I have a soft spot for any movie surrounded by the essence of Rock ‘n’ Roll. This is Spinal Tap, Detroit Rock City…hell, even School of Rock…they all are in heavy rotation in my DVD player. Instead of doing a list of my favorite Rock ‘n’ Roll movies to honor The Rocker, which comes out today, I made a list of my favorite rock star roles in film that made me laugh hysterically. For the record, I’m not including cameos because cameos are almost always meant to be intentionally funny. Tell me your favorites, too!

10. Huey Lewis in Duets

Now, this may be a harsh statement but I don’t think I’m totally off base when I say if (or when) I go to Hell, I really, really hope I don’t get stuck watching Duets for the rest of eternity. I would be insanely pissed. That movie is awful, but holy crap did it make me laugh. It’s nothing but one ridiculous moment after another and I can honestly say that watching this made me have a deeper appreciation for comedy.




9. David Bowie in Labyrinth

Fucking spandex, people! Those tights, oh man. I’m laughing just thinking about it. HE PLAYS A FUCKING GOBLIN KING FOR CHRIST’S SAKE! Jim Henson is either a total mastermind and/or was on some serious, serious drugs when he came up for the concept of this movie. There is honestly nothing better in this world than watching David Bowie even more dragged out than he usually is prancing around and singing about mystical bullshit.




8. Alice Cooper in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare

In addition to being the genius behind the soundtrack for Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (check out the video for "(He's Back) The Man Behind The Mask" below), he also had an awesome mini-role in Nightmare on Elm Street 6 as…guess who? Freddy’s dad. That’s just cinema gold if you ask me! How perfect is that for him? Very perfect. And he totally nailed it by the way. I was officially creeped out and amused at the same time.




7. Iggy Pop in Cry-Baby

I actually don’t like this movie a whole lot but Iggy was perfect in it. He plays a redneck disturbingly well. It was also nice to see him wear a shirt for once. Iggy Pop wearing a shirt happens about as often as the appearance of Halley’s Comet. Between those two things, I was considerably entertained. And, to his credit, Iggy was pretty damn funny.




6. Ice-T in Tank Girl

As if this movie couldn’t get anymore ridiculous, they managed to get two well-known music artists and put them into crazy kangaroo costumes. Even though my favorite ripper was Booga, Ice-T’s character, T-Saint, was one bad ass motherfucker. In fact, this movie was made around the same time Body Count (Ice-T’s metal/rapcore band) was around, so he was still in his “I crack skulls for a living” phase. And for your information, Iggy Pop's in this one too.




5. Lemmy in Tromeo and Juliet

Lemmy is God. Period. He’s also the God of Troma (next to Lloyd Kaufman, of course). He’s been in a crap-load of Troma movies, but my favorite by far is him, as the narrator, in Tromeo and Juliet. That low, gravely voice of his has made panties drop all across the nation, so why should it be any different on film? That’s right, it’s not.




4. Ozzy Osbourne in Trick or Treat

What’s funnier than spending hours on YouTube watching fat people fall? Watching Ozzy Osbourne play a reverend. As much as I liked seeing Gene Simmons have a role of his own in this flick, Ozzy just flat out cracked me up. In fact, I almost peed my pants.




3. Meat Loaf in Wayne’s World

This was by far the hardest to narrow down simply because he is absolutely hysterical in 99% of the movies he’s in. However, watching him play a bouncer in Wayne’s World just tickled me…mostly because his character’s name was Tiny. Also, hearing him say, “They suck!” made me snort. Maybe I’m just easily amused? The video isn't actually of the scene (because I couldn't find it) but it's just as good.




2. Jello Biafra in Tapeheads

Alright, now this one is complicated because Tapeheads has a ridiculous amount of cameos and bit parts for rock stars. However, the one that REALLY got to me was seeing Jello Biafra (the singer of Dead Kennedys and later on The Melvins) play an F.B.I. agent. He’s literally in the movie for a total of 5 seconds, but either way, I couldn’t stop laughing for a half hour. The clip below isn't of Jello, but it's a hilarious scene and thought you'd enjoy it anyway.




1. Henry Rollins in Feast

Much like Meat Loaf, Henry Rollins (singer for Rollins Band and Black Flag) is a cult icon. A lot of people remember him in Lost Highway, Heat and Johnny Mnemonic, but nothing compares to his role in Feast. Not only does this ripped bad ass play a gay guy, but he wears PINK FUCKING SWEATPANTS throughout half the film. I loved it so much I considered printing out the movie still of him in said pants, framing it and putting it over my bed.