Actors who rocked
Sometimes being a big name star actor isnt enough for you. You look at the effortlessly cool rock stars who frequent the same parties and restaurants as you, and you want some of that. And you can have it, fleetingly, by playing a musical legend (real or imagined) in your next movie. Whether you want to be an angst-ridden singer/songwriter, a glam-rock poser or a riot girrrl theres movie out there for you. But it you fancy playing Justin Bieber in a biopic seek medical help, okay. And cue the music.
25. Cassandra Wong Waynes World (1992)
The Movie Musician: Cassandra (Tia Carrere) carries out double duties as lead singer and bassist for hard rockers, Crucial Taunt. She incites a daydream montage due to her triple-whammy of looks, skills and humor. Obviously.
Best Song: The blazin rendition of 'Ballroom Blitz'.
24. Troy Dyer Reality Bites (1994)
The Movie Musician: Part-time philosopher, full-time bum, Troy Dyer (Ethan Hawke) is the singer-songwriter for Hey, Thats My Bike! The owner of a deliciously-gravelly voice, Troy never gives up on his dream, always making sure hes got $5 for a coffee and a pack of smokes.
Best Song: 'Im Nuthin'.
23. Corinne Burns Ladies & Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1982)
The Movie Musician: Teenage singer and tambourine basher, Corinne Burns (Diane Lane) heads up the all-girl punk band. Shes pretty blase about having no discernible musical talent but still manages to wangle an opening slot on a tour.
Best Song: 'Join The Professionals'. After a bust up with the singer of The Looters, (a very young Ray Winstone) Corinne steals his work-in-progress, and performs it live as payback.
22. Curt Wilde - Velvet Goldmine (1998)
The Movie Musician: Modelled after the extravagant rock n roll life of Iggy Pop, Curt (Ewan McGregor) works his way through all of the cliches drugs, drink, and sex and still manages to look fabulous. He pulls off the shirtless, eyeliner and crotch-grabbing schtick with confident swagger.
Best Song: 'TV Eye' a drawling ditty, culminating in the removal of his trousers.
21. Johnny Suede Johnny Suede (1992)
The Movie Musician: A broke guitarist, Johnny Suede (Brad Pitt) craves the rock nroll lifestyle. Hes got the clothes, the hair... but he aint got the suede shoes he needs to complete his transformation into rock god. That said, he coifs his huge pompadour EVERY DAY. Thats a commitment to cool.
Best Song: The hushed melody of 'Midtown'.
20. Joan Jett The Runaways (2011)
The Movie Musician: Jett (Kristen Stewart) is the lead guitarist and back-up vocalist for 70s all-girl punk rock act, The Runaways. Shes a badass guitarist, with a killer wardrobe and unfettered sex appeal.
Best Song: Her cover of 'I Love Rock N Roll'.
19. Beca Pitch Perfect (2012)
The Movie Musician: College freshman Beca (Anna Kendrick) harbours desires of being a professional DJ, and yet gets roped into performing with the Barden Bellas, an a capella group. She belts out a kick-ass version of David Guettas 'Titanium' while getting sudsy in the shower.
Best Song: The 'Dont You Forget About Me' mash-up during the final of the collegiate a capella contest.
18. Cory Flood Say Anything (1989)
The Movie Musician: The heartbroken Cory (Lili Taylor), a singer-songwriter whose repertoire consists of 65 songs written about her ex-boyfriend, Joe. She wears her pain on her sleeve, serenading an entire house party with her biting compositions.
Best Song: The ode to her former beau, 'Joe Lies'.
17. Fish The Rocker (2008)
The Movie Musician: Robert 'Fish' Fishman (Rainn Wilson) is the bandana-wearing drummer of glam rock outfit Vesuvius. The stifling conditions in his apartment cause Fish to rehearse in his birthday suit. When footage leaks onto the web, he becomes infamous as the naked drummer.
Best Song: Alt-rock hit, 'Tomorrow Never Comes'.
16. Dewey Finn School Of Rock (2003)
The Movie Musician: Long-suffering guitarist Dewey Finn (Jack Black) is booted out of his rock band, No Vacancy, for his onstage theatrics. After he wheedles his way into a teaching gig, he realises his students are incredibly talented and coaches them into becoming an awesome rock band.
Best Song: The self-explanatory 'Youre Not Hardcore, Unless You Live Hardcore'.
15. Bill & Ted Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure (1989) / Bogus Journey (1991)
The Movie Musician: The six-string slingin frontmen of San Dimas finest rock band, Bill S. Preston Esq. (Alex Winters) and Ted Theodore Logan (Keanu Reeves) are.... Wyld Stallyns! Their ambition for the band surpasses the 'Get rich, bag groupies, buy a mansion bigger than my hometown' schemes of ego-driven musos. This blundering pair of do-gooders want to incur world peace with their music. Right on!
Best Song: Their final song of their Bogus Journey, 80s hair metal anthem, 'God Gave Rock N Roll To You II'.
14. Aldous Snow Get Him To The Greek (2010)
The Movie Musician: Off the wagon, and imbibing every narcotic known to man, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) is the anarchic singer of Infant Sorrow. Instead of being a snobby celebrity, Aldous shares the wealth of his depraved antics with Aaron offering the kid a life he never knew existed. Kinda like Almost Famous but with more swearing.
