# Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, and...? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 28, 2018, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229 "2018-11-28T22:11:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/21 "2018-11-29T05:23:50Z")
Warren Zevon was the kind of larger-than-life person, like his bro Hunter Thompson, who would be a fascinating subject for a biopic. Problem is, I don’t know what the hook would be. He was an alcoholic, but an unrepentant one, so it wouldn’t be the story of his !triumph! over addiction. He died of cancer, but there was no political element to it, like there is with AIDS. He’s considered a brilliant artist by some, but none of his songs/albums were groundbreaking. I suppose someone could take the same angle as with the movie about Ty Cobb: “Here’s a guy who couldn’t walk into a room without pissing people off,”…but the Ty Cobb movie was not a hit either. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/22 "2018-11-29T05:39:11Z")
I’d love to see biopics of REM and the B-52s. Surprised we haven’t seen one for Nirvana yet! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/23 "2018-11-29T05:45:24Z")
I’ve heard chatter about a Nirvana biopic. I couldn’t resist suggesting a Zager & Evans biopic called, of course, “In The Year 2525.” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/24 "2018-11-29T05:52:55Z")
Ages ago, there was chatter about how Roger Daltrey wanted to cast Robert Downey Jr. in a biopic of Keith Moon before, in Daltrey’s words, Downey read the screenplay and did everything in it. Downey’s too old to play Moon now, but I’d love to see _Two Sides of the Moon_ about his life, or _My Generation_ about the Who in general. ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/25 "2018-11-29T07:02:01Z")
_Hello, It’s Me_: The Todd Rundgren Story _A Rocky Bat Out of Hell_: Meat Loaf’s Ups & Downs _The Meatloaf Story_: How Betty Crocker Taught Us to Beat Our Cake Mix, Eight to the Bar ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/26 "2018-11-29T07:55:28Z")
Now if we just want to list some rock bios that people would prolly watch because the subjects are interesting and/or colorful characters: GG Allin’s life story would make a helluva movie. Wendy O. Wiliams likewise. Jello Biafra’s story alone is amazing but a film about the Dead Kennedys would be great. In fact, I’ll stop right there before I go and list like 50 punk and metal artists who all fit the “interesting and/or colorful” requirement. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/27 "2018-11-29T12:47:01Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I remember a local deejay saying that someone should make a biopic about Rush (and this was over 30 years ago). It could be called “The Three Musketeers” and Geddy Lee would be D’Artagnan. Three nice boys put a band together and get along for 40 years? There is the tragedy of what happened to Neil’s family. The background of the Zivojinovich and Weinrib families. The band itself doesn’t have a lot of fodder for a movie. An interesting movie anyway. I did enjoy the documentary. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/28 "2018-11-29T12:58:34Z")
Yeah, there’s just no hook for a fall and redemption arc in Rush. Three guys get along fairly well for a long time while having fun? Let me flip the script here. Something we could use is a biopic about a one-hit wonder. Something iconic like Wild Cherry and ‘Play that Funky Music’ and the members efforts to deal with sudden fame and sudden obscurity. How to try to keep the momentum going when it’s just not there. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/29 "2018-11-29T13:20:09Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Heck, have the whole movie be built around the making of\* Rumours\*. I would definitely go see that. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/30 "2018-11-29T14:16:21Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > In fact, I’ll stop right there before I go and list like 50 punk and metal artists who all fit the “interesting and/or colorful” requirement. I tore through Chrissie Hynde’s autobiography, “Reckless” one day last summer. A movie version of that would have a sort of Forrest Gump feel to it, for all the accidental brushes with famous or soon to be famous punks. She’s a good enough musician in her own right, but I got the idea she influenced the trajectory of a lot of bands as they were forming, simply by being a friend and making suggestions. She lived, learned, gave, and eventually she got her due. Very inspirational and positive story of self reliance and resilience. Which means Nickelback will get the next biomovie. