Rockets Redglare
Encyclopedia
Rockets Redglare was an American
character actor
and stand-up comedian. He appeared in over 30 films in the 1980s and 1990s, including a number of independent films, and mainstream films such as After Hours
(1984) and Desperately Seeking Susan
(1985).
to a heroin-addicted 15-year-old mother named Agnes Tarulli Morra. While still in utero, he became addicted to heroin, so doctors added an opiate
derivative into his baby formula so that he could withdraw from the drug. Morra's father and uncle were career criminals in the Italian-American criminal underworld in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
. After his father was deported to his native Italy, Agnes began a relationship with a drug-addicted former boxer who assaulted both young Morra and the mother. After his mother was killed by her boyfriend, Morra took up the stage name Rockets Redglare, from the fifth line of the US national anthem The Star-Spangled Banner
.
at the East Village "Red Bar", as a roadie for a band called The Hassles
(with a young Billy Joel
), and acted as a bodyguard
and drug supplier to punk rock
bassist Sid Vicious
and artist-musician Jean Michel Basquiat. The night Sid Vicious
allegedly killed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen
, Morra had delivered forty capsules of Dilaudid
to the couple's room at the Chelsea Hotel. In his book, Pretty Vacant: A History of Punk, Phil Strongman states that he believes Redglare was Nancy Spungen's killer.
Morra began doing stand up comedy routines at East Village bars such as Pyramid and Club 57 in his own show called Taxi Cabaret, and he also did performance art
. He made his acting debut in the 1984 Eric Mitchell film The Way It Is, also known as Euridice on the Avenues, a film whose cast also included Steve Buscemi
and Vincent Gallo
(who also composed the soundtrack). Later that year, he appeared in the Jim Jarmusch
film Stranger Than Paradise
. He was often cast as a rough or seedy character, which echoed his real-life upbringing and drug addiction problems.
, cirrhosis
and hepatitis C
. Morra's death was hastened by his multiple addictions: he admitted that "Anything I ever liked...I always did to excess", including heroin, cocaine
, and alcohol
. At the time of his death, Morra was morbidly obese and hospitalized. In 2003, director Luis Fernandez de la Reguera
released a documentary about Morra entitled Rockets Redglare!, a "portrait of the New York personality from his early days around '50s hustlers to the East Village crowd of the '80s to his tragic death in 2001".
After Morra's death, obituary-writers tried to sum up Morra's varied, colorful, and unusual life in the New York art and music scenes as a bodyguard/roadie turned-actor/comedian. The Chicago Reader called Morra a "...compulsive hustler who became obese once he decided to substitute beer for drugs", and acknowledges that "... he was also a gifted raconteur" and storyteller, especially in informal, relaxed settings. Seattle newspaper The Stranger argued that Morra became a New York City "alternative celebrity" in the city's East Village bars and clubs where he would drink and tell stories.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
and stand-up comedian. He appeared in over 30 films in the 1980s and 1990s, including a number of independent films, and mainstream films such as After Hours
After Hours (film)
After Hours is a 1985 American black comedy film, written by Joseph Minion and directed by Martin Scorsese. Paul Hackett , a New Yorker, experiences a series of adventures and perils in trying to make his way home from SoHo.-Plot:...
(1984) and Desperately Seeking Susan
Desperately Seeking Susan
Desperately Seeking Susan is a 1985 American comedy-drama film directed by Susan Seidelman and starring Rosanna Arquette and Madonna.-Plot:...
(1985).
Early life
Born Michael Morra in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to a heroin-addicted 15-year-old mother named Agnes Tarulli Morra. While still in utero, he became addicted to heroin, so doctors added an opiate
Opiate
In medicine, the term opiate describes any of the narcotic opioid alkaloids found as natural products in the opium poppy plant.-Overview:Opiates are so named because they are constituents or derivatives of constituents found in opium, which is processed from the latex sap of the opium poppy,...
derivative into his baby formula so that he could withdraw from the drug. Morra's father and uncle were career criminals in the Italian-American criminal underworld in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
Sheepshead Bay is a bay separating the mainland of Brooklyn, New York City from the eastern portion of Coney Island, the latter originally a barrier island but now effectively an extension of the mainland with peninsulas both east and west...
. After his father was deported to his native Italy, Agnes began a relationship with a drug-addicted former boxer who assaulted both young Morra and the mother. After his mother was killed by her boyfriend, Morra took up the stage name Rockets Redglare, from the fifth line of the US national anthem The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
.
