ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE: 20 YEARS OF ROCK 'N' ROLL (TV)
Summary
This televised documentary special features the twentieth anniversary of Rolling Stone magazine. Interviews with notable musicians are interspersed with older footage of famous concerts and appearances. Host Dennis Hopper comments that America "exploded in 1967 with new forms of cultural expression, and the Beatles perform "All You Need is Love." Buffalo Springfield performs "For What It's Worth," and The Doors perform "Light My Fire." Cyndi Lauper shares her memories of '67 as Jefferson Airplane performs "Somebody to Love," and Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia discusses the so-called "summer of love" and on his own comments at the time about the desire for "an uncluttered life." He recalls the Monterey Pop Festival held in June, noting that his band was unfortunately scheduled right between The Who and Jimi Hendrix. Lou Reed and George Harrison comment on their love of Otis Redding and other black music, and Redding performs "Try a Little Tenderness." Aretha Franklin performs "Respect" as Hopper describes soul music as a combination of R&B and gospel, and James Brown performs "I Got You (I Feel Good)". George Clinton describes Sly and the Family Stone as "the epitome of soul" as the band performs "I Want to Take You Higher."
Mick Jagger comments on the violence of the '60s as Creedence Clearwater Revival performs "Fortunate Son," and footage is shown of various politicians discussing the Vietnam War. The Who performs "Won't Get Fooled Again," and Joni Mitchell sings "Woodstock" and comments on the famous 1969 event itself, calling it "the perfection of the hippie ideal." Joe Cocker performs "With a Little Help From My Friends," and Garcia admits that while he enjoyed the festival, the Dead performed a "horrible" set. The Band performs "Up On Cripple Creek" and the Rolling Stones perform "Jumpin' Jack Flash," and Garcia comments on the tumultuous '69 Altamont Free Concert, which ended in several deaths, calling it a "no-win situation." Hopper notes that drugs took over the rock 'n' roll culture in the 1970s, leading to the deaths of Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, among others, and Joplin performs "Little Girl Blue." Neil Young comments on Hendrix's profound talents on the electric guitar, and a montage follows of other exceptional guitarists, including Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, who performs "Whole Lotta Love" with the band.
Jagger, Grace Slick and David Bowie comment on the use of makeup and androgynous style used by many rock stars in the '70s, including the members of T. Rex, who perform "Bang a Gong (Get It On)". Tina Turner discusses Bowie's unique style as he performs "Changes," and Clinton comments on the "funkadelic" style of many black artists. Randy Newman praises Elton John's prolific career as he performs "Crocodile Rock," and Bruce Springsteen performs "Thunder Road" and Jackson Browne performs "Running on Empty." Hopper notes that rock music became show business in the '70s and that many band became wealthy "supergroups", including The Eagles, who perform "Hotel California," and Fleetwood Mac, who perform "Go Your Own Way." Bob Dylan, however, states his disinterest in making money from music and conducted an "anti-tour" of sorts, performing "Tangled Up in Blue." Disco gained popularity because of its simple, dance-driven construction, as heard in "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees and "Disco Inferno" by The Trammps, though an anti-disco rally at Comiskey Park showed that there was a strong backlash to the genre as well.
Punk music, like that of the Sex Pistols and Iggy Pop, emerged as a contrast to disco, and though it "scared" many listeners with its abrasive style, Hopper points out that the "bad boy" ideal dated back several decades to Elvis Presley, banned in some parts of the country for his sexualized swagger. Presley performs "Trouble" and "Tutti Frutti," and Lauper reflects on her longtime love of the artist. Blondie performs "Dreaming," and Sting comments on the "new values and icons" of the 1980s as The Police perform "Roxanne." Elvis Costello performs "Radio Radio," and Talking Heads performs "Once in a Lifetime." George Harrison reflects on the shocking 1980 death of his fellow Beatle John Lennon, and Lennon performs his song "Imagine." MTV allowed fans greater access to their favorite artists as the '80s went on, and further clips include Dire Straits performing "Money For Nothing," Michael Jackson performing "Beat It," Prince performing "1999," Madonna performs "Dress You Up," U2 performing "Maggie's Farm," Paul Simon performing "Boy in the Bubble" and Van Morrison performing "Wavelength."
Lauper performs "What's Goin' On," originally performed by Marvin Gaye, and she notes that "things could be so much better" despite the positive social changes over the recent decades. Bowie praises Bob Geldof's idea for the 1985 Live Aid benefit concert, which raised money for the famine in Ethiopia and featured a number of notable music performances, including Tina Turner joining the Stones on "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)". The Grateful Dead performs "Touch of Grey" as Garcia reflects on the "long, strange trip" of the past twenty years, and Lauper notes that all rock artists share a kind of "rebellious spark" as Neil Young closes the program with "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)". Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: November 24, 1987 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:50:21
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:11967
- GENRE: Documentary
- SUBJECT HEADING: Documentary; Music; Popular culture
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV, 1987
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Budweiser beers
- TV - Commercials - Chevrolet automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Coca-Cola soft drinks
- TV - Commercials - Kodak products
- TV - Commercials - Lancers Blush wine
- TV - Commercials - Michelob beers
- TV - Commercials - Sprite soft drinks
- TV - Commercials - The Donnelley Directory phone books
- TV - Promos - "20/20"
- TV - Promos - "Dynasty"
- TV - Promos - "Eyewitness News"
- TV - Promos - "Hooperman"
- TV - Promos - "Moonlighting"
- TV - Promos - "Norman Rockwell's Breaking Home Ties"
- TV - Promos - "The Running Man" motion picture
- TV - Promos - "The Slap Maxwell Story"
- TV - Promos - "The Ultimate Stuntman: A Tribute to Dar Robinson"
- TV - Promos - "Vintage Rock & Roll"
- TV - Promos - "thirtysomething"
CREDITS
- Lorne Michaels … Executive Producer
- Jann Wenner … Executive Producer
- James Signorelli … Producer
- Malcolm Leo … Producer, Director
- John Head … Co-Producer
- Bonnie Peterson … Co-Producer
- Dinah Minot … Associate Producer
- Rouben Rapelian … Associate Producer
- Steve Muscarella … Writer
- Peter Elbling … Writer
- Dennis Hopper … Host
- David Bowie … Interviewee
- George Clinton … Interviewee
- Aretha Franklin … Interviewee
- Jerry Garcia … Interviewee
- George Harrison … Interviewee
- Cyndi Lauper … Interviewee
- Mick Jagger … Interviewee
- Joni Mitchell … Interviewee
- Randy Newman … Interviewee
- Lou Reed … Interviewee
- Grace Slick … Interviewee
- Sting … Interviewee
- Tina Turner … Interviewee
- The Beatles
- Buffalo Springfield
- The Doors
- Jefferson Airplane
- The Grateful Dead
- Jimi Hendrix
- The Who
- Otis Redding
- James Brown
- Sly and the Family Stone
- Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Joe Cocker
- The Band
- The Rolling Stones
- Janis Joplin
- Eric Clapton
- Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Jimmy Page
- Led Zeppelin
- T. Rex
- Elton John
- Bruce Springsteen
- Jackson Browne
- The Eagles
- Fleetwood Mac
- Bob Dylan
- The Bee Gees
- The Trammps
- The Sex Pistols
- Iggy Pop
- Elvis Presley
- Blondie
- The Police
- Elvis Costello
- Talking Heads
- John Lennon
- Dire Straits
- Michael Jackson
- Prince
- Madonna
- U2
- Paul Simon
- Van Morrison
- Marvin Gaye
- Bob Geldof