FUN BOY THREE LOSES BELT TO MANDY MOORE (SEE COMMENTS)!

Fun Boy Three covering "The End" challenges all comers to a Battle Royale!

Can you name one cover song more unexpected than Fun Boy Three covering this Doors classic? You may try, but proceed at your own caution. Note how there is not the slightest hint of irony in the band's performance. This is the real deal, baby, and it's chilling in its unexpectedness!

Disqualified!

Until the moment I put the finishing touches on this post I had no idea that actor Jeff Bridges had recorded an album of music. He seems to be a shoo-in to win the Oscar for Best Actor this Sunday night, but as a result of having released an album of his musical performances other than whatever he performs in his recent film, Crazy Heart, he is disqualified from this Battle Royale.

Specifically I'm asking that we determine the best portrayal of a musician (including actual musical performances) by a typically non-musician actor.

The actor needs to be portraying a musician; he or she cannot simply break out into song as a teenage greaser in a musical set at Rydell High. Beside, John Travolta, like Jeff Bridges, would also be disqualified for having released his own albums.

John Travolta, "Razzamatazz"

John Travolta, "Easy Evil"

Furthermore the actor needs to actually perform music in the film. Despite having seen the film about a half dozen times, I'm not sure if I know whether Justine Bateman or Julia Roberts actually played and/or sang in Satisfaction. Please research this issue before nominating either one of them. Same goes for Mary Stuart Masterson in Some Kind of Wonderful and countless other actors who were so convincing that it's hard to tell if they could really play.

A few more contenders before I ask you to put on your thinking caps and hash this out...

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If I heard right, while listening to Black Flag's "Slip It In" on the drive into work, Henry Rollins introduces Greg Ginn's freakout solo and generally orgasmic fade out with the command to "Mount up!" You can hear it for yourself at the 5:15 mark of this video.

If there is a better vocal intro to a guitar solo than Henry Rollins' command to "Mount up!" then this is the place to prove it!

Which vocal intro to an instrumental solo dares step inside the squared circle?

I was poking around in the archives and I came across a discussion in which folks were talking about starting a thread to determine once and for all which rock band has the best logo. I don’t think that discussion ever materialized so I’m starting it here.

What is the Greatest Rock Logo of All Time?

Please don’t just say the name, show your work too. And don’t let your personal taste about the band’s music affect your appreciation of their branding skills.

I'm going to go with...

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Lemmy Kilmister is featured in the current issue of Rolling Stone. The writer called him "rock and roll’s Zelig," and I think the article laid out a pretty compelling case for him: He was Jimi Hendrix’s roadie; he gave Sid Vicious bass lessons; he attended some of The Beatles' Cavern Club shows. On top of all that, he’s Lemmy, for chrissake.

Is there anyone else who has a greater claim Rock and Roll Zelig? Please confine your answers to musicians. I don’t want this to turn into a catfight between Bebe Buell and Pamela Des Barres.

To begin the effort to answer this important question - and see that there is a victor in our Battle Royale - I'm gonna say "Everybody's Talking" from Midnight Cowboy. Have you heard heard or thought of this song without immediately thinking of the movie? Have you ever thought of the movie without hearing the song in your head?

Philadelphia and its tri-state area has declared a winner! Wanna try beating this classic ad for a beloved and dearly departed local soda?

To Townsman Northvan and other Townspeople north of the border, we wish you a happy Canada Day! Americans have long had a hard time figuring out who's Canadian in the entertainment world and other walks of life. Along these lines, I'd like to know the answer to the following question: Who is the most Canadian of Canadian rock 'n rollers?

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I was listening to the "Cowboy Song" by Thin Lizzy yesterday and got to thinking about twin-guitar harmonies. It seemed like every hard rockin’ arena band from the '70s had them, and then, sometime in the early '80s, they abruptly fell out of favor, possibly due to Boston’s egregious overuse of the technique.

What I’m looking for is the best example of the technique.

To be clear, I’m not looking for the longest solo employing guitar harmonies or the most intricate. I’m looking for the one that most captures the spirit '70s arena rock in all its bloated glory. My determination as to who has the belt will be both arbitrary and capricious. In the event that I can’t decide if an entry is the current winner, the matter will be decided by the first two people to vote in favor of, or against, the entry.

Just to get things started, I’ll say the "Cowboy Song," but know that I have an Ace up my sleeve.

The past month of May will go down as one of Rock Town Hall's most fierce Comment of the Month battles. After days of deliberation among dozens of choice comments, such as this one, which was called to The Main Stage; this "Chess"-worthy snippy one; and this snazzy one, which makes use of high-brow references in the service of slamming an RTH pariah, the judges finally determined to award all who commented on this Battle Royale thread, in which Townspeople were asked to describe rock's cross-promotional prime-time tv efforts they would like to have seen. The results of this query were better than I could have imagined. You can't imagine the amount of sniffs we've gotten from Hollywood producers looking to buy the rights to your excellent flights of fancy. Don't worry, I'll be sure to cut you in on any deals we might land. Thanks and congratulations to each and every one of our winners!