What's Your Favorite Acting Performance by a Musician in a Film?
By Mr. Moderator on Feb 25, 2008
I think my favorite is Lyle Lovett in Short Cuts, although Huey Lewis taking a piss in that movie was pretty special as well. Actually, Tom Waits in Down By Law is right up there.
40 comments
Comment from: general slocum [Member] 
You can't beat "Man With the Golden Arm" with Sinatra. His scene going cold turkey from heroin and then auditioning to be the drummer for a big band and blowing it, is fantastic. Great score with Shorty Rogers' band.
Other than that, it's all Paul Williams on the Love Boat.
Other than that, it's all Paul Williams on the Love Boat.
02/24/08 @ 20:08
Comment from: hrrundivbakshi [Member]
Slokie: We REACH on "...Golden Arm." But you're WAY off on Paul Williams. His best work was clearly in "Phantom Of the Paradise." (See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmQ9FqFR2Ys -- skip ahead to the 2:10 mark.)
HVB
HVB
02/24/08 @ 20:17
Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]
Yeah, I find "Man With the Golden Arm" too hokey. I wasn't thinking as far back as Sinatra, though. I think he's pretty great in "The Manchurian Candidate" and "From Here to Eternity".
02/24/08 @ 22:49
Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]
I just spent another futile 10 minutes of my life trying to find a video clip of Paul Williams' brilliant performance as Dexter's piano teacher on Dexter's Laboratory. Every few weeks I check YouTube and other video outlets in hopes of finding their piano and vocal duet on "Just an Old Fashioned Lab Song". Alas, this performance has yet to be captured and shared digitally. For now, Williams' performance in Phantom of the Paradise will have to make its case for Williams' status as a groundbreaking Multi-Untalented Threat.
02/24/08 @ 23:28
Comment from: shawnkilroy [Member]
Jerry Reed in Scooby Doo
"Pretty Mary sunlight..."
"Pretty Mary sunlight..."
02/25/08 @ 08:20
Comment from: shawnkilroy [Member]
kidding.
AdRock and John Doe in Roadside Prophets.
AdRock and John Doe in Roadside Prophets.
02/25/08 @ 08:21
Rick Nielsen in Disorderlies or David Bowie in Labyrinth.
02/25/08 @ 09:41
Comment from: dr john [Member]
Chris D and John Doe in Border Radio
J Mascis in Gas, Food, Lodging
Mick Jagger in Performance
J Mascis in Gas, Food, Lodging
Mick Jagger in Performance
02/25/08 @ 10:50
Comment from: cdm [Member]
I hate the Red Hot Chile Peppers but you have to give it up for Flea in the Big Lebowski
02/25/08 @ 11:15
Comment from: Oats [Member]
Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Aimee Mann also have fun bits in Lebowski.
02/25/08 @ 11:46
Comment from: andyr [Member]
What about Levon Helm in "Coal Miner's Daughter"?
I'll also second Mr Mod's suggestion of "The Manchurian Candidate"
I'll also second Mr Mod's suggestion of "The Manchurian Candidate"
02/25/08 @ 11:50
Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]
Aimee Mann's in Lebowski??? In what scene?
Levon Helm's a solid musician-actor.
Berlyant, please tell us you were being funny with that Bowie in Labyrinth nomination. If so, very funny. If not, I'm worried about you:)
Levon Helm's a solid musician-actor.
Berlyant, please tell us you were being funny with that Bowie in Labyrinth nomination. If so, very funny. If not, I'm worried about you:)
02/25/08 @ 11:54
Comment from: cdm [Member]
Damn. Sure enough, here she is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYIUBV6wJt8&eurl=http://www.aimeemann.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=6079
02/25/08 @ 12:02
Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]
Thanks, cdm. I'd never noticed that was her. She wasn't singing about her latest man and/or her record label turning out to be an asshole.
02/25/08 @ 12:09
Comment from: mrclean [Member]
Are we just listing appearances now or good performances?
I'll mention an obscure movie with two musicians in it with opposing skills. Check out "Minus Man". It's got Owen Wilson and Janeane Garofalo in the main roles with a terrible cameo by Sheryl Crow as a heroin addict/musician and a great performance by Dwight Yoakum as a cop (Dwight even takes his hat off and allows us to see his bald dome - normally covered by a cowboy hat).
Dwight has actually been quite a few things and is a pretty good actor I think. (I like his music too actually)
I'll mention an obscure movie with two musicians in it with opposing skills. Check out "Minus Man". It's got Owen Wilson and Janeane Garofalo in the main roles with a terrible cameo by Sheryl Crow as a heroin addict/musician and a great performance by Dwight Yoakum as a cop (Dwight even takes his hat off and allows us to see his bald dome - normally covered by a cowboy hat).
Dwight has actually been quite a few things and is a pretty good actor I think. (I like his music too actually)
02/25/08 @ 13:00
Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]
Dwight Yoakum has been good in movies. What's his first hat-less appearance, Sling Blade?
