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January 3, 2007

Band Cameos In The Movies

Whitney points us to this list of the Top 12 Appearances By Bands In Films, which is a great idea, but ends up being shit 'cause most of the examples don't even include notable bands -- they're just music scenes! Here's what they came up with:

  • San Francisco dinner jazz in Bullit
  • Jazz club scene in Collateral
  • Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds in Wings of Desire
  • Cliff Richard 'Junior' in Thunderbirds
  • The Pretty Things and Norman Wisdom in What's Good For The Goose
  • Graham Bond Organisation in Gonks Go Beat
  • Warhol party scene from Midnight Cowboy
  • Moby Grape from Sweet Ride
  • Chico Hamilton Quintet in Sweet Smell of Success
  • Jazz band creates havoc in Tati's Playtime
  • Bauhaus in The Hunger
  • The Yardbirds in Blow Up
  • Of course The Yardbirds and Nick Cave are always appreciated, but let's put together something with more actual bands, yeah? Doesn't even have to be an awesome appearance. Here are some to get started:
  • My Morning Jacket (playing "Freebird") in Elizabethtown
  • Twisted Sister in Pee Wee's Big Adventure
  • L7 in Serial Mom
  • Ray Charles in Blues Brothers
  • Aretha Franklin in Blues Brothers
  • James Brown in Blues Brothers
  • James Brown in Ski Party
  • Aerosmith in Waynes World 2
  • Morris Day & The Motherfucking Time in Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back
  • Alice In Chains (as Alice In Chains) in Singles
  • Soundgarden (as Soundgarden) in Singles
  • Pearl Jam (as members of Citizen Dick) in Singles
  • The Ramones in Rock 'N' Roll High School
  • Miles Davis in Scrooged
  • Ween in It's Pat
  • ZZ Top in Back To The Future III
  • Yo La Tengo (as Velvet Underground) in I Shot Andy Warhol
  • And of course we immediately thought of Oingo Boingo's "Dead Man's Party" from Back To School, but only 'cause we've been rocking to Rolling Stone's Saddam Execution Playlist. Your turn!

    Posted at 5:33 PM in




    125 Comments

    My favorite: The Feelies playing at the high shcool reunion in Something Wild (directed by Jonathon Demme, who later shot the video for the ten-out-of-ten Feelies' song "Away." Oh, what the hell, go enjoy it yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7EpGVB7-kk)

    Posted by: Bender Bending Rodriguez at 01/03/07 5:52 PM | Reply
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    The Volebeats in Shopgirl.

    And of course, White Lion in The Money Pit!

    Posted by: indiefolkforever at 01/03/07 5:59 PM | Reply
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    Fishbone in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka.

    Posted by: Steve at 01/03/07 6:04 PM | Reply
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    Gogol Bordello as the random band in Everything is Illuminated. It was one of the great great WTF Moments in Film.

    Posted by: Mick O at 01/03/07 6:28 PM | Reply
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    leprechaun in the hood: "hey look it's coolio."

    Posted by: Taylor at 01/03/07 6:29 PM | Reply
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    Oh yeah -- The Afghan Whigs in Beautiful Girls.

    Posted by: Steve at 01/03/07 6:32 PM | Reply
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    Fishbone in Back to the Beach (Do you know what to Jamaica Ska?)
    Cro Mags in Beat Street
    TSOL and DI in the original Suburbia
    The Donnas as the Electrocutes in Drive Me Crazy
    Red Hot Chili Peppers in both Thrashin' and Tough Guys
    Cannibal Corpse in Ace Ventura Pet Detective
    Kiss in Detroit Rock City (too easy!)
    Jonthan Richman in like every Farrelly Bros movie esp There's Something About Mary

    so many more i like this game...

    Posted by: Paul at 01/03/07 6:32 PM | Reply
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    Cannibal Corpse in Ace Ventura and Power Mad in Wild At Heart

    Posted by: Gari N. Corp at 01/03/07 6:33 PM | Reply
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    Fishbone in Back to the Beach (Do you know what to Jamaica Ska?)
    Cro Mags in Beat Street
    TSOL and DI in the original Suburbia
    The Donnas as the Electrocutes in Drive Me Crazy
    Red Hot Chili Peppers in both Thrashin' and Tough Guys
    Cannibal Corpse in Ace Ventura Pet Detective
    Kiss in Detroit Rock City (too easy!)
    Jonthan Richman in like every Farrelly Bros movie esp There's Something About Mary

    so many more i like this game...

