USA,
2001, 89 min
Shown in 2002
CREDITS
- dir
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Rich Fox
- prod
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Rich Fox, Kris Curry
- cam
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Rich Fox, Kris Curry
- editor
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Rich Fox, Stephen Mirrione
- source
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Tribute Films, 1714 N. Occidental Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026. TEL: 323-913-1336
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COMMENTS
Rich Fox, Kris Curry in person.
OTHER
A documentary surveying a half-dozen tribute bands may sound like a Spinal Tap–fueled setup predestined for easy, cheesy laughs. But, as first-time directors Kris Curry and Rich Fox show us, even the world of rock ’n’ roll impersonators is surprisingly rich with hope and humanity. In fact, there’s a lot more drama, emotion and intrigue beneath the makeup and the posturing than the average Kiss, Queen or Judas Priest fan would normally suspect. Fox and Curry (who met working on MTV’s Real World) spent two years following the weekend careers of musicians who pretend to be, among others, Mike Nesmith, Freddy Mercury and Rob Halford. Some feud bitterly, and one Gene Simmons wannabe takes his role so seriously he nearly self-destructs. Others, though, find creative satisfaction and a genuine sense of purpose in their roles. Dull day jobs are juxtaposed with the rush they get from a room full of spotlights, guitars and whooping fans. Sure, it’s easy to snicker at paunchy, aging men struggling against too-tight costumes, or “Superfan,” who gets so excited about seeing his favorite band, Queen clone Sheer Heart Attack, that he can’t eat. But as Tribute shows us, these people are just dreamers and schemers like the rest of us, craving a sliver of satisfaction from their everyday worlds. Rock on, brothers and sisters.
—Kurt Wolff
FACTOID #88
Steve Cochran, the American actor who starred in Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1957 SFIFF entry Il Grido, demanded a private screening of the film before it could be shown to Festival audiences so he could ensure that scenes that had been censored in Italy had not been cut from the print. Cochran, who had American distribution rights to the film, got a screening’delaying the film’s 8:30 start time for ticketholders.