1970s and 1980s
From 1970 to 1974, Morra spent time at Kinsman Hall, a drug rehab first located in Hauppauge, New York (early 1968) then moving to Hillsdale, New York (late 1968) and eventually went to its new facility located in Jackman, Maine (mid 1970). He entered the program as a resident and moved up the ranks to be employed as a staff member reaching the position of Assistant Residential Director before leaving to return home to New York. In the late 1970s, Morra spent most of his time in the East Village, where he "became a permanent fixture in the punk and porno film scenes". Morra worked as bouncerBouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
at the East Village "Red Bar", as a roadie for a band called The Hassles
The Hassles
The Hassles were a rock group in the 1960s, most notable for recording the first releases to feature Billy Joel. The group released two full-length albums and a number of singles....
(with a young Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
), and acted as a bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
and drug supplier to punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bassist Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
and artist-musician Jean Michel Basquiat. The night Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
allegedly killed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen
Nancy Spungen
Nancy Laura Spungen was the American girlfriend of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious. Spungen has been the subject of controversy among music historians and fans of the Sex Pistols.-Early life:...
, Morra had delivered forty capsules of Dilaudid
Hydromorphone
Hydromorphone, a more common synonym for dihydromorphinone, commonly a hydrochloride is a very potent centrally-acting analgesic drug of the opioid class. It is a derivative of morphine, to be specific, a hydrogenated ketone thereof and, therefore, a semi-synthetic drug...
to the couple's room at the Chelsea Hotel. In his book, Pretty Vacant: A History of Punk, Phil Strongman states that he believes Redglare was Nancy Spungen's killer.
Morra began doing stand up comedy routines at East Village bars such as Pyramid and Club 57 in his own show called Taxi Cabaret, and he also did performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
. He made his acting debut in the 1984 Eric Mitchell film The Way It Is, also known as Euridice on the Avenues, a film whose cast also included Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
and Vincent Gallo
Vincent Gallo
Vincent Gallo is an Italian-American film director and actor. Though he has had minor roles in mainstream films such as Goodfellas, he is most associated with independent movies, including Buffalo '66, which he wrote, directed, did the music for and starred in; The Brown Bunny, which he also...
(who also composed the soundtrack). Later that year, he appeared in the Jim Jarmusch
Jim Jarmusch
James R. "Jim" Jarmusch is an American independent film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, editor and composer. Jarmusch has been a major proponent of independent cinema, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s.-Early life:...
film Stranger Than Paradise
Stranger Than Paradise
Stranger Than Paradise is a 1984 American absurdist/deadpan comedy film. It was written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and stars jazz musician John Lurie, former Sonic Youth drummer-turned-actor Richard Edson, and Hungarian-born actress Eszter Balint...
. He was often cast as a rough or seedy character, which echoed his real-life upbringing and drug addiction problems.
Death
Morra died in 2001 from a combination of kidney failure, liver failureLiver failure
Acute liver failure is the appearance of severe complications rapidly after the first signs of liver disease , and indicates that the liver has sustained severe damage . The complications are hepatic encephalopathy and impaired protein synthesis...
, cirrhosis
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrosis, scar tissue and regenerative nodules , leading to loss of liver function...
and hepatitis C
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease primarily affecting the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus . The infection is often asymptomatic, but chronic infection can lead to scarring of the liver and ultimately to cirrhosis, which is generally apparent after many years...
. Morra's death was hastened by his multiple addictions: he admitted that "Anything I ever liked...I always did to excess", including heroin, cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, and alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
. At the time of his death, Morra was morbidly obese and hospitalized. In 2003, director Luis Fernandez de la Reguera
Luis Fernandez de la Reguera
Luis Fernandez de la Reguera was anAmerican independent film director most famous forhis 2003 documentary Rockets Redglare! about the actor of that name.-Brief biography:...
released a documentary about Morra entitled Rockets Redglare!, a "portrait of the New York personality from his early days around '50s hustlers to the East Village crowd of the '80s to his tragic death in 2001".
