Last night, my girlfriend and I went to go see Prey for Rock and Roll which was showing as part of Rochester, NY's ImageOut Gay and Lesbian film festival. I didn't know too much about the movie going into it other than it starred Gina Gershon (Showgirls, Bound) and was about an all-girl punk band. The movie was showing before my favorite local chick band, Pleasing Iris, was performing at a local bar and seemed appropriate for our girls night out. So, off I went, decked out in a luscious pair of leather boot cut jeans to take in some Gina...
Prey for Rock and Roll was part of the 2003 Sundance Movie Festival and is the semi-autobiographical representation of Cheri Lovedog, an all-girl punk band from LA in the late 80s/early 90s who opened for bands like L7, Hole, and Guns and Roses. The names have been changed to protect the innocent and some facts have been dramatized but the majority of the movie is based on the realities of Lovedog.
In Prey for Rock and Roll, Gershon plays Jacki, the lead singer of girl punk band Clam Dandy who is a bisexual, tattoo artist by day, singer and guitarist by night. Their band is playing in dives and they are bringing in a whopping $12.50 per bandmember a gig which Jacki touts 'isn't even enough to support her eyeliner addiction'. As she nears and passes her 40th birthday she contemplates whether she should give up on the band and what the future holds.
The other members of Clam Dandy are:
Faith (Lori Petty)- guitar teacher by day and punk rock lead guitarist by night. She's upbeat, happy, and if you close your eyes you might think the part is acted by Ellen DeGeneres (scary). She's madly in love with the drummer of the band, and is a lesbian.
Sally (Shelly Cole) - a young, 20 something betty page look-a-like drummer and Faith's partner. She nicknamed her brother Animal (Mark Blucas) after the muppets, he's also a drummer and shows up after getting out of prison for killing their stepfather for beating up and raping Sally and her mother 10 years prior.
Tracy (Drea De Matteo) - the only straight member of the band, plays bass, and lives off of her parents and a trust fund to support a drug and alcohol addiction with her messed up boyfriend, Nick (Ivan Martin), who is obsessed with living out a rape fantasy.
The title of the film, Prey for Rock & Roll, is a nod to how bandmembers, such as Clam Dandy, get enveloped by their music, performing, the life, the industry that it engulfs them. Clam Dandy is trying hard to catch a break, and they believe they've caught one when the drummer for another opening act OD's and they are able to play a bigger venue. Their manager is an absolute cornflake who has it on hard for Jacki. Meanwhile her relationship with girlfriend Jessica fails because she loves the band more than anything. There are plenty of sparks however between tattoo-artist Jacki and ex-con Animal, who is covered in ink from doing time in the big house. Just maybe Jacki and the rest of Clam Dandy will catch a break, but in the end they'll learn that its not what its really all about in the big picture.
Prey for Rock & Roll takes you on a 2 hour roller coaster ride which includes: punk music, rape (and rape fantasy), an unexpected death, real relationships (lesbian, bisexual and straight), a struggle with drug addiction, and more.
This was one of those movies where I was laughing one minute and filled with anger or sadness the next. Some may say this is just another chick flick, but I'd say its actually quite a bit more than that giving it 4 out of 5 stars.
If you are interested in Prey for Rock & Roll check out the movie's website to view movie clips and listen to the music of Clam Dandy. A bit of trivia for you - Gershon really performs the vocals for Clam Dandy. She received coaching from Joan Jett and in one of the scenes is wearing a necklace that Joan Jett gave her for good luck.
This movie is rated R and should be. There is rape, violence, drug use, profanity and sexual scenes between both man/woman and woman/woman. Of course, some may see this as a reason to go check it out!
DVDS. {%Jacki} ({$Gina Gershon}, who also served as a producer) has always wanted to be a {\rock} star. But after years of struggling to make it, she'...More at DeepDiscount.com
Jacki, Tracy, Faith and Sally are the Clam Dandys, four struggling L.A. rockers who, after years of playing the Sunset Strip, are still waiting for th...More at HotMovieSale.com
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