul Simon also
appears in The Rutles All You Need is Cash, along with Mick Jagger. Ron Wood as a Punk, and George Harrison as a reporter.
BeatleGeorge in Life of Brian
"This is Mr. Papadopolous, he's lending us the Mount..."
Doesn't
Phil Collins appear in the crowd scene at the beginning of BeatleGeorge's (and OtherBeatles) A Hard Day's Night.
I think
He was in the Scala theatre during the TV concert bits... he was at a London stage school who apparently provided the Fantabulosas cinematic adherents
That's correct,
but I thought it was the Shepherds Bush Empire?
Wiki says the Scala - not the definitive answer I know -
But happy to be out Fantabbed by a more knowledgeable source...?
I know the station was Marylebone and I thought it was the Scala (not the Kings X cinema where they took the cover pic for Raw Power) but a theatre on Charlotte St) because I was in a student hall near to the site for a while and a few of us were Beatles nuts.
Where's Mark Lewisohnn
when you really need him?
I just thought the balconies looked like those at the Empire, though the stalls area does look too large.
Was the Scala still operating as a theatre when you were in London?
Nope
As I read the history it was gone in the late 1960s. I started as a student at UCL in the early 1980s hence my obnoxious left wing student politics :-)
My dad grew up in London and there used to be a production of Peter Pan at the Scala every year at Crimbo for a long long time apparently. Another Fabs connection - one year Wendy was Jane Asher.
Insert own Fab here...
That's the one!
Thanks for settling that.
The Scala eh ?
Those flyers with all the John Waters mingled with Fassbinder cheek by jowl with Russ Meyer etc etc ... seemed like decadence personified ...glad to see the tribute here:
http://scalaforever.co.uk/
That Scala
was the cinema at Kings X, owned by Virgin and run by Stephen Whalley in the late '70s.
Sorry
Misread the postings above-thanks
Mr Papadopolous?
Is this a reference to Arthur Lowe's invisible boss in Coronation Street? One of the great unseen characters - like Mrs Mainwaring (see copious other threads on this subject)
We've been wittering about
the appearance of Tubby Hayes in DT's HoH over on the Jazz thread.
The Birds are in a magnificently bad British horror flick called The Deadly Bees. They have the decency to appear in the first five minutes.
What about Ian Brown in that Harry Potter film then? What's that about?
Indeed
Roy Castle’s role was supposed to be performed by Mr. Acker Bilk, who had the misfortune to suffer a heart attack prior to shooting. Seeing Acker in the film would have been very strange indeed!
I loved Ian Brown's cameo!
As a big Potter fan, I thought that blink-and-you-miss-it cameo from Ian Brown was rather delightful. I may be imagining this but I'm sure I remember reading an interview with him where he said that his kids were big fans and it was a big thrill for them - and for him - to be in one of the films. Awwww!
And Jarvis Cocker
makes an appearance in one of them. I think it was Harry Potter And The Enchanted Charity Shop.
I seem to remember
That his wife is related to the director
an obscure French art film ever been spoiled
Spoiled,No. Enhanced, Yes.
What with the Six Nations and that French TV showed The Classic French Rugby Film (When the wind is blowing in the right direction,Here in Barcelona we can receive French TV.)
"Allez France !" aka "The Counterfeit Constable".
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057834/
It's about a French Rugby Fan in London for the Match.
Usual French comedy stuff then Suddenly you get Ronald Fraser,Diana Dors,Bernard Cribbins and the one who had me shouting at the top of my Voice, "Stone The Crows it's Arthur Mullard "
Arthur Mulllard in a 60s French film ?,I kid you not
Are you sure?
All Frenchmen over 40 look like Arthur Mullard. That's a scientific fact.
Personal favourite is Cliff and the Shads
(or their puppet avatars) in Thunderbirds are GO:
Beat me to it
This is of course the right answer
It so is
isn't it ...
technically
it's son of Cliff but still the winner.
I love the fact that they got the Burns guitars right.
Rather than using model 'generic' guitars, I mean. I wonder if Burns made them?
Although
I think Thunderbirds was one of the most expensive TV shows ever produced. Gerry Anderson said it cost the equivalent of £1m an episode, in today's money.