    Posted by: Paul at 01/03/07 6:34 PM | Reply
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    Metric and Tricky in the movie "Clean". Plus they had some really really flat dialogue involving the main characters of the film as a loose tie in justifying their involvement in the movie. Emily Haines, although a beautiful talented musician, is not much of an actress. Check it. Wreck it. Etc.

    Posted by: Peyton at 01/03/07 6:35 PM | Reply
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    i always like David Bowie's appearance in Zoolander - does that count?

    Posted by: bryan at 01/03/07 6:45 PM | Reply
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    White Lion was in The Money Pit?! Ha. That's so ... 80s!

    Posted by: scott at 01/03/07 6:46 PM | Reply
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    i wish someone would put metric's bit in clean up on youtube, i cant find the movie for download

    Posted by: Tom at 01/03/07 6:49 PM | Reply
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    letters to cleo and save ferris in 10 things I hate about you

    phantom planet playing wipeout in the bad news bears

    that's all I can think of right now

    Posted by: ian at 01/03/07 6:53 PM | Reply
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    Tom Waits acts in The Outsiders, Mystery Men, etc.

    And what about Coffee & Cigarettes? That movie had tons of musicality going on.

    Mighty Mighty Bosstones in Clueless.

    Mark Kozelek in Almost Famous, Shopgirl.

    Meat Loaf in Fight Club.

    Jack White in Cold Mountain.

    Elvis Costello/Burt Bachrach in Austin Powers.

    Huey Lewis in Back To The Future.

    Posted by: p at 01/03/07 6:58 PM | Reply
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    The Rave-Ups in "Pretty In Pink".

    Posted by: Spike at 01/03/07 7:05 PM | Reply
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    radiohead-thom yorke + jarvis cocker in harry potter

    Posted by: Julio Enriquez at 01/03/07 7:09 PM | Reply
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    I forgot about reel big fish in baseketball covering take on me

    Posted by: ian at 01/03/07 7:17 PM | Reply
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    I can't believe no one mentioned the Strawberry Alarm Clock in "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls."

    Posted by: Doug at 01/03/07 7:19 PM | Reply
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    Fishbone (as ranchbone) in Tapeheads and Otis Day and the Knights in Animal House

    Posted by: Steve at 01/03/07 7:19 PM | Reply
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    Phoenix in Marie Antoinette.

    Ugh.

    Posted by: Frank at 01/03/07 7:24 PM | Reply
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    dudes!!! Mudhoney in Black Sheep!!!! KILL WHITEY!!!

    Posted by: ev at 01/03/07 7:37 PM | Reply
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    urge overkill in kingpin

    Posted by: greg at 01/03/07 7:37 PM | Reply
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    dudes!!! Mudhoney in Black Sheep!!!! KILL WHITEY!!!

    Posted by: ev at 01/03/07 7:38 PM | Reply
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    dudes!!! Mudhoney in Black Sheep! KILL WHITEY!!!

    Posted by: ev at 01/03/07 7:40 PM | Reply
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    Duke Fame in "This is Spinal Tap"

    They were still booin' 'im when we came on stage!

    Posted by: Lawyerlike at 01/03/07 7:47 PM | Reply
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    Sugar Ray (they may have been the Shrinky Dinx at that point) in Father's Day.

    it's crazy talk. Absolute crazy talk.

    Posted by: Xlynn at 01/03/07 7:49 PM | Reply
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    5,6,7,8's in Kill Bill

    Posted by: JAck at 01/03/07 7:53 PM | Reply
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    Sebadoh (+ Alessandro Nivola) as whatever the band's name is that Frances McDormand's character is producing in Laurel Canyon.

    Posted by: samantha at 01/03/07 8:00 PM | Reply
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    blink-182 in American Pie, Elvis Costello and Mos Def in Talladega Nights, The Offspring in Idle Hands

    Posted by: Greg at 01/03/07 8:00 PM | Reply
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    In other "so 80s" moments:

    Guns 'n Roses more or less played themselves in the Dirty Harry movie "The Dead Pool."

