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Monday, December 31, 2012
Beyond Cactus Get Crazy!
Posted by Casey Dewey on Mon, Dec 31, 2012 at 5:15 PM
When it comes to New Year's Eve movies, the options are pretty blah. The Poseidon Adventure is hokey fun, but it's just a disaster film with a NYE backdrop. The less said about 200 Cigarettes, the better.
There is one movie, however, that perfectly embodies the rush, excitement and sometimes chaos that ringing in the new year can bring. It's a zany, rock 'n' roll filled madcap comedy that nobody remembers.
I'm talking about Get Crazy.
Get Crazy was released in 1983, directed by Allan Arkush, who a few years earlier unleashed the punk rock cult classic Rock 'n' Roll High School. It's his love letter to the rock auditoriums of yesteryear, specifically the Fillmore East where a young Arkush worked as an usher. The loose plot centers around a scheduled New Year's Eve concert at the fictitious Saturn Theater, and believe me, hilarity and the highest of hi-jinks ensue.
Malcolm McDowell as a Mick Jagger-esque egocentric singer named Reggie Wanker? Check. John Densmore, real life drummer for The Doors, as Wanker's drug-addled drummer? Check. Lou Reed as Auden, a Bob Dylan-type recluse? Check. Fear's legendary punk rock front-man Lee Ving as a punk rock madman named Piggy who does a cover of "Hoochie Coochie Man"? Check. A robotic drug dealer named Electric Larry who shows up at the right times to dispense his wares? Check. Bobby Sherman, Fabian, and Ed Begley Jr. as the villains? Check. A walking, talking joint? Check. Sparks, The Ramones and Adrian Belew on the soundtrack? Check. All this, and so much more.
Unfortunately, Get Crazy has never been released on DVD, but thanks to the glory of YouTube, the whole enchilada can be watched here. Trust me, it's well worth the time.
Previously in the Range
More by Casey Dewey
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