My intention, mrclean, was to gather opinions on good performances. I think it's important that we get clarification on Berlyant's Labyrinth performance by Bowie.
My intention, mrclean, was to gather opinions on good performances. I think it's important that we get clarification on Berlyant's Labyrinth performance by Bowie.
02/25/08 @ 13:50
Comment from: alexmagic [Member]
I always mentally link/confuse Aimee Mann in Lebowski with the strange case of Sam Phillips turning up in Die Hard 3 as Jeremy Irons’ henchwoman.
In case no one else appreciates it, I support shawnkilroy’s mention of Jerry Reed’s Scooby-Doo appearance, where he literally sings “Pretty Mary Sunlight” about 75 times in 22 minutes. He fared much better than Mama Cass, who bought a haunted candy factory and ended up getting wedged in a garbage chute. Oh, the indignity.
In case no one else appreciates it, I support shawnkilroy’s mention of Jerry Reed’s Scooby-Doo appearance, where he literally sings “Pretty Mary Sunlight” about 75 times in 22 minutes. He fared much better than Mama Cass, who bought a haunted candy factory and ended up getting wedged in a garbage chute. Oh, the indignity.
02/25/08 @ 13:54
Berlyant, please tell us you were being funny with that Bowie in Labyrinth nomination. If so, very funny. If not, I'm worried about you:)
Well of course I was, but I didn't put in any smiley face emoticons or anything like that just to keep you guessing for a while. Nevertheless, I thought my referencing of Rick Nielsen's appearance in a late '80s movie starring The Fat Boys would give my intentions away :-)
Anyway Labyrinth is actually a pretty awesome movie (I finally saw it for the most time recently), but Bowie's performance is it is indicative of his decline in the '80s and while awesome in a campy way, is definitely not something I'd put down in a serious list. He was, however, pretty good as the Andy Warhol in Basquiat.
Furthermore, what about Sting's turn as the Ace Face in Quadrophenia?
02/25/08 @ 14:02
Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]
Thanks for clearing the record, Berlyant!
I loved Sting's turn in Quadrophenia! He was also good in A Room with a View.
I loved Sting's turn in Quadrophenia! He was also good in A Room with a View.
02/25/08 @ 14:12
Comment from: BigSteve [Member]
Sting as the Ace Face is a good one. Other good cameos -- Robyn Hitchcock in the Manchurian Candidate remake and Doug Sahm in Cisco Pike. (No one has mentioned Kris Kristofferson yet, probably because he hasn't made many [any?] good movies.)
Also Dennis Wilson and James Taylor in Two Lane Blacktop. And let's not forget Bob Dylan in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, Renaldo & Clara, and Masked & Anonymous. (What does it mean that Dylan's movies tend to have ampersands in their titles?)
Also Dennis Wilson and James Taylor in Two Lane Blacktop. And let's not forget Bob Dylan in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, Renaldo & Clara, and Masked & Anonymous. (What does it mean that Dylan's movies tend to have ampersands in their titles?)
02/25/08 @ 14:23
Comment from: Oats [Member]
No one has mentioned Kris Kristofferson yet, probably because he hasn't made many [any?] good movies.
I haven't seen Pat Garrett yet, but Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is good.
02/25/08 @ 14:27
Comment from: dr john [Member]
No one has mentioned Kris Kristofferson yet, probably because he hasn't made many [any?] good movies.
What about Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid?
What about Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid?
02/25/08 @ 14:27
Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]
Is Jerry Reed an actor or a musician first and foremost? As kids, we probably all knew of him first as an actor.
Kristofferson, as multi-untalented as he can be, has done some good to very good acting. Although the movie is really cheesy, I'm highly entertained by his turn in A Star Is Born, but then there's Lone Star, in which he's sincerely very good. Maybe that performance tops Lyle Lovett's little role in Short Cuts for me and sits alongside Sinatra's best acting work.
I just remembered that Cher was first known as a singer. Although she's a lousy singer, I like her acting a lot. She may top Kristofferson and Sinatra - in my book.
Chris Isaak has been good in small roles. Jonathan Demme is the director most likely to cast musicians, isn't he? Maybe even moreso than Jarmusch.
It goes without saying that I hold the musician-actors in Alex Cox's movies in high regard, but they're not in the top 5.
Kristofferson, as multi-untalented as he can be, has done some good to very good acting. Although the movie is really cheesy, I'm highly entertained by his turn in A Star Is Born, but then there's Lone Star, in which he's sincerely very good. Maybe that performance tops Lyle Lovett's little role in Short Cuts for me and sits alongside Sinatra's best acting work.
I just remembered that Cher was first known as a singer. Although she's a lousy singer, I like her acting a lot. She may top Kristofferson and Sinatra - in my book.
Chris Isaak has been good in small roles. Jonathan Demme is the director most likely to cast musicians, isn't he? Maybe even moreso than Jarmusch.
It goes without saying that I hold the musician-actors in Alex Cox's movies in high regard, but they're not in the top 5.