    Elizabeth Daily (best known as Dottie from Pee Wee's Big Adventure) singing at the school dance in "Better Off Dead."

    Madonna performing "Crazy for You" at a nightclub in "Vision Quest."

    Posted by: ihartsf at 01/03/07 8:04 PM | Reply
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    Circle Jerks as the lounge band in Repo Man

    Posted by: Ben Goetting at 01/03/07 8:12 PM | Reply
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    Wasn't Oingo Boingo in Back to School???

    Call me sometime when you have no class...

    Posted by: Marla at 01/03/07 8:27 PM | Reply
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    Randy Weeks and band in Shallow Hal

    Posted by: Capt Rock at 01/03/07 8:29 PM | Reply
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    Randy Weeks and band (which included Tony Gilykson from X, in Shallow Hal.

    Randy won a Grammy for his song, Cant Let Go, on one of Lucinda William's albums

    Posted by: Capt Rock at 01/03/07 8:33 PM | Reply
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    Coyote Shivers in "Empire Records".

    Posted by: Puggy at 01/03/07 8:35 PM | Reply
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    The Zombies had a kind of superfluous but surreal appearance in Bunny Lake is Missing.

    Posted by: Sean at 01/03/07 8:38 PM | Reply
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    Ya'lls,

    Snoop-A-Loop in Old School.

    Though The Dan Band stole the first half of that movie with "Total Eclipse of the Heart."

    Don't forget friggin' Stillwater in Almost Famous. Band or not, Fever Dog still gets stuck in my head.

    Posted by: Jay at 01/03/07 8:43 PM | Reply
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    Guess he didn't really 'appear' in it, but Tom Waits as the singing voice of Cap'n Hook in Shrek 2 was a good wtf/cool moment.

    Posted by: manowar at 01/03/07 8:50 PM | Reply
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    ummm, nick cave and the BS not an "actual band?"

    my readership stops here.

    Posted by: vreen at 01/03/07 8:56 PM | Reply
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    I'd have to add Dio's appearance in the Tenacious D movie to the list.

    Posted by: Kyle at 01/03/07 9:18 PM | Reply
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    The Plimsouls in Valley Girl.

    Posted by: Larry at 01/03/07 9:18 PM | Reply
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    Did you know that Courtney Taylor-Taylor of the Dandy Warhols was in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen? Yeah, he wore a shirt of his own band; how avaricious!

    He's at the party scene, if anyone wants to look for him.

    He's the only reason I watched that movie.

    Oh yeah, and I just found out that Jenny Lewis was a slutty chick in Pleasantville, which is pretty funny when you think about it...

    Posted by: Sarah at 01/03/07 9:37 PM | Reply
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    Gwar in Empire Records.

    babes in toyland in SFW

    The Donnas in Jawbreaker

    Posted by: danni_bauer at 01/03/07 9:40 PM | Reply
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    oh and unwritten law in coytoe ugly

    and bowling for soup in crossroads

    Posted by: danni_bauer at 01/03/07 9:44 PM | Reply
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    Flea in The Big Lebowski!

    Posted by: D*J*E at 01/03/07 9:57 PM | Reply
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    Jon Brion in the party band in Boogie Nights

    Posted by: lola at 01/03/07 10:04 PM | Reply
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    seven year bitch in mad love(drew barrimore/chris o donnell), and the dickies in killer clowns from outer space(or wait was that just the video?), solo(?) missy elliot in pootie tang... ha ha, i have horrible taste in movies....

    Posted by: frank at 01/03/07 10:45 PM | Reply
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    Amon Düül II plays in a room packed wall-to-wall with filthy German hippies in the Fassbinder movie The Niklashausen Journey.

    Posted by: Greg at 01/03/07 11:05 PM | Reply
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    Flea and Anthony Kiedis in The Chase.
    Alice Cooper in Wayne's World.
    All those bands that played in between the fucking in Nine Songs.
    It's not a movie, but the Beach Boys in Full House (motherfucking Stamos got the lead vocal on Forever).
    Good Charlotte was the band at the prom in Not Another Teen Movie.
    Little Richard in Catalina Caper (which was on MST3K).

    GWAR in Empire Records.

