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Cinema's Top 20 Music Geeks
- Posted by Jason Persse
20
James Brennan
'Adventureland' (2009)
Jesse Eisenberg always seems to be playing the worst kind of music geek: the pretentious know-it-all. In 'The Squid and the Whale,' his character even claims Pink Floyd's 'Hey You' as his own composition. That's why 'Adventureland' amusement park employee James is such a welcome change; he's all about Lou Reed, Hüsker Dü and the Replacements, but he still turns out to be a pretty nice guy.
Miramax
19
Mark the Record Store Clerk
'Empire Records' (1995)
It's almost shocking when 'Empire Records' employee Mark calls Axl Rose his favorite singer. How can there be room for Axl in a heart so full of GWAR? Ethan Embry (credited as "Ethan Randall") brings his usual aw-shucks sweetness to a brain-damaged "Bohab" (as GWAR fanatics are known) who is so into the costumed horror-metal band that he hallucinates himself into one of their videos.
Warner Bros / Everett Collection
18
Ivan Alexeev and Josh Tager
'Tapeheads' (1988)
In the cult classic 'Tapeheads,' Ivan (John Cusack) and Josh (Tim Robbins) lose their security guard jobs and decide to follow their dream and get into the music video business. Hey, it was 1988 and MTV still showed videos. Inspired by their love of a has-been soul duo called the Swanky Modes (played by real-life soul legends Sam Moore and Junior Walker), the pair become unlikely music business big-shots.
Avenue Pictures / Everett Collection
17
Alex DeLarge
'A Clockwork Orange' (1971)
As the psychopathic leader of a gang of twisted, murderous thugs, Alex (Malcolm McDowell) of 'A Clockwork Orange' loves three things above all else: sex, violence and music. He even brutally assaults a couple while doing a rendition of 'Singing in the Rain.' Chief among his inspirations is the music of Ludwig van Beethoven -- the composer's Ninth Symphony (ironically titled the 'Ode to Joy') forms the soundtrack to Alex's most twisted fantasies.
Michael Ochs Archive / Everett Collection
16
Summer Finn
'(500) Days of Summer' (2009)
Indie rocker fantasy No. 124: The cute girl in the office tells you she likes the music coming out of your headphones. That's how it starts for Tom and Summer (Zooey Deschanel) in '(500) Days of Summer,' who bond over the Smiths in an elevator. Add to that her cat Bruce (as in "Springsteen") and her tendency to do Lee Hazlewood karaoke, and you've got a music-lover's fantasy girl. She'll still dump you, but at least she'll do it with a 'Sid & Nancy' reference.
Fox Searchlight / Everett Collection
15
Steven 'Stevo' Levy
'SLC Punk' (1998)
Stevo (Matthew Lillard) is a poseur-hating punk purist and one of the very, very few punk rockers in Salt Lake City. While best friend Bob searches for romance, Stevo keeps busy keeping it real, dismissing the debate over who started punk by focusing on the only thing that matters: "We did it harder, we did it faster, and we definitely did it with more love, baby!"
Everett Collection
14
Chad the Nanny
'Jerry Maguire' (1996)
Todd Louiso is dear to music nerds' hearts for his role as Dick, the soft-spoken record-store clerk in 'High Fidelity.' Yet most people know him as "child technician" Chad the Nanny in 'Jerry Maguire.' A rabid jazz fan, Chad hooks Jerry up with what he considers the ultimate makeout tape: "Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Stockholm, 1963. Two masters of freedom, playing in a time before their art was corrupted by a zillion cocktail lounge performers."
TriStar Pictures
13
Debi Newberry
'Grosse Pointe Blank' (1997)
When professional assassin Martin Blank goes home for his Grosse Point High School 10-year reunion, he finds his ex girlfriend Debi Newberry (Minnie Driver) spinning an all-vinyl "oldies from the eighties" weekend on WRFN-FM. Debi's selection of ska, punk and New Wave classics by the Clash, the Specials, the Jam and others is so awesome, we'll happily ignore that she plays a few songs from other decades.
Everett Collection
12
Riff Randell
'Rock 'n' Roll High School' (1979)
There are fans, there are fanatics, and then there is Riff Randell (P.J. Soles), the planet's biggest Ramones worshipper. In 'Rock 'n' Roll High School,' the evil Principal Togar confiscates her Ramones tickets, so Riff does what any self-respecting rocker would do: She stages a full-scale rebellion, seizing control of Vince Lombardi High School and making Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny, and Marky Ramone honorary students.