Thanks
I always felt the, er, youngest one was an honorary Shad, Alan I believe it was ... and one might say the Shads were honorary Tbirds on this evidence:
and re the guitars, it's nice to see that video mentioned by Burns on their pages:
http://www.burnsguitars.com/burnsvideos.php
Never heard this before so thanks for posting
Of course Thunderbirds is the Bohemian Rhapsody of tv themes: the countdown, the really really fast bit (like the music for the Mitchell and Webb tramps), then the big portentous drums all before the familiar theme breaks out.
Despite their immaculate guitar sound, the Shads suck most of the excitement out of it. Mind, the Joe 90 bit in the middle is fantasic.
And the slide show is ace...
The Mitchell & Webb Tramps Music
is the theme from Dick Barton Special Agent... am I right?
What will happen toSnowy and Jock ?
From memory I think you're right
it is indeed
Devil's Gallop
Gotta be Sting
unexpectedly getting male-raped by young Paul Cook of those naughty Sex Pistols in The Great Rock & Roll Swindle.
He also turns up in Baron Munchausen
as a brave soldier who is executed for his heroism - is taken away to be shot almost as soon as he appears on screen. My favourite Sting moment.
Not a Massive favourite I know
but I thought Sting did pretty well in Stormy Monday:
The panto dame
David Bowie complete in Christmas jumper at the beginning of The Snowman. Always a festive treat.
"Unfortunately for you, we don't want things changed."
Whilst that is surprising, I always forget (until he turns up) that David Bowie also turns up playing Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ.
Into the Night
Bowie shows up all over the place - as a Bizarre Mustachioed crook in the Jeff Goldblum oddity "Into the Night" is a favourite...
The Prestige
He very nearly steals the film as Nickola Tesla in Christopher Nolan's 'The Prestige'.
Just thought of another...
Duke Ellington in Anatomy of a Murder.
Or the Basie band in blazing saddles ?
Breakfast on Pluto
Bryan Ferry playing a rather sinister and seedy john (and playing it rather well, which only made it more unsettling)
And in the previous Patrick McCabe novel to be filmed
"The Butcher Boy", Sinéad O Connor (who else?) plays the Virgin Mary.
Ian Brown
Stirring a cup of tea whilst reading a book in the Leaky Cauldron. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Freaked me out no end when I first saw it at the pictures.
King Of Comedy
The Clash....
Wilko
John "Wilko Johnson" Wilkinson as the executioner in Game of Thrones. I have to admit it didn't come as a surprise as he had already been outed as a thespian on this very blog.
The Dame
What about his Knife Fight with Carl Perkins in " Into The Night" ?
and
his appearence in Zoolander
I love him to bits
And he is a genius and Great Man but but but - he can't act to save his life - except to be Bromley Dave in different togs. There are worse things to be of course
As per this excellent Spitting Image sketch
I thought
he was great in The Prestige as Nikola Tesla. He definitely has a unique style which is quite gauche and mannered but in the context of that role and in that film I thought he was great casting. It's the same with The Man Who Fell To Earth. Bowie at the time, in pop/cultural/lifestyle terms was an alien to many, he was changing perceptions on gender and identity. I can't imagine anyone else being able to play such an "abstract" and disengaged character at the time as was required for Roeg's film.
I don't disagree
I just think to put it mildly he has a limited range. The Man Who Fell To Earth is great and he's perfect in it.
Toyah in Derek Jarman's Jubilee
Yelling her head off. Oscars, unsurpisingly, did not cascade.
Also Frank Zappa appears in 200 Motels, my mate says. I blinked and missed it.
Johnny Ramone
in 2002 Grand Prize of European Fantasy Film Winner..."Stranded".
This Youtube clip even explains how he came to be in it.
I have the dvd. If the film had been given a decent budget, a good script and some acting talent it could have been quite good.
Bet you wanna see it anyway?
"1234...hey ho let's go!"
Oh and...
Peter Murphy (of Bauhaus fame - or lack therof) in one of them there recent vampire movies. Twilight Eclipse or something. The Dark one or something.
And those Memorex ads, of course.
Sitting in his armchair thinking, "Blimey, this sounds a bit muffled"
Bauhaus
Were at the start of The Hunger, which also had Bowie in it, if I remember correctly
The Glitter Band in Apocalypse Now
I was gobsmacked ... then there was Alanis Morissette in Dogma, playing God.
Her middle name is Nadine.
Joe Strummer in very dark (and rather brilliant) Finnish comedy
And Tom Petty in Kevin Costner´s overlong (surprise!) The Postman.
