Spinal Tap, Eddie and the Cruisers and more: Name the 'fake' bands of the '80s
The Disney Channel may have demolished the line between real and fictional bands with the likes of the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana. But it was the '80s that masterfully blurred reality with a few acts that are much more palatable.
Bands like Spinal Tap, Eddie and the Cruisers, the Blues Brothers, even the Pinheads (remember them? That's Michael J. Fox's band in Back in the Future. But they were just "too darn loud," according to Huey Lewis.)
How many more fake bands can you name from the '80s? For this list, they can be bands that actually played real gigs (like Spinal Tap or the Blues Brothers) or even cartoon bands. They just need to be from an '80s movie or they can be from a more recent movie or show but based in the '80s.
While you're at it, feel free to name some of your favorites from other decades too. (I'm partial to Stillwater from Almost Famous, but then again I'm sucker for Cameron Crowe and Nancy Wilson.)
Relive the music, movies and culture of the greatest decade ever with Times online editor Steve Spears. A teen during the decade, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.
E-mail Steve Spears:
E.G. Daily fronted a band that was totally 80's in the John Cusack movie Better Off Dead.
Also, there was the classic 80's "band" Open 24 Hours, on Square Pegs.
Posted by: Tahlen | June 18, 2009 at 09:44 PM
Joe Dick and the Swingers
Posted by: Ryan Muldowney | June 17, 2009 at 06:54 AM
Steel Dragon from Rock Star
Posted by: boltcc | June 16, 2009 at 10:42 PM
Can you really talk about fake bands without The Rutles? Next to Spinal Tap, best documentary on a fake band EVER!
Posted by: Brett | June 16, 2009 at 01:39 PM
Josie and the Pussycats, great name
Posted by: dee | June 16, 2009 at 05:09 AM
How about the "S--tty Beatles" from Wayne's World 2?
Posted by: Repub Hater | June 15, 2009 at 04:22 PM
How about the "S--tty Beatles" from Wayne's World 2?
Posted by: Repub Hater | June 15, 2009 at 04:22 PM
The Mystery.......from Satisfaction with Justine Bateman
Posted by: Bella | June 15, 2009 at 03:22 PM
Streets of fire, St. Elmos fire.
Eddie Lives Eddie Eddie
Posted by: Jay | June 15, 2009 at 01:41 PM
Non-cartoon this time. How about
Kids, Incorporated
starring Martika of "Toy Soldiers" fame and Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson of Black Eyed Peas? Jennifer Love Hewitt was also on this show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db74N6gPeAc&feature=PlayList&p=96F90107B8100380&index=2
Posted by: billyshakes | June 15, 2009 at 01:18 PM
MTV turned just about every band or artist into a fake. Also, every cartoon character from the 70s had a band.
Posted by: Bob | June 15, 2009 at 01:12 PM
This is one of my favorite subjects.Some of my 80's favs are Sexual Chocolate (Coming to america, Big Fun (heathers), Pop (Music & Lyrics), Cassandra (Demi Moore-One crazy summer)And if you remeber the Dirk Diggler sessions were recorded in the 80's.(Boogie Nights.Crucial Taunt (Wayne's World)does not quilify but I'm pretty sure they assembled in the 80's
Posted by: Jerry Ramsey | June 15, 2009 at 01:06 PM
Diamonds are Forever!!!!!Come on now, the ultimate Neil Diamond tribute band from Saving Silverman starring Jack Black and Steve Zahn-two guys who could actually play their instruments.
Posted by: politically incorrect | June 15, 2009 at 01:03 PM
Diamonds are Forever!!!!!Come on now, the ultimate Neil Diamond tribute band from Saving Silverman starring Jack Black and Steve Zahn-two guys who could actually play their instruments.
Posted by: politically incorrect | June 15, 2009 at 01:03 PM
Diamonds are Forever!!!!!Come on now, the ultimate Neil Diamond tribute band from Saving Silverman starring Jack Black and Steve Zahn-two guys who could actually play their instruments.