New World Pictures / Everett Collection
11
William Miller
'Almost Famous' (2000)
In 'Almost Famous,' William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is a borderline case since he's essentially a fictionalized stand-in for director (and former music journalist) Cameron Crowe. When the 16-year-old wunderkind lands a Rolling Stone assignment to go on tour with the (also) fictional band Stillwater, he embarks on the ultimate music geek dream -- an all-access peek behind the curtain, with all the booze, groupies and giant egos one teenager can handle.
DreamWorks Pictures
10
Patrick Bateman
'American Psycho' (2000)
Christian Bale played a glam-obsessed music journalist in Todd Haynes' 'Velvet Goldmine,' but it was in 'American Psycho' that he portrayed his first true music scholar: yuppie serial killer Patrick Bateman. His straight-faced tirades about the hidden genius of middle-of-the-road 1980s chart-toppers Huey Lewis & the News, Whitney Houston and Genesis (their 'Invisible Touch' album is "an epic meditation on intangibility") put even the most pretentious rock snobs to shame.
Everett Collection
09
Steve Dunne
'Singles' (1992)
Every Cameron Crowe movie includes at least one hard-core music nerd, and in the twentysomething grunge classic 'Singles,' that title belongs to Steve Dunne (Campbell Scott), former college-radio DJ and "the only man ... who could mix Elvis Costello and Public Enemy." So how does Steve handle a tough breakup? Like most of us, he lies on the floor blasting John Coltrane and gets drunk by himself at Soundgarden concerts.
Warner Bros / Everett Collection
08
Nick O'Leary and Norah Silverberg
'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist' (2008)
Nick (Michael Cera), the only straight member of a queercore band, makes the most heart-melting mix tapes in high school. Norah (Kat Dennings) is unknowingly his biggest fan. They go on a quest to see legendary (fictional) indie band Where's Fluffy? Nick and Norah then embark on a romantic New York adventure that includes dry-humping on the couch at Electric Lady Studios.
JoJo Whilden, Columbia Pictures
07
Mike Damone
'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' (1982)
When he isn't selling his classmates tickets to see Cheap Trick, Ozzy Osbourne or Blue Öyster Cult, Ridgemont high school scalper Mike Damone (Robert Romanus) dispenses tips on how to pick up women ... using a cardboard cutout of Debbie Harry as a visual aid. It's hard to argue with a guy who drops can't-miss dating science like this: "When it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on Side One of 'Led Zeppelin IV.'"
Universal
06
Mark 'Hard Harry' Hunter
'Pump Up the Volume' (1990)
In 'Pump Up the Volume,' Hubert Humphrey High School senior Mark Hunter (Christian Slater) is the ultimate wallflower, so shy he can barely look at girls, let alone talk to them. But at night, like some rock 'n' roll werewolf, he transforms into "Hard Harry," the town's most dangerous pirate-radio DJ, spinning everything from Leonard Cohen to Henry Rollins and Soundgarden for his adoring legions of angst-ridden teens.
New Line Cinema / Everett Collection
05
Juno MacGuff
'Juno' (2007)
Most high schoolers are obsessive about music. Pregnant teen Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is just, uh, next level. While most expectant mothers would be babbling about prenatal vitamins, Juno bonds with her baby's adoptive-father-to-be over her favorite bands ("a three-way tie between The Stooges, Patti Smith and the Runaways") and Sonic Youth's awesome cover of the Carpenters' 'Superstar.' The movie even ends with Page and Michael Cera duetting on The Moldy Peaches' anti-folk classic 'Anyone Else but You.'
20th Century Fox
04
Seymour the Record Collector
'Ghost World' (2001)
Steve Buscemi's Seymour is the saddest character in 'Ghost World' – and that's saying a lot. He's even depressed about the one thing that gives him joy: his collection of 1,500 rare 78 rpm records. "You think it's healthy to obsessively collect things? You can't relate to other people, so you fill your life with stuff." Seymour may have a point; When your top three interests in life are jazz, blues and ragtime, it's time to broaden your horizons.
MGM
03
Dewey Finn
'The School of Rock' (2003)
Between 'High Fidelity' and 'Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny,' Jack Black is no stranger to onscreen music-geekery. But Black's single greatest cinematic offering at the altar of rock is Dewey Finn, the Obi-Wan Kenobi of junior jamming in 'The School of Rock.' Dewey passes on his slobbering worship of the guitar Pantheon to the next generation, bestowing upon them "the power to blow people's minds with our high-voltage rock."