"I Hired A Contract Killer"...
... from whence that Strummer clip comes, also features The Members' Nicky Tesco, of all people... director Aki Kaurismaki must have liked him, as he appears in both of his "Leningrad Cowboy" movies too.
Suzzy Roche...
...in Crossing Delancey
Elvis Costello
pops up sitting at the bar in "The Comic Strip Presents ... The Bullshitters" (credited as 'Stone Deaf A&R Man')
Also the model train mad older brother
In an early C4 drama Scully.
I was still a soft southern git in those days so the genius of it went over my head somewhat but I was subsequently in Wigan pubs with friends of my wife's where half the conversation was in Scully catchphrases. Notably - YeEESSSss
"Why D'yer call him Isaiah?"
"'cos one eye's 'igher than the other..."
He also pops up
as a rubbish magician in No Surrender.
And in Frasier
as a raucous singer in Cafe Nervosa. Scully to Frasier - quite a journey.
And on an episode of...
... Two & a Half Men.
As does Jim Thirlwell
(aka Foetus in all its guises) - he's the background guitar strummer in the bar when Bonehead and Foyle eventually agree to work together again.
Also played himself a few times...
... on "The Larry Sanders Show", in one episode hilariously selling Hank a crappy car.
Larry Sanders also had TCALSSHM Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp as stand-in bandleader for one episode to surprisingly funny effect, especially when Hank takes umbrage at the rapport Kemp instantly builds up with Larry... God, I loved that show.
Costello's Greatest Role
The beloved entertainer is also in SpiceWorld - The Movie as a bartender.
(Plus he's in an Austin Powers movie and he's in Blades of Glory, amazingly)
Are you sure about Blades Of Glory?
I do know he was in another Will Ferrell thing, Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby, as a friend of pretentious French racing driver Sacha Baron Cohen.
That's the one!
My mistake.
Jeff Beck. And Kate Bush
both make appearances in "The Comic Strip Presents..." productions. Jeff Beck's is a cameo as a passenger on a plane (the one about The Falklands war?) but some of his music is also in the soundtrack. Kate plays quite a substantial (mute or virtually so?) role in another as a bride whose wedding turns into open warfare between the two families. No idea what either was entitled.
Kate was in 'Les Dogs'
totally mute but bewitching.
Jeff Beck is a couple but he and Lemmy are in "South Atlantic Raiders" about an attempted 2nd crack by the Argies at the Falklands.
And of course Lemmy n band are in
totally mute?
Luckily not...
See 22:00
Never have a pair of marigolds and the word 'Dorset' been so exciting...
Its been a long time since
I saw it. Must dig out the box set again
Tim Buckley's in that funny film with OJ Simpson
I mean funny peculiar. Can't remember the title. Wasn't in the Naked Gun franchise, BTW.
Flea
Four string, sock botherer Flea turns up as a German nihilist in the Big Lebowski
Aimee Mann
also turns up in the Big Lebowski, as a member of the gang of kidnappers.
As the blog's official Gillian Welch correspondent, I am duty bound to point-out that she makes a brief appearance in another Coen brothers film, Oh Brother Where Art Thou. Not just on the soundtrack either; she appears in a record store asking for a copy of the Soggy Bottom Boys' hit single.
Flea
Also in Back To The Future of course
The things you find on youtube
The Standells appeared on the TV show The Munsters
Slippery When Wet
as in, careful, the deck of that submarine can get slippery when wet...
Jon Bon Jovi in U571:
Tom Waits pops up ... quite a lot actually
Here he is as Renfield in Coppola's Dracula. (I think he and Ron Perlman were separated at birth):
and he steals the whole film
in 'The Fisher King'
Also teaches Streep and Nicholson a thing or two
in Ironweed.
Happier times for Axl & Slash
Mooching about in the background of one scene in the Clint Eastwood starring Dirty Harry sequel "The Dead Pool" are "The World's Most Dangerous Band" Guns 'n Roses
Another one for Horror Fans
in John Carpenter,s Prince of Darkness we see Alice Cooper as a murderous disciple of the Devil...no surprise there !
Flight of the Conchords
Ok, not a movie, I know but if previous posts can refer to Frasier, Scully and the like, then your Daryl Hall correspondent must report him as popping up as for duty as an MC on an open mike night. He manages to get their name wrong and introduce them as "The Flute of The Commodores".
