The Mayor of the Sunset Strip Movie Review:


Strange, but before seeing “Mayor of the Sunset Strip” I had no idea who Rodney Bingenheimer was. And yet, this shy and unassuming man, one of America’s most influential DJs, helped define the sounds that have dominated over three decades of music by giving dozens of artists -- including the Sex Pistols, the Go-Gos, Blondie, Van Halen, Nirvana, Oasis, and No Doubt -- their first exposure on the airwaves. In George Hickenlooper’s comprehensive documentary, Rodney’s passion for music and his involvement in the “cult of celebrity” emerge as twin themes.

While coaxing Rodney into the spotlight, Hickenlooper (“Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse”) also manages to give viewers a spirited overview of pop music trends from the 60s through the first three years of the new millennium. At the same time, this acclaimed director examines our society’s obsession with fame and celebrity. Blending interviews and archival footage, he creates a special trip down memory lane for music fans.

Rodney arrived in Hollywood as a teenager and was subsequently hired to be a stand-in for Davy Jones on TV’s The Monkees. Later, two people he admired, Sonny and Cher, took an interest in him and served almost as his surrogate parents. Rodney soon began writing for various music magazines and landed at Capitol Records where he helped launch Linda Ronstadt’s career. When he moved to Mercury Records, his job involved shepherding David Bowie, Rod Stewart and other artists to press events.

It was Sal Mineo who first called Rodney “Mayor of the Sunset Strip,” a title honoring his knowledge of music and his close relationships with the stars of the day. An avid celebrity worshipper, Rodney became friend and confidante to scores of famous individuals from various walks of life. In the early 1970s, his English Disco nightclub (suggested by David Bowie) served as the world’s rock and roll salon.

Hickenlooper admits Rodney’s obsession with celebrities helped persuade him to make this movie. “When I first met Rodney,” says the filmmaker, “I thought his contribution to the music world was interesting, but wouldn’t necessarily make a compelling documentary.”

However, after visiting Rodney’s apartment -- which is filled from floor to ceiling with photographs of Rodney with pop stars, movie stars and politicians, Hickenlooper changed his mind. “It wasn’t just seeing the photographs, but seeing Rodney sort of light up as he shared these photographs with me,” Hickenlooper explains.

Some of the same stars appearing in those photos give testimonials to Rodney in “Mayor of the Sunset Strip.” Interviewees include David Bowie, Nancy Sinatra, Joan Jett, Brooke Shields, Courtney Love, Gwen Stefani, MacKenzie Phillips, Brian Wilson, Mick Jagger, Coldplay, Cher and many others.

Rodney Bingenheimer still works his DJ magic each week on L.A.’s KROQ. Cool.

Betty Jo Tucker
http://www.reeltalkreviews.com

 

If you ask any rock star from 60s all the way through to modern times who Rodney Bingenheimer is they will tell you. Making his way up from a groupie and Davy Jones’s stand-in on the Monkeys, to the most influential Rock DJ on the West Coast of the US, Rodney has known, met or introduced America to the greats of Rock and Roll. From Elvis and the Beatles, Sonny and Cher and The Beach Boys to No Doubt, Oasis and Coldplay, Rodney has known, promoted and partied with them all, gaining him the honouree title of ‘The Mayor of Sunset Strip’.

For anyone outside of LA and the music business they will be asking, who is Rodney Bingenheimer?

Renowned documentary filmmaker George Hickenlooper introduces us to the man who lived in and even created the LA scene of the late 60s early 70s. After been left in LA by his mother, Rodney’s assent to stardom began. From Groupie and Davy Jones stand in, to Night Club owner and then DJ, Rodney met everyone and knew everybody. He was called the Andy Warhol of the West Coast.

Hickenlooper takes us through his life from his humble beginnings as a small, picked on child to his 70s and 80s hay day and on to his modern position as an institution of LA Radio. Using archive film and photographs we are drawn into Rodney’s fascinating world. This is the man who introduced a lot of major British acts to the US from David Bowie, Elton John, Rod Stuart and The Sex Pistols to Oasis and Coldplay. He also influenced the careers of Alice Cooper, Blondie, Joan Jet and even No Doubt through his radio show on LA Rock station KROQ.

To make this remarkable story even more believeable, the stars he so selflessly promoted appear in the movie. Everyone from Cher, David Bowie and Davy Jones to Courtney Love, Chris Martin and Gwen Stefani speak endearingly about the man who followed or even started their journey to stardom in the US. Without this you wouldn’t believe this small, soft-spoken man had as much influence over the music scene as he had but Courtney Love said it herself “To become famous I needed to go to LA and find Rodney Bingenheimer”.

As well as the grandiose aspects of his life, Hickenlooper shows us his private side. By interviewing his parents and friends, we learn more about the man. Riddled with grief over the death of his mother, which includes a touching scene of him scattering her ashes in the English Channel, suffering from unrequited love and not having as much money as you’d expect him to have, Rodney’s true character is exposed to the camera as the director shows that he lives for the music and nothing else.

By mixing the grandiose with his real humdrum life, Hickenlooper slightly removes the rose tinted glasses to give us an uncompromising look at Rodney Bingenheimer. A man who was the hub of the LA social scene and the person you needed to know to make it big in US music scene, who now just has a Sunday night late show on the station he put on the map. A who’s who of rock and roll music, this is a documentary that shows that been in the right place at the right time can make you someone you could only dream about becoming.

Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

Hickenlooper's documentary examines the odd life and career of Rodney Bingenheimer, champion of the cutting edge ("an awful phrase"). It's a fascinating look at an important music geek who's remained obscure even though he's responsible for the careers of everyone from X, Blondie and Joan Jett to No Doubt, Oasis and Coldplay. The film narrates his story from the day in the mid-60s when his mother dropped him off in Hollywood and he worked his way into the centre of the Sunset Strip celebrity scene. In the 70s he brought punk to America, opening a British nightclub that became the home of the in-crowd. And since the 80s his show on KROQ radio has introduced America to more bands and musicians than you can count--simply because he heard a record he liked and gave it airplay. And yet Rodney lives in a humble apartment (surrounded by priceless memorabilia) and has never profited from his links to fame.

The film works best when Hickenlooper digs into Rodney's mystique. Why did Robert Plant once say that Rodney had slept with more women than he had? Why has he been such a close friend to artists like Elvis, Hendrix, Lennon, Bowie, Jagger, the Gallaghers and on and on? Sinatra says it's his spirit. Cher thinks it's because he's genuine, without ulterior motives. Rodney feels that it's because he just looks after people. And indeed, his main reward seems to be the joy he gets from helping others. This also seems to be the reason why he has remained so unaffected after such a fast-paced, glitzy life! Hickenlooper compiles a wealth of home movies, archive photos, extensive interviews and backstage video clips. Rodney was always in the background in record album photos and rock movies, and musicians are aware of the debts they owe him. Where Hickenlooper struggles is in trying to get into the mind of the man; there's too much about his lonely life now, and a sequence in which he takes a kind of spiritual pilgrimage to Britain seems invasive and unnecessary. While footage of Rodney's father and stepmother is apparently only included to show that disaffection runs in the family! In the end, it turns sad and melancholic as Hickenlooper pushes the point further, showing how, as the music industry becomes more ruthless, Rodney is being marginalized by the people who owe him their fortune. It's a good point ... but what a harsh way to end an insightful look a man who's whole life is fuelled by love of music.

Rich Cline

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