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Strange Fruit
Jul 11, 2014
Published in
The Artists
Strange Fruit was a 1970’s British Rock band that disbanded following a lightning strike to the stage at the Wisbech Rock Festival of 1977. The lightning was a microcosm of their problems as their egos and pursuit of “fame, fortune and fornication” had already set them on their path of destruction.
Fast forward twenty years later and they are reuniting for a twentieth anniversary of the Festival. Prior to, they are on tour in Europe where egos and issues remain a problem, but with this great cast, we just sat back and enjoyed the ride. Depending on how strong our British following is, this is a solid candidate.
The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
Still Crazy (1998)
Actors:
Bill Nighy (Ray Simms, Lead Singer)
Stephen Rea (Tony Costello, Keyboards)
Jimmy Nail (Les Wickes, Bass)
Timothy Spall (David “Deano” Baggot, Drums)
Bruce Robinson (Brian Lovell, Guitar)
Hans Matheson (Luke Shand, Guitar)
Songs you might remember:
The Flame Still Burns
Why you should vote for them:
This was a very good film that had great acting, good music and equal parts drama and comedy.
Why you should not vote for them:
It did not gain traction in North America, nor was its legacy that strong in England.
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Stitch Jones
Jul 11, 2014
Published in
The Artists
He made a much better marine than he did a Rock Star. Stitch (Mario Van Peebles) was an aspiring Rock and Roller who played Roy’sbar and probably should have won a contest, though only because of the weak opposition. Still, we prefer Clint Eastwood kicking his ass as opposed to anything he did with a microphone.
The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
Actor:
Mario Van Peebles
Songs you might remember:
None
Why you should vote for him:
Anything from a Clint Eastwood film is worth a look in our eyes.
Why you should not vote for him:
He lost the only contest we saw him in; and that took place in a crappy ass bar.
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Stingray Wilson
Jul 11, 2014
Published in
The Artists
In the final days of the Roseanne show, it was revealed that Dan (John Goodman) was in a band in high school. His band mate was Stingray Wilson, played by John Popper of Blues Traveler, who would sing the show’s theme song in the last season of the sitcom. We were treated to Goodman singing with the band a decent rendition of “Sweet Home Chicago” but does this mean we should look at nominating Dan Connor instead? What was the name of Dan’s band anyway?
The Bullet Points:
TV Show Appeared:
Roseanne (1995)
Actor:
John Popper
Songs you might remember:
Nothing
Why you should vote for him:
All we really have is that Popper was convincing in the role; which we sure was a real stretch for him as an actor.
Why you should not vote for him:
Goodman had the signature song in the episode.
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Stillwater
Jul 11, 2014
Published in
2019 Inductees
From Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical film, Almost Famous, we are introduced to Stillwater, an up and coming Rock band in the 1973. The music in the film is perfectly framed (way to many period music pieces don’t fit at all) and we aren’t just treated to a good band, but a great behind the scenes look at their struggles, both personal and professional. The songs were co-written by Crowe’s real life wife, Nancy Wilson from Heart, and the film was told from the point of view of the Crowe based character who was covering the band for Rolling Stone Magazine. Incidentally, in the late 70’s, there really was a band called Stillwater, who allowed Crowe to use the name of the band after reading the script.
Considering how fantastic this film was and how solid the music was, we have a real contender here.
The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
Almost Famous (2000)
Actors:
Billy Crudup (Russell Hammond, Lead Guitar)
Jason Lee (Jeff Bebe, Lead Singer)
John Fedevich (Ed Vallencourt, Bass)
Mark Kozelek (Larry Fellows, Drums)
Songs you might remember:
Fever Dog
Love Thing
Love Comes and Goes
Why you should vote for them:
Couldn’t you believe that this band existed in 1973? We do!
Why you should not vote for them:
The music was authentic sounding, but it did not generate a hit in the real world, other than giving another life to Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”.
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