Who Dares Wins
with some of Fairport past and present
Does it count when they're in bands?
Susanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet..
Paul Jones
also appeared in an episode of The Sweeney playing a bank robber.
David JoHansen, New York Dolls, was one of the ghosts in Scrooged.
Ronnie Wood appears in an art club gallery scene in 9 and 1/2 Weeks.
Frank Zappa
cameo'd as a coke dealer in a Miami Vice ep. As did Adam Ant.
More horror...
John Michael Osbourne as telly evangelist
All sit down....
...for Tim Booth in Batman Begins.
The Amen Corner appeared in, and wrote the theme tune for...
... Hammer's Scream & Scream Again.
Until
They were thick?
Little Richard
has a classic scene in "Down and out in Beverly Hills" yelling at the police, even throwing in a "Good God almighty!" in the middle of his rant.
Funniest scene in the film IMO. OK, so it's not a very funny film...but still!
Not a film, exactly
But Morrissey's cameo in Brookside spin-off South was a cor-blimey moment.
Low quality clip here - but Tracey Corkhill shines through.
Mystery Train
Contains not one, not two, not even just three but four if you count Tom Waits as the disembodied voice of the radio d.j.
(not shown) Rufus Thomas as "Man in the station" and Peter Kay as Elvis (not really)(but blimey!)
And also in Night Train
Screamin' Jay Hawkins as the Night Porter at the hotel
Wasn't
Strummer in this as well?
Blue In The Face.
Uncle Lou & Auntie Madge.
Lou's Views.
I have this on DVD, wonderful film even if it does have Roseanne snogging Harvey Keitel (actually she, and everyone else, are very good).
A little bit more of a Smoke
In this case is most certainly no bad thing.
Laughing Len on Miami Vice
And how could we forget Leonard Cohen practising his French on Miami Vice?
Frank Zappa
as a Mr. Big drug dealer on Miami Vice in 1986. The "weasel dust" line was was nice touch, but the part where they manhandle Frank down the ladder at 3:10 seems just plain wrong.
More vice...
...with Mr. P. Collins & Mr. G. Frey. Oh, and there's Emo Philips on Phil's quiz show, Rat Race, though of course, he isn't in the music biz.
[Sorry, can't find a clip of Glen, but the episode was called Smuggler's Blues. I don't know which cam first, the song or the episode.]
Don't forget Sheena
The rock star cameo was a popular trope for Miami Vice. Sheena Easton had a recurring role for a few episodes. Here's a poor montage set to an atrocious song of hers from that time, maybe even from the show.
If only The Wire had been trying to catch Len...
The series would have been over a whole lot quicker!
Blimey - The Wire
...Have been in an American crime series? Was the episode called "Outdoor Miner"?
Two arthouses and a multiplex
Wim Wenders put the cult acid-folk singer Sibylle Baier into his film Alice in the Cities.
Also Sting does a brief turn in the underrated British film 'Radio On'
And UB40 turned up as themselves in Speed 2: Cruise Control (the one with the runaway boat)
Norman Wisdom vs The Pretty Things
Live from the Electric Banana - filmed at a hotel in Southport - remember stopping to watch some of the outdoor shots...and then my borther slammed the door of our Austin Cambridge on my hand which took the edge of things.
Ian Dury...
...was in the Sylvester Stallone Judge Dredd movie. He sells Rico an ABC warrior style robot. Can't find a clip of it on Youtube so you'll have to take my word for it.
Meat Loaf
Turns up in a lot of stuff, like Fight Club. He's the one with the man boobs. He may have had nothing to do with that dreadful Meat Loaf biopic I saw a few years ago.
Lyle Lovett used to be a David Lynch favourite, and John Waters uses all sorts of leftfield types.
John Denver in Oh God, too.
Lyle Lovett
doesn't appear in any Lynch films I remember (unless he's uncredited), though he did act in some Robert Altman movies, and elsewhere (e.g. "The Opposite of Sex"). He's still popping up here and there in cameos. Could you have been thinking of Jack Nance in "Eraserhead"?
I still wonder how many people knowingly link him to the "You've got a Friend In Me" duet with Randy Newman in Toy Story.
The wrong kid died.
Jack White as Elvis in the brilliant Walk Hard.
Awesome film.
Jack White
recently popped up on an episode of History Channels 'American Pickers' buying a stuffed elephant's head.