Posted by: politically incorrect | June 15, 2009 at 01:03 PM
How about "Ted" Theodore Logan & Bill S. Preston, Esq. in Wyld Stallions?
Posted by: Chris | June 15, 2009 at 12:56 PM
Cassandra and Crucial Taunt from Wayne's World, anyone?
Posted by: Justin | June 15, 2009 at 12:15 PM
The Wonders from That Thing You Do!!!!
Posted by: Lola | June 15, 2009 at 12:05 PM
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the legendary Bad News yet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_News
Posted by: Anders E | June 15, 2009 at 11:58 AM
ZACK ATTACK!
Posted by: Brent | June 15, 2009 at 11:49 AM
The Commitments!.....1991
Posted by: Melissa | June 15, 2009 at 10:45 AM
Steel Dragon from "Rockstar" About and 80's band, written by 80's bands, for 80's fans....
Posted by: Hamptune | June 15, 2009 at 08:32 AM
Otis Day? real musicians not a real band, Animal House.
Posted by: Will | June 15, 2009 at 07:37 AM
Milli Vanilli... The ultimate fake band.
Posted by: DerekT | June 15, 2009 at 03:24 AM
Marvin Berry and the Starlighters do indeed count! Love their version of "Earth Angel."
Posted by: Spears | June 14, 2009 at 07:45 PM
Dr. Dim, I read sometime back that in Roadhouse, they didn't give the band a name out of respect for Jeff Healy.
My favorite, Alice Bowey doing
"Ear Ache My Eye" in Cheech and Chong's "Up In Smoke"!!!!
Posted by: Al | June 14, 2009 at 06:45 PM
How about The Sleez Sisters from the 1980 film 'Times Square'?
Does anyone know the name of the house band in the 1989 Patrick Swayze worst-movie-ever-made classic 'Road House'? It featured Jeff Healey as Cody, but I can't find the band name. Anyone know? Anyone? Anyone? Bassnote?
Posted by: Dr. Dim | June 14, 2009 at 12:31 PM
I personally love the "Dregs of Humanity" from it's your move. You can watch the link here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVtfjUmQr4Y
You will love the Dregs even though they were just skeletons controlled by Eli.
Posted by: Neil | June 14, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Here's a scary one, Justine Bateman's band "Mystery" from "Satisfaction". Ugh. I just threw up a little in my mouth..
Posted by: Gary in Gilroy | June 14, 2009 at 03:14 AM
Would Marvin Berry and the Starlighters from Back to the Future count?
Posted by: Jeff in Jax | June 14, 2009 at 12:21 AM
Okay, one more cartoon band for tonight. Remembered this while at the park with my kid.
What about Jem and the Holograms and their rivals the Misfits?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmYU4CeuZQ0
...and I'll toss my vote in for a Buckaroo Bonzai podcast. You can debate the relative merits of Red Lectroids vs. Black Lectroids or just have a good time making fun of their names like John Big Boo-tay, etc.
...or better yet, is there a podcast on some of the great cartoons of the 80s? I'll have to go look back in the archives. Thundercats, M.A.S.K., Super Friends, etc. Cool!
Posted by: billyshakes | June 14, 2009 at 12:05 AM
What about Diane Lane's band from "Streets Of Fire", and Michael J. Fox & Joan Jett's band in "Light of Day." sorry but I can't remember the name of either one right now.
Posted by: Bassnote | June 13, 2009 at 10:18 PM
DRAT! 'Riss and Douglas beat me to it! I really loved the Hong Kong Cavaliers but just TRY to get Steve to do a show about Buckaroo Banzaii.....I can see his eyes rolling even now. Steve?
Posted by: Dave, aka Maestro | June 13, 2009 at 08:53 PM
Another cartoon band:
How about Zartan and the Drednots from G.I. Joe as:
Cold Slither
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUU9ldY7J78
Yeah, I think I spent too much time watching cartoons in the 80s!
