Has anyone else seen this Canadian animated sci-fi rock musical of the 1980s? I saw it for the first time today (a friend just won it on eBay), and I must say, it rivals Japan’s finest when it comes to animated weirdness.
It also features what must be one of the greatest villains in cinematic history, the evil rockstar/magician Mok. He looks like the bastard son of David Bowie and Mick Jagger, and has the singing voice of Lou Reed. When he’s not changing costumes, throwing diva fits, playing with his electronics equipment, flying around in a blimp, or walking through walls, he’s busy attempting to coerce Angel (singing voice of Debbie Harry) into helping him summon a demon from another dimension (singing voice of Iggy Pop). Tragically, Angel’s annoying loser boyfriend Omar (singing voice of Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander) manages to get his act together in time to help Angel send back the demon and defeat Mok. Bah.
I remember waiting in vain for this to be released back in 1981. There was a fair amount of hype associated, Cheap Trick and Blondie both being pretty big then. Sadly it was not, at least not to theaters or on video in the US. (And I was a HUGE fan of Cheap Trick, Blondie, Iggy, and Lou Reed. All of 'em. Insert adolescent angst here.) When it showed up on Cinemax a few years later, I was there with videotapes in hand. The three Cheap Trick songs (Ohm Sweet Ohm, I’m the Man, and Born to Raise Hell) turned up on the Sex, America, Cheap Trick box set a few years ago, but to my knowledge the rest of the soundtrack hasn’t been released, and I’ve never seen an, ahem, “official” VHS release. Anybody know any different?
I’ve got a video of the movie I recorded off Canaian TV in the early-mid eighties. (Strangely, the image quality of this fifteen-year-old recording is starting to lose a little something…) It’s great. I dig it up and watch it about once a year.
Yeah, Mok’s a pistol. Is he supposed to be Iggy? Mick? Lou? The cloned and gene-spliced bastard offspring of them all? He’s got Iggy’s body, Mick’s accent (at times) and lips, and Lou’s singing voice (literally). Whatever he is, I like him.
My favorite characters are Mok’s “assistants stupides”: Zip, Sleazy and Toad, the rollerskating Sleffer(? never could make out what he called them) brothers.
Yep, Mok was excellent.
I agree about the Pebbles and Bam-Bam “let the sun shine in” duet ending.
Brrrr…make is stop.
Still, this was a movie back in the time when animated movies like, “Heavy Metal”, “Fire and Ice”, and “Wizards” were popular.
As much as I criticize those films today, I’m glad they were made. Nobody is doing it today. Most American theatrical animation is all about product licensing and promotion. Pixar seems to be the only studio still with a heart, and even then, they’re under the reins of the BIG MOUSE.
I think Mok was a combination of Lou Reed, Mick, and Iggy.
I understand (I read in an animation magazine) that the scene where Hell blows upward had actual pieces of meat used to create the weird effect.
I’ve heard that there were some differences between the Canadian and American releases. Here’s a fan site that has a script transcript (?) with the differences noted. from another fan site
Also, according to the second site linked above, Nelvana’s plans to release a DVD of the movie are “on indefinite hold”.
Movies like this never end the way I want them to. If I’d been directing Rock and Rule, that jerk Omar would have been the one to end up falling into the pit. He was the WORST HERO EVER!
VeraGemini, Iggy Pop’s “Pain and Suffering” is available on his Zombie Birdhouse album, but you may be more interested in this site, that has all the songs from the movie!
That’s where I’ve been for the past two hours (Damn dial-up connections, anyways)
I liked Omar, but in retrospect, that could have a lot to do with being 14 years old and having a huge crush on Robin Zander. I think I’m going to be digging out my tape tonight and revisiting Ohmtown…
Thanks for posting this thread! I loved this movie as a teen when it was on Cinemax, but never knew the title. I always mistakenly thought it was Heavy Metal. Very embarrassing for a music trivia buff.
(Damn dial-up connections, anyways)