Tapeheads

"Video is the future. We can't lose."

A few years ago, Robert Michael Nesmith, “Poppa Nez,” as some called him, talented and brilliant musician, innovative filmmaker, and member of The Monkees, passed away, just weeks after finishing up his final tour with longtime friend and fellow-Monkee Mickey Dolenz. If you’re one of those talented people who can multitask, you can go right now and listen to the podcast my League pals did about him after hearing about his passing. If not, listen to it later. It’s pretty good. We asked another good pal, Yo from the band Junction 18, to join us, and he provided most of the real knowledge, while I just sat there and spouted fanboy blather.

Nez had a very eclectic career outside the Monkees, which as I said, included filmmaking, and in 1988, he was the executive producer of a movie I loved as a kid, even though most of the gags went sailing over my head. The movie was called Tapeheads. Starring John Cusack and Tim Robbins playing owners of a very small, up-and-coming music video company who end up embroiled in a political scandal, all while trying to help their favorite childhood band, the Swanky Modes, get back into the spotlight. Remember, it was the late 80’s, so not only were music videos still a thing, they were THE thing. When I got cable in the mid-80’s, I pleaded with my parents to get the package that included MTV, because it was really the only reason I saw to get cable (My parents were very opposed to paying for HBO or Cinemax because of the late night skin flicks) Everyone was into music videos, but I had never seen a movie about who made them. The funny thing is, I don’t think I’ve even seen another movie about two young guys making music videos.

Tapeheads is very much a product of the time, so while it may seem very dated, it is still very relevant. It’s really a difficult balance between them. Sure, hair and clothing styles change and music videos aren’t really a thing anymore. But with Tapeheads, I feel like the filmmakers were leaning into it, showing the audience how ridiculous this world could be even while they were living in it. I may have missed a lot of the jokes, but even a 12 year-old me living in the late-80’s knew that it was all pretty silly; the record exec whose window washer uses spit to clean the windows, the rapper selling chicken and waffles or the Menudo concert that never really happened.

The movie is also pretty relevant to today’s world, especially the political aspect. One of the jobs our heroes are hired to record is a fundraiser event for Presidential hopeful Norman Mart. It turns out that Norman has a little thing for dressing up as the fairy godmother while cavorting with women who are not his wife, and recording it for his later pleasure (I assume). During the event, said woman declares that she is going to use that tape to blackmail Norman, and while making her escape, bumps into Robbins, and while they are recovering, she slips her scandalous tape into his bag, confusing it with all the others.

Robbins and Cusack eventually become an overnight success due to a music video they shot becoming a hit, although only because the band died tragically. After meeting their childhood heroes, The Swanky Modes, in a bar, they decide to help revitalize their career by putting on a live concert broadcast. They have to bump Menudo, but hey, it’s show biz.

In the end, Norman Mart and his henchmen end up at the venue and he gets his hand on the sex tape. Robbins offers to play it to make sure it is the correct one, but instead broadcasts it over the air to all the networks that were ready to show the concert. So, Norman Mart’s sexcapades, including his bare behind, are shown all over the country, thus ending his political career. See how easy it could be to get rid of a sleazy politician? No one in particular, of course.

Ok, I’m side-barring here but here are Norman Mart and our President side-by-side. It’s a little uncanny how similar they look, alm ost 30 years before Trump was elected in 2016. Why do we keep electing old, white dudes in this country?

I look at this movie as the more things change, the more they stay the same; a low-budget indie movie from almost 40 years ago that I only discovered because it was produced by a Monkee, which is about two guys who want to make music videos, is more poignant than a lot of movies being made today. The way the two stars luck into fame by botching a video transfer, the aging band that relaunch their careers by playing a big live show, and obviously the politician involved in a sex scandal. At least none of the women he was cavorting with looked underage. In fact, one of them was played by Courtney Love.

That is actually another fun part of the movie. There are cameos by several famous musicians, including Ted Nugent, Weird Al Yankovic and even Nesmith himself. It’s almost a tribute to the music business itself, at least, as it once was.

MTV no longer even shows videos anymore, because reality TV gets better ratings and brings in more ad revenue. There are plenty of other platforms that could show music videos, but you have to go looking for them. It’s a lot harder to discover new artists without Kurt Loder appearing on MTV News to tell me that they are worth watching. But hey, I can watch hours and hours of Catfish if I want

Tapeheads represents a different time, a simpler time, and at least the way it is portrayed by the movie, a much funnier time.

Thanks for reading. We did a podcast on this movie, too, if I ever get it edited. Until then, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber, or sending a little my way via Buy Me a Coffee.