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/31 "2018-11-29T14:27:14Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > I tore through Chrissie Hynde’s autobiography, “Reckless” one day last summer. A movie version of that would have a sort of Forrest Gump feel to it, for all the accidental brushes with famous or soon to be famous punks. She’s a good enough musician in her own right, but I got the idea she influenced the trajectory of a lot of bands as they were forming, simply by being a friend and making suggestions. She lived, learned, gave, and eventually she got her due. Very inspirational and positive story of self reliance and resilience. > > Which means Nickelback will get the next biomovie. Aye; that’s what I meant: there are a ton of amazing stories about interesting and colorful people within the punk rock and heavy metal communities. And in punk rock, the sheer number of connections, real personal connections between individuals, is staggering. Pick any significant figure in punk rock and I guarantee that there could be dozens of cool “cameo” type roles. Darby Crash from the Germs? Now you get to have Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Kim Fowley and other Hollywood/LA folks populating your movie as well. Do a movie about Slayer and you get to feature people from Metallica, Exodus, Testament, etc. interacting with the band. You could even do a movie about Raymond Pettibon, who did the art for SST Records back in the day (Gregg Ginn, of Black Flag, is the owner of SST & is Raymond’s brother) and you could have tons of other punk rock folks in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/32 "2018-11-29T15:25:07Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Aye; that’s what I meant: there are a ton of amazing stories about interesting and colorful people within the punk rock and heavy metal communities. And in punk rock, the sheer number of connections, real personal connections between individuals, is staggering. Pick any significant figure in punk rock and I guarantee that there could be dozens of cool “cameo” type roles. I think that a movie about Debbie Harry, and Blondie, could also be pretty awesome. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/33 "2018-11-29T15:35:08Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Many of the candidates will have already been on Behind The Music, like Lynyrd Skynyrd (pioneered a whole sub-genre, died in a plane crash), or Badfinger (probably one of the most depressing set of stories in rock history). I’ve always liked Badfinger. I just read about them on wiki. Wow. I had know idea how closely they where tied to the Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/34 "2018-11-29T15:36:54Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I think that a movie about Debbie Harry, and Blondie, could also be pretty awesome. Maybe a slight hijack, but is there an actress pretty enough to play the role? She could be absolutely stunning. It seems an important point because she managed to become known for her ability to sing (and almost act, _Videodrome_) despite her accursed looks. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/35 "2018-11-29T16:06:52Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I think that a movie about Debbie Harry, and Blondie, could also be pretty awesome. Aye; there’s a good story there too. I know a fair bit about Blondie and yeah, it would make a compelling film. > [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Maybe a slight hijack, but is there an actress pretty enough to play the role? She could be absolutely stunning. It seems an important point because she managed to become known for her ability to sing (and almost act, _Videodrome_) despite her accursed looks. Hey, she was good in _Videodrome_ but she was brilliant in _Spun_ (the best movie about meth ever; if you haven’t seen it, go watch it!). ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/36 "2018-11-29T16:25:23Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > > > Who had an interesting enough story to make a movie? > > That’s true. Who’s true? … I’ll nominate [Jason Everman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Everman) as an interesting figure to build a movie around. He was originally a guitarist for Nirvana pre-fame, but was given the boot before they hit it big. He then joined Soundgarden as the bassist, but was again kicked out before they became known. He would provide a good centering point for the story of grunge taking off in the early 90s. Of course, no one has heard of him so the movie would flop, until they remake the movie with someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/37 "2018-11-29T16:26:32Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Maybe a slight hijack, but is there an actress pretty enough to play the role? She could be absolutely stunning. Scarlett Johansson? [Katherine McNamara](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3031063/)? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/38 "2018-11-29T16:27:19Z")
I want to know who is latest drummer is for Spinal Tap and what happened after they got back together ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/39 "2018-11-29T16:27:56Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Who’s true? No, Who’s on first. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229/40 "2018-11-29T16:28:03Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Who’s true? Yes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-rhapsody-rocketman-and/825229.md?page=3)