Paramount
02
Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar
'Wayne's World' (1992) and 'Wayne's World 2' (1993)
Over the course of two movies, Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) went from hosting a low-budget cable-access show in 'Wayne's World' to hosting a slightly higher-budget cable-access show and organizing the monster music festival Waynestock in 'Wayne's World 2.' Along the way they communed with the ghost of Jim Morrison, chilled backstage with Alice Cooper and Aerosmith, and performed the most famous lip-sync in film history.
Paramount / Everett Collection
01
Rob Gordon
'High Fidelity' (2000)
In 'High Fidelity,' Rob Gordon (John Cusack), the sad-sack proprietor of Championship Vinyl, inhabits a world defined by his taste in music. He organizes his records autobiographically, he expresses his emotions via best-song lists and his favorite book is Johnny Cash's autobiography. The top spot in this list is reserved for the man behind the music-geek mantra "What really matters is what you like, not what you are like."
Touchstone Pictures
- Filed under: The Hit List
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"whatever happened to P.J. soles" was a title of an album by zion ill based band "local "H"
September 27 2011 at 5:07 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
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Mike
1 reply to Mike's comment
re: #18. In "Tapeheads," the Swanky Modes were played by Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave) and Jr. Walker.
August 18 2010 at 1:37 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
PHOTO - Jason Persse
Excellent catch, Mike. You're absolutely right, and we'll correct the post ASAP.
August 24 2010 at 10:10 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
novamech1
2 replies to novamech1's comment
They did not include Bill and Ted??? WHoever made this list sucks.
August 18 2010 at 6:26 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replynot to mention they left out "wayne's world" (1 & 2) the only "nerd" that was a metalhead" was dana carvy's "garth algar"! and oh! ....3 members of pearl jam was in "singles" too!
September 27 2011 at 4:52 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replywait a minute! they did have wayne's world's "wayne and garth" in that list....MY BAD!!
September 27 2011 at 4:55 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Santa Clause
1 reply to Santa Clause's comment
I would disqualify numbers 20,15,11,8,5 and 3 on the grounds of them being lame psuedo/poseur-music geek movies. The rest of the list is ok.
August 18 2010 at 2:18 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
fran_flakes
Really you just seem to have a problem with anyone who is either young or mainstream being a music geek. which proberly means that you think you know loads about music yourself and that your opinion is king but you proberly have quite a narrowminded view
December 21 2010 at 3:32 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Mace
1 reply to Mace's comment
What about the DJ from Reservoir Dogs??? (comedian Steve.....can't remember his name.) He had a KILLER playlist throughout the movie.
August 17 2010 at 11:57 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
The Fixer
Steven Wright did the Intro- The DJ On The Radio- Mr Blond was Bad A$$ with the dance sequence for Stealers Wheel Stuck In The Middle. Cuts off cops ear and dances outside. Then Walks to car to get gas can then dances back in for the pig roast. Tarentino's great for music montages in Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown
August 18 2010 at 1:08 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
butchinfl
Of course Cusack would be #1...great actor and obviously a true music geek (the soundtrack to grosse point blank is just amazing)
A Clockwork Orange does a fantastic job of making classical music sickly interesting (one of the best movies ever...thc and/or lsd highly recommended)
Pump Up The Volume was a very good movie for its time despite the 80s cheese and had an interesting soundtrack of artists most people hadn't heard of yet.
patrickgawne
I actually think this is a pretty good list. I've seen most of the movies and I agree with all the selections.
Good job Spinner people.
Sandwiches
I'm really shocked the JP from Grandmas Boy isn't on this list.
August 17 2010 at 10:30 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
tafnut
2 replies to tafnut's comment
Although there is no definitive list, I cannot fathom leaving off this ranking Laurence 'Shrevie' Schreiber (Daniel Stern) from Barry Levinson's 1982 film "Diner".
I recall one memorable scene where he yells at his wife (Ellen Barkin) for having mis-filed his James Brown records. He and Kevin Bacon quiz each other about B-sides, years of release and the color of record labels.
drew
That was my first thought too.
August 17 2010 at 10:10 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
ushooturiout58
good point about diner, I had forgotten about diner until you mentioned it, but, yes Daniel Stern was a total music geek in this film.
August 18 2010 at 2:23 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
18 Comments