    Posted by: jordan at 01/03/07 11:07 PM | Reply
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    * Stephen Malkmus in "Sweethearts"

    Posted by: tk. at 01/03/07 11:10 PM | Reply
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    uhhh... purple rain... duh. Prince and Morris Day & the Time... and Appolonia (does she count? Probably not.)

    Posted by: stacy at 01/03/07 11:11 PM | Reply
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    I suppose I must state the obvious since no one else has up to this point:

    Springsteen in "High Fidelity".

    Posted by: dave at 01/03/07 11:31 PM | Reply
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    as long as we're mentioning t.v....

    the beach boys also appeared in home improvement

    and the mooney suzuki in school of rock

    Posted by: matt at 01/03/07 11:39 PM | Reply
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    mark kozolek in almost famous

    Posted by: kebab dylan at 01/03/07 11:42 PM | Reply
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    George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars in "PCU" and Digital Underground in "Nothing But Trouble"

    Posted by: Adam at 01/03/07 11:44 PM | Reply
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    Old 97's in "The Breakup".

    Posted by: brent at 01/04/07 12:13 AM | Reply
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    Aren't Devo in that Neil Young movie (not a concert movie, a real movie) "Human Highway"? I've never actually seen it...

    Posted by: Stephen at 01/04/07 1:05 AM | Reply
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    Primus in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey...

    Posted by: chipmonkey at 01/04/07 2:03 AM | Reply
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    Tori Amos performing "you belong to me" in Mona Lisa Smile

    Posted by: leah at 01/04/07 2:38 AM | Reply
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    The Infectious Grooves in Encino Man

    Posted by: volume-addict at 01/04/07 2:55 AM | Reply
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    tenacious d in biodome

    word.

    Posted by: rupe at 01/04/07 3:17 AM | Reply
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    RUN DMC and the Beastie Boys in Toughter Than Leather

    Posted by: DJCheeseZombie at 01/04/07 3:20 AM | Reply
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    somebody stole my PCU reference - and my animal house, so I've gotta go with...

    seu jeorge in The Life Acquatic.

    and if mere appearances count, how about bowie in "Labryinth" and "last temptation of christ" Or anthony kiedis in "point break"

    Posted by: scot[t]us at 01/04/07 3:25 AM | Reply
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    if its tv,
    Polaris,
    Magnetic Fields,
    Luscious Jackson

    in PETE AND PETE

    Posted by: benny g at 01/04/07 3:42 AM | Reply
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    I enjoyed:

    1. Jack Black singing lets get it on in high fidelity
    2. The Flaming Lips on 90210
    3. Everything Bjork did in Dancer in the Dark
    4. aretha franklin in blues brothers

    I laughed at:

    1. Vanilla Ice in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles number 2 (go ninja go ninja go ninja go!)
    2. gweneth paltrow in duets

    Posted by: joe at 01/04/07 3:43 AM | Reply
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    Tom Jones in Mars Attacks!
    The Flaming Lips in Christmas on Mars
    Tom Petty in the Postman (nonmusical but he played himself)

    And its not an actual band but the scene in Last Days where Kurt/"Blake" picks up various instruments and constructs a demo in his head is pretty fucking tight.

    There's also a 60's beach movie the Beach Boys guest-starred in (name escapes me) where the plot is about trying to get the Beatles to come play. I dunno, I'd be pretty stoked to have the beach boys, myself.

    Posted by: jordan at 01/04/07 5:54 AM | Reply
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    Two more:
    Circle Jerks and Untouchables in Repo Man.

    Posted by: jordan at 01/04/07 5:58 AM | Reply
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    Flea was in Back To The Future III as well as The Big Lebowski.

    Posted by: Max at 01/04/07 6:20 AM | Reply
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    Blink 182 was the band in American Pie that stops practicing to watch Shannon Elizabeth strip.

    Posted by: jordan at 01/04/07 6:39 AM | Reply
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    * David Johansen in Scrooged (The Ghost of Christmas Past)

    * Vince Neil, Wayne Newton, Morris Day in The Adventures of Ford Fairlane

    * Helmet (with Ozzy as their manager) in The Jerky Boys

    Posted by: chris at 01/04/07 8:15 AM | Reply
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    smashmouth in rat race, how could you forget that?

    Posted by: brendan at 01/04/07 8:18 AM | Reply
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    Gordon Gano was a singing substitute teacher on an episode of Pete and Pete. Also, Iggy Pop was regular character on that show.

