Drop Dead Rock

This movie is full of more hilariously botched schemes, bizarro characters and odd-ball humor than you can shake a drum-stick at. It's pretty rough and goofy in places, but it certainly means well. Had it been released to theatres (as it should have been) instead of directly to home video, it would more than likely have joined ranks with its rock-comedy cult forefathers: films like "This Is Spinal Tap", "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains" and the "Rocky Horror Picture Show". Who knows? It may still!

This is a comic caper that pulls out all the stops in its story of a hasbeen shock rocker name Spazz-O, who is wasting so much of his limited wealth that his wife and manager, who are having an affair, plot to have him killed by a hitman. Before that can happen, he is kidnapped by a neverwas rock group aptly named Hindenberg who hold him for ransom. This is the jumping off point for one of the craziest, most colorful and broad satires of the music scene you're likely to see for some time to come. It's basically O.Henry's THE RANSOM OF RED CHEIF updated to the 90s and cranked up to the max with every rock music cliche thrown into the mix. The script is very funny and the direction is colorful. Special kudos to Ian Maynard as the "great" Spazzo-O, the kind of guy who puts an air conditioner in his sauna because he's sweating in there. Anyone who knows the music business or is a fan of heavy metal will be especially tickled by the cameos appearances of some authentic rock stars. And that song, "Inseminator" is a hoot. Both it and the movie are destined for cult status.