Tapeheads ** (1988, John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Sam Moore, Junior Walker) – Classic Movie Review 10,706

‘Let’s get into trouble, baby!’

Director Bill Fishman’s sardonic, self indulgent 1988 music spoof satirical comedy film Tapeheads stars John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Sam Moore and Junior Walker. It is produced by Michael Nesmith, who appears briefly as a bottled water delivery man.

In a derisively sceptical, mockingly humorous script written by Bill Fishman and Peter McCarthy, Ivan (John Cusack) and Josh (Tim Robbins) start a music video production company called Video Aces, and hatch a scheme to give Seventies soul duo Swanky Modes (Sam Moore and Junior Walker) a new audience by hijacking a Menudo concert, getting them to substitute, and broadcasting it live across the US.

It is the first film directed by Bill Fishman.

It features a fake ad spot for a real Los Angeles restaurant, Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘n Waffles.

Notable appearances include Mary Crosby of the TV soap Dallas; character stars Clu Gulager and Doug McClure; footballer Lyle Alzado; Sixties star Connie Stevens; Soul Train host Don Cornelius; singer Courtney Love; Navasota singer King Cotton; original ‘Human Beat-Box’ Doug E Fresh; ska-punk band Fishbone (who also perform the incidental score) as ‘Ranchbone;; The Dead Boys and The Lords of the New Church singer Stiv Bators; Ted Nugent; ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic as Himself; and Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra, in a cameo as an FBI agent.

The music supervisor is Nigel Harrison, and the soundtrack album was released on Island Records. The soundtrack includes the song ‘Repave America’, written and performed by Tim Robbins, credited as ‘Bob Roberts’ four years before his movie Bob Roberts (1992) was released. ‘Repave America’ is on the Bob Roberts soundtrack with the lyrics altered to ‘Retake America’.

It was a severe disappointment. Costing $10 million, it took only $343,786 at the box office.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,706

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