Review - Mayor of the Sunset Strip

I just finished watching "Mayor of Sunset Strip" It is the story of KROQ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer, a very talented combination groupie/actor/DJ/talent scout, and a significant LA radio personality over the past 35 years. I’ve been listening to his show on KROQ since about 1978. At the time it was the only place to go on air that would play the Sex Pistols or the Talking Heads. Rodney radio presence was always a bit weird. We were constantly asking ourselves if his show was some kind of cheeky joke or if he was just playing at being a DJ. He seem so disconnected from the rest of radio reality. The move dispelled any of my disbeliefs. Rodney is the real thing – and totally friggen weird too. It was great to see an interesting music documentary, written about someone on the fringe of popularity, that really shows heart. I enjoyed this movie. I think I will add it to my collection.

My favorite Rodney memory has to do with an old friend named Jon Zammerin and his insistence that I listen to KROQ because Rodney was breaking something big. It turned out to be Blondie. The show rocked, the music rocked, and I forked out the bucks to she her show when it hit LA. Rodney was cool because he was connected.

KROQ on the on the other hand is NO COOL. They are now the corporate beast in a very bad local music scene. If it were not for Kevin and Bean in the morning, I would not listen to them at all. You can actually count the music in rotation on the station; they play about 24 different songs a day (that all sound the same). Guys – whatever happened to leading alternative music revolution? You introduced Sublime for god’s sake!

Anyway – back on track, the Mayor of Sunset Strip rocks. It is a good rental if you are a music fan.