Posted by: billyshakes | June 13, 2009 at 07:20 PM
Another cartoon band:
How about Zartan and the Drednots from G.I. Joe as:
Cold Slither
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUU9ldY7J78
Yeah, I think I spent too much time watching cartoons in the 80s!
Posted by: billyshakes | June 13, 2009 at 07:20 PM
Thanks Marissa! It had slipped my mind, and i wasn't in a position to easily look it up when i posted earlier. ( I was on my phone!)
Hey I thought of another one! The Swanky Modes from Tape Heads! and of course the infamous Cube Squared also from Tapeheads! They were memorable for the music video sequence gone awry...plus they are lipsynching to Devo's Baby Doll...in Swedish! What's not to love!
Posted by: Douglas Arthur | June 13, 2009 at 03:23 PM
Douglas, I had to look it up but the name of Buckaroo's band was Hong Kong Cavaliers.
80sfan, great call on Ellen Aim and the Attackers. Would we consider The Sorels as well? After all, they were the faces of Dan Hartman's "I Can Dream About You."
Posted by: Marissa | June 13, 2009 at 12:42 PM
You'll get no argument from me on that point Douglas :)
Diane Lane's Fabulous Stains is a great fake 80's band because like Eddie and the Cruisers, Spinal Tap and The Blues Brothers a whole movie was devoted to their story.
Posted by: Kevy Metal | June 13, 2009 at 12:35 PM
"Sexual Chocolate"... awesome! Jackson Heights's own Randy Watson!
"Ha ha! That boy is good!"
"Yeah, good and terrible!"
Posted by: Brother Ron Dallas | June 13, 2009 at 12:31 PM
Kevy, I'd argue the point on Madonna only because she's always been fake.
Posted by: Douglas Arthur | June 13, 2009 at 12:17 PM
Sorry for the typo, should be Dabney, of course!
Posted by: Douglas Arthur | June 13, 2009 at 12:13 PM
Anybody remember Kidd Video? Cartoon that starred "cousin Oliver" Robbie Rist?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq64MJKwElw
...and D-Pete....don't forget the lead singer of Sexual Chocolate....a young man you know as Joe the police man from the "What's going down" episode of THAT'S MY MOMMA...ladies and gentlemen....put your haaa-aaands together...for Jackson Heights own....Mr....Ran-day....Wat-son!
Posted by: billyshakes | June 13, 2009 at 12:13 PM
Let us not forget Buckaroo Banzai was a rock star amongst all his professions. There is the famous scene in the club when he stops the band to talk a depressed Ellen Barkin "off the ledge" and utters the immortal, "wherever you go, there you are."
Also Devo cameos in the Dabbey Coleman star vehicle Pray TV as the house band for evangelicals called Dove, The Band Of Love. They took this to an even greater extreme of self-relexivity by opening for themselves as Dove, then going offstage changing costumes and coming back on as Devo! That's gotta win a prize for creativity!
Posted by: Douglas Arthur | June 13, 2009 at 12:08 PM
Didn't Madonna play a fake singer in a brief scene in Vision Quest?
Posted by: Kevy Metal | June 13, 2009 at 11:27 AM
What, no love for Sexual Chocolate from "Coming to America"?
Posted by: D-Pete | June 13, 2009 at 11:09 AM
The Dukes of Stratosphear (alter ego of XTC).
Posted by: PN, Athens, GA | June 13, 2009 at 10:18 AM
There's a ton of fake bands from the 60s, but 80s got me thinking.
Posted by: James | June 13, 2009 at 10:13 AM
Ellen Aim and The Attackers from Streets of Fire.
I just got this soundtrack too.
Posted by: 80sfan | June 13, 2009 at 10:08 AM
I should have remembered Wyld Stallyns!
Posted by: Spears | June 13, 2009 at 10:05 AM
Not necessarily a favorite but one of the first that came to my mind was The Barbusters from Light of Day.
Posted by: 80sfan | June 13, 2009 at 09:30 AM