    Posted by: brendan at 01/04/07 8:29 AM | Reply
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    the clash in the king of comedy

    Posted by: shadoo at 01/04/07 8:56 AM | Reply
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    Can't believe no one mentioned this yet -- ESG in a Vampire's Kiss. Great, weird scene in my all-time favorite movie.

    Posted by: RB at 01/04/07 9:19 AM | Reply
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    James Brown in Rocky IV (you know the one with the Russian aka "death from above")

    Posted by: lane at 01/04/07 9:33 AM | Reply
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    flea and anthony keidis in point break

    Posted by: Julio Enriquez at 01/04/07 9:40 AM | Reply
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    nother TV one: the dickies on cpo sharkey, from that moment on no more rhinestone cowboy/love is like oxygen/highway star for me, got me some god damned good records

    Posted by: flappppppppa at 01/04/07 9:42 AM | Reply
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    Wax in the Pauly Shore/Stephen Baldwin masterpiece "Biodome"

    Posted by: casey at 01/04/07 9:43 AM | Reply
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    That RS list is a fucking tragedy, "Nebraska" is a much better Springsteen song choice for a dead man than “Dead Man Walking,”

    Posted by: dannygutters at 01/04/07 9:47 AM | Reply
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    1. leif garett in the outsiders (beat that!)
    2. ll cool j in toys
    3. david bowie in zoolander

    Posted by: EasyP at 01/04/07 9:53 AM | Reply
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    Love Jones plays a cover band in David Schwimmer's great high school reunion movie"Since You've Been Gone."

    Posted by: Isaac B2 at 01/04/07 10:13 AM | Reply
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    wayne newton wuz in "vegas vacation" too.

    Posted by: ryan at 01/04/07 10:22 AM | Reply
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    flea in the original suburbia.

    Posted by: marah at 01/04/07 10:28 AM | Reply
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    I thought the commentor above was joking about Tenacious D being in Bio-Dome. Then I checked IMDB.

    Devo also appear in Spirit of '76 (along with the McDonald brothers from Red Kross!)

    Posted by: James at 01/04/07 10:30 AM | Reply
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    Y'all gotta appreciate Willie Nelson as Uncle Jesse.
    And Bo Diddley in Eddie and The Cruisers II- Eddie LIves.

    Posted by: BAM! at 01/04/07 10:49 AM | Reply
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    Britt Daniel singing Elvis Costello's "Veronica" at a karaoke bar in Veronica Mars.

    Posted by: Evan at 01/04/07 10:53 AM | Reply
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    here's some obscure ones:
    Boss Hogg in Joe's Apartment
    the Goodie Mob as the no-goodie mob in Mystery Men
    Marilyn Manson in Lost Highway
    Bad Brains in After Hours

    I'm glad someone mentioned the ESG appearance- they're playing "Moody"- my favorite song of theirs.

    Posted by: gene gene at 01/04/07 11:10 AM | Reply
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    Yo la Tengo as The Velvet Underground in 'I Shot Andy Worhol'

    Posted by: george at 01/04/07 11:24 AM | Reply
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    DEAN WAREHAM in "HIGHBALL".

    Posted by: Bleecker at 01/04/07 12:21 PM | Reply
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    Fine Young Cannibals in Tin Men
    Jeff Healy in Road House

    Posted by: howie at 01/04/07 12:42 PM | Reply
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    dangit you got all mine...

    how about...

    Neil Diamond in "Saving Silverman"

    Posted by: christian at 01/04/07 12:56 PM | Reply
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    Ween's also in "Road Trip."

    Posted by: edgewin at 01/04/07 1:15 PM | Reply
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    If were talking TV you can't forget Anthrax eating the mystery pack on Married With Children and The Doobies on What's Happening laying down the blue eyed soul. And who can forget Bobby Brown in Ghostbusters 2 with the cameo and great title track. Too hot to handle, too cold to hold
    They're called the Ghostbusters and they're in control. And Vanilla Ice in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Secret of the Ooze. Go Ninja Go Ninja Go

    Posted by: JG at 01/04/07 1:18 PM | Reply
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    Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam as "Citizen Dick" in Singles.


    Brandon Marsalis in "Throw Momma from the Train"

    Blue