Book Review: Rock on Film by Fred Goodman

Cody takes a look at a newly published book about movies and rock 'n roll.

Author Fred Goodman’s newly released book Rock on Film: The Movies That Rocked the Big Screen, which was published by Running Press in association with Turner Classic Movies, starts off by saying it’s going to be a profile of fifty different movies that deal with rock music in some way... but it’s actually much more than that. It’s more than that by number, because there are more than fifty movies profiled in it: in a couple cases, two movies are profiled and counted together (La Bamba with The Buddy Holly Story, Gaga: Five Foot Two with A Star Is Born), and in all the other chapters Goodman suggests that you “make it a double feature” with another movie that he discusses. So you can actually learn about more than one hundred music-themed movies by going through the pages of Rock on Film. And it’s also more than a profile of fifty rock ‘n roll movies because not all of the movies are rock. I’m sure music fans could pick apart the genres even more than I can, but I do know that Straight Outta Compton and 8 Mile are not about rock ‘n roll. But their inclusion doesn’t seem off base, because Goodman is still able to get across why someone who is into music should watch these movies, regardless of specific genres.

All of Goodman’s write-ups are interesting and informative, and it’s clear that he knows what he’s talking about. He has done his studying when it comes to the history of rock and its offshoots. And when he’s not dispensing knowledge, he has other experts come in and give a peek behind the scenes of the making of some of the movies discussed. There are interviews with five filmmakers dispersed throughout the book - Cameron Crowe (who started out as a rock journalist), Jim Jarmusch, Penelope Spheeris, Taylor Hackford, and John Waters – and a foreword by Sir Michael Lindsay-Hogg, a filmmaker and music video director who has worked with the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Who, Whitney Houston, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young, and more. 

Before Goodman gets to profiling the films, but after we’ve heard from Sir Michael, we even get a thirty-three page History of Rock on Film. So if you’re a fan of rock music, a fan of film, and you like it when those two great tastes are mixed together, this book is a great celebration of the blend that will probably teach you a thing or two along the way.

The best way to help someone decide whether or not they want to read Rock on Film is probably to just give the list of movies that are profiled. These are the ones that get the most attention, but only make up about half of the movies that are actually covered in some way. The profiled movies are: A Hard Day’s Night; Don’t Look Back; Jailhouse Rock; The TAMI Show; Woodstock; Gimme Shelter; The Last Waltz; Stop Making Sense; Almost Famous; I’m Not There; This Is Spinal Tap; Monterey Pop; Metallica: Some Kind of Monster; The Buddy Holly Story and La Bamba; Viva Las Vegas; The Rocky Horror Picture Show; The Girl Can’t Help It; Mystery Train; Inside Llewyn Davis; 20 Feet from Stardom; Straight Outta Compton; Ladies & Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains; Quadrophenia; The Decline of Western Civilization: Part I; High Fidelity; Rock ‘n Roll High School; Pink Floyd: The Wall; Laurel Canyon; The Harder They Come; Singles;  Ray; Hairspray; Smithereens; A Star Is Born and Gaga: Five Foot Two; Get On Up; The Runaways; Oil City Confidential; Beware of Mr. Baker; Purple Rain; Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n Roll; The Blues Brothers; Frank; 8 Mile; American Graffiti; Alice’s Restaurant; Privilege; The Black Godfather; Standing in the Shadows of Motown; Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll; and Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story.

Some of my favorite movies are on that list, made by some of my favorite filmmakers. Some of my favorite bands are also in there. (And in the case of Alice's Restaurant, that's a feature based on a song I listen to every Thanksgiving.) If you can say the same about the films, filmmakers, and bands, I recommend seeking out Fred Goodman’s  Rock on Film: The Movies That Rocked the Big Screen. Or just grab a copy on Amazon.