02/25/08 @ 14:45
Comment from: BigSteve [Member]
Jerry Reed may be more famous as an actor, but he was definitely a musician first. According to AMG Gene Vincent recorded one of his songs in 1958, and his Guitar Man, which was later recorded by Elvis, was released in 1967. He did not appear in the immortal Smokey & The Bandit till 1977.
02/25/08 @ 15:13
Comment from: mockcarr [Member]
I think Jerry Reed wrote a lot of country stuff before he acted, not that I remember any of it before that movie came out.
Chris Isaak is pretty damned funny, that series he had on Showtime showcased his drummer pal to great effect too. He did a vhi video countdown one time where he remarked upon Styx making their list that week for videos, but not spelling. Very dry.
Chris Isaak is pretty damned funny, that series he had on Showtime showcased his drummer pal to great effect too. He did a vhi video countdown one time where he remarked upon Styx making their list that week for videos, but not spelling. Very dry.
02/25/08 @ 15:14
Comment from: mockcarr [Member]
Dean Martin actually was pretty good in some movies too, Rio Bravo, for instance. It's too easy to remember Sinatra as toupeed Tony Rome and Dino as cheesy Matt Helm. He should have gotten an Oscar just for restraint next to Jerry Lewis.
02/25/08 @ 15:18
Comment from: alexmagic [Member]
I’m pretty sure Jerry Reed won a Grammy before he started getting parts in movies, too, and had a couple of pretty big hits like “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot.” More important to his musical legacy, “She Got The Goldmine, I Got The Shaft” is one of the greatest country song titles, and “Amos Moses” is legitimately pretty awesome for that kind of song.
02/25/08 @ 16:11
Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]
All right, you guys have convinced me: it's not Steven Soderbergh (sp?) who shoud be contacting Jerry Reed for Oceans 77 but Rick Rubin for one of those American Masters albums. That is, provided that Mr. Reed is still alive and, if so, no doubt kicking.
02/25/08 @ 16:19
Howard Devoto in 24 Hour Party People.
Mark E. Smith was much better in that one. :-)
02/25/08 @ 16:20
No one has mentioned Kris Kristofferson yet, probably because he hasn't made many [any?] good movies.
Actually that reminds me that I just saw Fast Food Nation, a movie I really liked that was unfortunately savaged by critics. He was great as a ranch owner who was being forced off his land by a development corporation as well as an informer with information about the meat-processing plant depicted in the film.
02/25/08 @ 16:22
Comment from: hrrundivbakshi [Member]
A.) Watch it on the Matt Helm movie insults. I love Matt Helm! And, Mockcarr... come ON, dude! Those movies are worth it just to watch the Slaygirls prancing and jiggling about!
B.) The reason no Kristofferson movies have been nominated is because the best "Kristofferson" role was actually played by Joe Flaherty, opposite the real-life Crystal Gayle, in SCTV's version of "A Star Is Born." I swear, Flaherty's exhortation that Crystal "write more songs about... critters" is the funniest thing I ever saw on TV.
B.) The reason no Kristofferson movies have been nominated is because the best "Kristofferson" role was actually played by Joe Flaherty, opposite the real-life Crystal Gayle, in SCTV's version of "A Star Is Born." I swear, Flaherty's exhortation that Crystal "write more songs about... critters" is the funniest thing I ever saw on TV.
02/25/08 @ 17:24
Comment from: mockcarr [Member]
I never meant to say that Matt Helm's chicks didn't have some killer acting bodies, H-ron D.
02/25/08 @ 17:41
Comment from: dr john [Member]
Why bother with Matt Helm when you can watch James Coburn in Our Man Flint? A lot funnier.
02/25/08 @ 17:52
Comment from: hrrundivbakshi [Member]
Dr. John: We REACH! Yeah, those Flint movies are perfection. At least the first one is.
"Bouillabaise!"
HVB
"Bouillabaise!"
HVB
02/25/08 @ 18:33
Comment from: dbuskirk [Member]
Robbie Robertson is excellent in CARNY, surprised he didn't work as an actor more often.
Other faves:
Anthony Keidis in POINT BREAK
Tav Falco in HIGHWAY 61
Hoyt Axton in GREMLINS
Bowie as Warhol in BASQUIET
Francois Hardy in GRAND PRIX
Johnny Cash in DOOR TO DOOR MANIAC
Other faves:
Anthony Keidis in POINT BREAK
Tav Falco in HIGHWAY 61
Hoyt Axton in GREMLINS
Bowie as Warhol in BASQUIET
Francois Hardy in GRAND PRIX
Johnny Cash in DOOR TO DOOR MANIAC
02/26/08 @ 17:11
Anthony Keidis in POINT BREAK
I'll take your Anthony Keidis mention above and raise it with Flea in Suburbia.
Bowie as Warhol in BASQUIET
Hey I said that one first! I haven't seen any of the other movies you listed, though.
02/27/08 @ 11:58
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