The Three Degrees
make one of the great musical cameos in The French Connection. Can't find the whole thing, but this has some clips from it.
Personal favourites
Big Jim Martin of Faith No More in Bill n Ted's Bogus Journey
and Jane Wiedlin as Miss Joan Of Arc in 'Bill n Ted's Excellent Adventure
Jane Wiedlin
delivered a singing telegram in Clue.
Bill and Ted also featuing
Fee (Tubes) Waybill, Clarence (E Street Band) Clemons and Martha (Motels) Davis as the Three Most Important People in the World.
Spencer Davis Group
The bloke from "Mind Your Language" (Barry Evans) goes out the the pull in Stevenage with James Herriot only to see this:
Hardware
Features both the Fields of the Nephilim's Carl McCoy and Lemmy in cameos. Directed bt Richard Stanely who did a couple of Neff vids. I seem to recall insinuations in interviews at the time and post McCoy leaving that he mainly became their singer as a way to get an Equity card (happened a lot apparently - time spent fronting a band as a singer counted as performing on stage...). That worked out well...
Those McCoy thesp skills in full
if I remember right the film also featured a clip of GWAR live with Ministry's Stigmata playing over the top.
and those Lemmy thesp skills
ahem
John Wayne Bobbit
Lemmy was in that film too.
Chris Lowe in Neighbours
Excruciating.
Oh, and Sparks in Roller Coaster
J Mascis
drawled his way through a cameo in Gas Food Lodging. Can't find a YouTube.
the Boss
giving John Cusack romatic advice in High Fidelity - i doubt he was even on the same continent
Minder
Seen down the Winchester or getting "ag" from Chisholm, include
Toyah Wilcox
Suzy Quatro
Mike Holloway -Flintlock's drummer and Paul Shane's duet partner
Jimmy Nail
Gary Holton-Heavy Metal Kids
Adam Faith
also "me old mate Lynchy" was in the Sweeney,as well
Nick Cave/Wings of Desire
Another Wim Wenders movie..I believe Crime and The City Solution.
Almost forgot...
... Alan Price providing the on-screen soundtrack/Greek chorus in Lindsay Anderson's masterpiece, "O Lucky Man!"
Not really acting but
there's that really gratuitous chase through a nightclub in Blow Up that's clearly there just to include the Yardbirds.
And Janet Street Porter
She is dancing in that scene.
Dave Grohl
Plays Animool in "The Muppets"
Nicky Tesco of the Members
appeared in Aki Kaurismäki's film "Leningrad Cowboys Go America".
Damon Albarn in Face
"It's all just noise though, innit?"
The Zombies
made an appearance in the Otto Preminger film 'Bunny Lake Is Missing'. The song 'Tell Her No' is part of the soundtrack, I believe.
Bo Diddley...
...runs the pawnshop in Trading Places. "In Philadelphia, it's worth 50 bucks."
That's not all. That's Elwood Blues, isn't it?
Didn't Joe Strummer feature
in one of Jim Jarmusch's films - not unexpected, I suppose?
And Joe Ely?
Down by Law.
Down by Law.
Dunno about Down By Law
but Strummer was definitely in Mystery Train - a reasonably big role too. Although the outstanding pop star cameo in that film was Screaming Jay Hawkins' turn as the hotel manager.
TWO-LANE BLACKTOP
James Taylor AND Dennis Wilson
REPO MAN
Jimmy Buffet (not pictured here)
JULEE CRUISE
Blue Velvet
William Gibson
Wild Palms
AND
The X-Files
Well off the OP's thread. mind
but some of the greatest deployment of music in a TV series ever, not just The House of the Rising Sun
but the Stones' Gimme Shelter at 6:50 here:
and Love Child by the Supremes at 1:43 here
as well ...
Not entirely unexpected
but in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire the band The Weird Sisters features Johnny Greenwood and Phil Selway of Radiohead, and Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey of Pulp. Together at last...
And in further franchise follies, Bret from Flight of The Conchords got himself some attention as Figwit, an elf who attracted an strange internet following (as if there was any other). To wit:
He's the one who isn't Liv Tyler or Hugo Weaving.
Miles Davis in Scrooged
At one point Bill Murray walks past a street band comprising Miles Davis, Larry Carlton, David Sanborn and Paul Schaffer. It's a proper 'blink and you'll miss it' moment though and a wonderfully pointless collection of talent for a few seconds that contribute nothing to the plot.