Best Song: The amusing-yet-awful awareness anthem, 'African Child'.
13. Llewyn Davis Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
The Movie Musician: The uber-hip Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac), a sombre folk guitarist with a scratchy voice that oozes artistic angst. Hes like a musical Jack Kerouac; busking where he can, hopping rides with crazy cats, and managing to sing with a smoke constantly on the go.
Best Song: 'Fare Thee Well', a classic folk ditty.
12. Edith Piaf La Vie En Rose (2007)
The Movie Musician: One of Frances most celebrated divas, Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillard) toured across the country as a cabaret singer. A wild performer, Piaf always committed to rousing renditions of her songs, despite succumbing to a myriad of ailments putting the fans first.
Best Song: One of her signature tunes,'Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien'.
11. Barry High Fidelity (2000)
The Movie Musician: A record store clerk, Barry (Jack Black) gets his act together and forms a band. Previously known as Kathleen Turner Overdrive, he takes to the stage fronting Barry Jive and the Uptown Five. His transition from pretentious mouthy quipster to smooth, suave singer is so unprecedented that theres simply no category for Barrys coolness.
Best Song: The peppy re-do of Marvin Gayes 'Lets Get It On'.
10. Jim Morrison The Doors (1991)
The Movie Musician: Venice Beach musician-turned-rock-god, Jim Morrison (Val Kilmer), the wild singer of The Doors. He takes a huge drag off a doobie mid-gig, while a cop storms the stage to give him a verbal warning. The crowd goes wild.
Best Song: The slow and moody 'Five To One'.
9. Johnny Cash Walk The Line (2005)
The Movie Musician: Swaggering Arkansas country singer, the legendary Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix). He convinces his record label to not only let him perform inside Folsom State Prison for his huge inmate fanbase, but also persuades them to tape the show for his next album.
Best Song: 'Ring Of Fire', penned by his paramour, June.
8. The Kid Purple Rain (1984)
The Movie Musician: A singer-songwriter, The Kid (Prince) is the guitarist and frontman for genre-melding Minneapolis band, The Revolution. Decked out in his trademark duds, his insane shredding skills are mindblowing when he tears out the films first major guitar solo.
Best Song: The timeless classic, 'When Doves Cry'.
7. Jimmy Smith Jr. 8 Mile (2002)
The Movie Musician: Jimmy, aka B-Rabbit (Eminem) is a downtrodden blue collar worker from Detroit, who focuses his veritable vocal talents, emerging as one of the citys most talented rappers. He might be from the wrong side of the tracks, but his verbal aptitude is on fire when he competes in the rap-off battle, spewing a barrage of improvised lines like its no sweat.
Best Song: The staccato stomper, 'Lose Yourself', an autobiographical riff on Jimmys personal circumstances.
6. Hedwig Robinson Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
The Movie Musician: An East German transgender singer-songwriter, Hansel Schmidt (John Cameron Mitchell) undergoes surgery to become rock sensation, Hedwig. Shunning your typical hedonistic rocker experiences, Hedwigs happiest playing low-key bars and reading up on philosophy.
Best Song: 'The Origin Of Love', Hedwigs spin on Plato.
5. Russell Hammond Almost Famous (2000)
The Movie Musician: Moody lead guitarist for 70s alt-rockers Stillwater, Russell (Billy Crudup) is the good-looking member who bags all the babes and designer snorties. Tripping his balls off on LSD, Hammond proclaims I am a golden god! from the roof at a packed house party before jumping into the pool. Living the dream.
Best Song: The classic Stillwater anthem, 'Fever Dog'.
4. Otis Blake Crazy Heart (2009)
The Movie Musician: Grizzled alcoholic, Otis 'Bad' Blake (Jeff Bridges) is a former country singer-songwriter who now makes a living playing dive bars across the U.S. After a life of chugging back the devils dribble booze he quits the lifestyle all for the love of a good woman.
Best Song: 'The Weary Kind', a tribute song penned in honour of his romantic interest, Jean, and her son.
3. Guy and Girl Once (2007)
The Movie Musician: A Dublin street busker and vacuum repair artist, Guy (Glen Hansard) and young Czech immigrant, Girl (Marketa Irglova) who unleashes haunting vocal stylings when shes not selling flowers. They dont give a hoot about anything but writing music. Their phenomenal impromptu jam session in a music store serves as proof, resulting in...
Best Song: The Oscar winner 'Falling Slowly', a haunting, powerful ballad thats free of schmaltz.
2. Nigel Tufnel This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
The Movie Musician: The lead guitarist for Spinal Tap, Nigel 'Tuffy' Tufnel (Christopher Guest) might not be the brightest button in the box but boy has he got an impressive six-string collection. And yes, his custom-designed amps go up to eleven.
Best Song: His hybrid Mozart-Bach (referred to as a Mach piece) composition entitled 'Lick My Love Pump'.
1. Jake and Elwood Blues The Blues Brothers (1980)
The Movie Musician: Adult orphans, Jake (John Belushi) and his brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) perform their unique brand of R&B under the monicker of The Blues Brothers. Despite the fact theyre being chased by the law, that doesnt stop em from organising a fundraiser for a convent. Oh, and their car is a repurposed police cruiser called the Bluesmobile. Need we say more?
Best Song: The foot-tap-tastic 'Soul Man'.
