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Dear listeners,
Over the weekend, to commemorate the upcoming release of the movie “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” my colleague Joe Coscarelli and I chatted with Gilbert Cruz on The Daily’s Sunday Special podcast. The three of us discussed some of our favorite (and least favorite) musical biopics, and we came to a surprising conclusion: Some of the best are about fictitious musicians.
Today’s playlist is a compilation of some of my favorite fake cinematic bands: the Wonders (from “That Thing You Do!”), the Style Boyz (from “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping”) and not one but two groups featuring Christopher Guest. Though these acts may have been invented, some of them feature assists from actual rock stars, like Nancy Wilson, Kay Hanley and Beck.
Perhaps this approach is liberating for filmmakers, freeing them from having to stick to the facts of a familiar life — and from the sky-high expectations of nit-picking superfans ready to point out every factual inaccuracy. Some of these movies about “fake” bands, though, have become successful enough to generate some very real fans of their own. I count myself among them.
There’s always something cooking at Old Joe’s Place,
Lindsay
Listen along while you read.
1. The Wonders: “That Thing You Do!”
We begin with one of the most rightfully beloved cinematic bands of all time — just don’t call them the Oneders. Written by the ace songwriter Adam Schlesinger, a founding member of the pop-rock group Fountains of Wayne, this peppy and infectious ditty climbed to No. 2 on the charts in the alternate past of “That Thing You Do!,” Tom Hanks’s 1996 chronicle of a one-hit wonder. In real life, it peaked at No. 41 — not too shabby for a fake band.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
The post 8 Really Great Songs From Fake Movie Bands appeared first on New York Times.