The Fifth Element
features appearance by Tricky (unfortunately dubbed into another language in the clip below) and Skin out of Skunk Anansie. Both are pretty striking looking people, a point which may have contributed as much to their casting as their acting abilities. Similarly, Sean Ryder had a cameo as a henchmen alongside Eddie Izzard in the awful film version of the Avengers from a few years back.
Not a film but...
I don't think anyone has yet mentioned the most cringeworthy pop star guest appearance I ever saw. Culture Club in The A Team. My toes are still curling nearly 30 years on.
I seem to remember that Massive favourites The Cranberries
once turned up on an episode of Charmed. I'm sure it's on Youtube, but I refuse to go looking for it. Although it doesn't beat The A Team.
The Man from Elysian Fields (2001).
Featuring a sophisticated Sir Michael Jagger
Little Feat
60's US sitcom 'F Troop'. One episode featured a hillbilly bluegrassy band. Lowell George & the early Little Feat (I think).. maybe it was The Standells or Lowells earlier band The Factory.
Mick Fleetwood and Dweezil Zappa
pop up in the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie The Running Man.
Dweezil has only one line in the film, but it's a good one. At a crucial moment he yells "Don't touch that dial!" which is, of course, a quote from his dad's song I'm The Slime.
No clip on YouTube, I'm afraid.
Also great line "Mr Spock You Have the Com" ?
Spoken by or to Fleetwood iirc ?
Shit stoner movie The Stoned Age..
Features a cameo from Eric Bloom and Buck Dharma.
The Beatles in Yellow Submarine!
I remember being quite startled on seeing this groovy 'toon when I was six when the flesh-and-blood Fantabulosas appeared at the end. Bongo had a hole in his pocket. JWL peered into the cinema audience with a telescope. It's a bizarre sequence in the context of the White Album sessions. They were much more grown-up appearing in a kids' film than they were being in the supposedly adult world of being in a rock'n'roll band.
.
Chris Isaak - SWAT guy in Silence of the Lambs
... sorry if somebody'sdalready said this.
Yep
Somebody has...
Chris Isaak again...
... in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me as Special Agent Chester Desmond
He's actually quite prolific, cropping up to good effect in films including That Thing You Do, Little Buddha, The Informers, A Dirty Shame, etc.
Prolific enough to have his own TV show...
"The Chris Isaak Show" was a terrific little programme that Channel 4 showed for a while in the wee small hours, and is criminally still not available on DVD... Chris and his real-life group (except the comedy relief keyboardist) play fictionalised versions of themselves as a vaguely struggling band, and I liked it a lot. Drummer Kenney Dale Johnson especially is a natural comedian, though Isaak himself is charm personified...
I seem to remember
a topless blond mermaid in a giant fish tank making regular appearances. Didn't Chris discuss his problems with her? Or was I just tripping?
Yes!
In the series, Isaak and his band have a permanent residency at San Francisco's Bimbo's 365 club, which (in real life, too!) does indeed feature an live optical illusion of a mermaid swimming in a fishbowl, actually an image of a scantily-clad young lady projected from the basement via a series of mirrors... in the series she kind of acts as Chris' "conscience", well remembered!
Some merely do movies. Others find a place in the higher media
Martin Kemp acquitted himself quite well in The Krays and Eastenders but his big break was playing alongside the world's most successful footballer:
And of course
Shaky and Mick Hucknall turned out for Fulchester United.
christ almighty
I imagine the authors crawling round on the floor of the pub in abject existential misery after agreeing to do this in a 'brainstorming' session with the sales team. And waking up screaming and in floods of tears for decades to follow. And now you've brought it all flooding back to them...
What about Aretha Franklin in The Blues Brothers?
Well
When the likes of James Brown, John Lee Hooker, Cab Calloway and Ray Charles have all appeared, it's not as much of a surprise to have Arethra turn up.
If she'd have turned up in Confessions of a Driving Instructor, you'd be on to something.
Wise words mate
Wise words indeed
On TV
Carole King, Grant Lee Phillips and Chuck E Weiss have all turned up in episodes of The Gilmore Girls. The great Michelle Shocked was in Dharma & Greg.
Not really a film
but it was on the TV, and did make it to video (I believe)
Kate Bush duetting with Rowan Atkinson (Comic Relief 1986)
Shame
She didn't take the opportunity to punch his teeth down his throat though... not a nice man at all...
"I sleep with his friends"
No wonder messrs Curtis and Goodall are such cheerful chaps
There used to be a fuller HQ version out there -
anyone know where it went?
"and now I've got venus sitting next to me"
out of the mouths of babes and Blackadder...
Some more from TV and film
Toyah appeared in 'Shoestring' starring Trevor Eve. She played a singer funnily enough.
Hot House Flowers appeared in 'Lovejoy' playing themselves.
How about Roy Harper (and Bob Harris) in 'Made' from 1972? (interview between BH and RH about 30 mins in). It's a pretty awful film, mind!
Dave Swarbrick
folk fiddle player extraordinaire (and subject of a 1999 Daily Telegraph premature obituary) made a pre-Fairport Convention cameo appearance in the 1967 movie Far from the Madding Crowd alongside the lovely Julie Christie.
Spirit
Long,long ago I saw a film on TV called Model Shop. It was a pretty aimless piece starring Gary Lockwood as guy drifting around LA wile while waiting to be conscripted to fight in Vietnam. Spirit appeared as a band who were friends of the main character,playing themselves basically.Never saw it again.
Couple of more mentions for Tom Waits-The piano player in Wolfen,and "Doc Heller" in Mystery Men.Remember the "Blame Thrower"?
As the Blog's resident Throbbing Gristle expert
it's my solemn duty to direct readers to one of Cosey Fanny Tutti's early grumble flicks.
Hey, I'm always prepared to go the extra mile in terms of research.
You may want to be in a (ahem) "relaxed and comfortable" position when viewing.
You may also want to be sure that NO-ONE is around....
http://fapdu.com/search/?s=sexangle+
You can click on either.
As I've posted previously...
...Kevin Rowland was in the TV series Colditz:-
and Peter Gabriel
gave me the shock of my life when he turned up in the Scorsese segment 'Life Lessons' of the portmanteau movie 'New York Stories'
Can't seem to find a good clip, mind, but he is definitely in there
and Debbie Harry's in it as well apparently
but I've never noticed her! (there's a first!)
a few more
Henry Rollins in Heat
Coronation street;
Davy Jones
Peter Noone
Graham Fellows-Jilted John
Brian Hibbard-Flying Pickets
Tony Capstick
Noddy Holder
Corrie
Plus an entire episode featuring the mighty Status Quo, culminating with Les Battersby going off with them to become a roadie.
Eastenders
David Essex
Martin Kemp
Clare Grogan
Anthony Newley
Zoot Money
And Brian May
He was married to Dirty Den.
CP Grogan was in Eastenders?
Playing herself or a proper character?
I do remember her being rather good as the obnoxious pop rebel in Father Ted...
Ros Thorne aka C P Grogan
Ros Thorne was a Scottish private detective who Ian Beale hired to trace his two sons, Steven and Peter. Steven and Peter had been taken by their mother, Cindy, following her failed attempt to have Ian killed by a professional hitman in 1996.-
Anthony Newley
Was in the Garbage Pail Kid Movie.
Isn't it the case
That AN was GOING to be a regular character in Eastenders but then dropped off his perch unexpectedly? Don't watch the show so I don't know but that would have been very good casting
Two more ...
Jarvis Cocker makes a cameo (in stop-motion puppet form) in Fantastic Mr Fox.
A TV one: Pet Shop Boys' keyboards wizard Chris Lowe popped up in Neighbours in the mid-1990s.
Dean Wareham of Galaxie 500/Luna
appeared as a barman in an episode of Law And Order.
Odd.
Art (Arthur) Garfunkel
As Nately in Catch 22
Prompted Paul Simon to write "The Only Living Boy In New York", the Tom in the song being a reference to the Tom in Tom & Jerry, S&G's original stage name.
Not to mention his stunning turn in Roeg's Bad Timing
Opposite Theresa Russell and Harvey Keitel,
Keith Jarrett assisted clip to follow, brilliant fusion of music and pictures:
Was possibly the first time I heard that music and it, er, really got me ...
Not a Pop Star
but the sight of Larry David, playing himself as usual, in an episode of Hannah Montana was truly surreal.
Apologies if this has been posted already
but I just watched the golf film The Greatest Game Ever Played and Joe Jackson made an appearance as a pub piano player.