After Morra's death, obituary-writers tried to sum up Morra's varied, colorful, and unusual life in the New York art and music scenes as a bodyguard/roadie turned-actor/comedian. The Chicago Reader called Morra a "...compulsive hustler who became obese once he decided to substitute beer for drugs", and acknowledges that "... he was also a gifted raconteur" and storyteller, especially in informal, relaxed settings. Seattle newspaper The Stranger argued that Morra became a New York City "alternative celebrity" in the city's East Village bars and clubs where he would drink and tell stories.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1984 | Stranger Than Paradise Stranger Than Paradise Stranger Than Paradise is a 1984 American absurdist/deadpan comedy film. It was written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and stars jazz musician John Lurie, former Sonic Youth drummer-turned-actor Richard Edson, and Hungarian-born actress Eszter Balint... |
Poker player | |
| 1985 | Desperately Seeking Susan Desperately Seeking Susan Desperately Seeking Susan is a 1985 American comedy-drama film directed by Susan Seidelman and starring Rosanna Arquette and Madonna.-Plot:... |
Taxi driver | |
| After Hours After Hours (film) After Hours is a 1985 American black comedy film, written by Joseph Minion and directed by Martin Scorsese. Paul Hackett , a New Yorker, experiences a series of adventures and perils in trying to make his way home from SoHo.-Plot:... |
Angry Mob Member | ||
| The Way It Is | Rockets | Alternative titles: The Way It Is or Eurydice in the Avenues Euridice on the Avenues |
|
| 1986 | Down by Law Down by Law (film) Down by Law is a 1986 black-and-white independent film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. It stars Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni.... |
Gig | |
| 1987 | Hotshot | Credited as Rockets Red Glare | |
| Salvation!: Have You Said Your Prayers Today? | Ollie | ||
| 1988 | Candy Mountain Candy Mountain -Plot:Julius is a struggling musician who sets off to find Elmore Silk in order to strike a deal with him and become famous. Along his search, he meets various people who have encountered Elmore, and can give him valuable insight into what kind of man Elmore is... |
Van Driver | |
| Stars and Bars | Peter Gint | ||
| Shakedown | Ira | Alternative title: Blue Jean Cop | |
| Big Big Big is a 1988 romantic comedy film directed by Penny Marshall and stars Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a young boy who makes a wish "to be big" to a magical fortune-telling machine and is then aged to adulthood overnight... |
Motel Clerk | ||
| Talk Radio Talk Radio (film) Talk Radio is a 1988 American drama film, starring Eric Bogosian, Ellen Greene and Leslie Hope. Directed by Oliver Stone, the film was based on the play by Eric Bogosian and Tad Savinar. Portions of the film and play were based on the assassination of radio host Alan Berg in 1984... |
Killer/Redneck Caller | ||
| 1989 | Rooftops | Carlos | |
| Mystery Train Mystery Train (film) Mystery Train is a 1989 independent anthology film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and set in Memphis, Tennessee. The film comprises a triptych of stories involving foreign protagonists unfolding over the course of the same night... |
Liquor Store Clerk | Segment: "Lost in Space" | |
| Cookie Cookie (film) -Plot:Cookie Voltecki is the illegitimate daughter of mobster Dino Capisco , who has just finished thirteen years in prison. Since being released from jail, all that Dino wants is to settle some old scores, and make up for lost time with his daughter.Cookie's mother, Lenore Voltecki , has been... |
Carmine's Wiseguy | ||
| 1990 | In the Spirit | Bartender | |
| In the Soup In the Soup In the Soup is a 1992 independent film comedy directed by Alexandre Rockwell. It stars Steve Buscemi as a self-conscious screenwriter who has written an unfilmable 500-page screenplay and is looking for a producer.... |
Guy | ||
| 1993 | What About Me | Frank - Raping Landlord | |
| 1994 | Dreamland | ||
| 1996 | Trees Lounge Trees Lounge Trees Lounge is the 1996 feature film debut written and directed by Steve Buscemi. It was produced by Brad Wyman and Chris Hanley and features a large ensemble cast of actors, including Buscemi, Anthony LaPaglia, Chloë Sevigny and Samuel L. Jackson... |
Stan | |
| Basquiat | Rockets | ||
| 1998 | Louis & Frank | Ralph | |
| 1999 | The Diary of the Hurdy-Gurdy Man | ||
| 2000 | Animal Factory Animal Factory Animal Factory is a 2000 American film about life in prison, set in San Quentin and directed by Steve Buscemi.-Plot:Edward Furlong plays a young man named Ron Decker, who is sent to prison for drug possession, and Willem Dafoe is veteran con Earl Copen who takes Decker under his wing and introduces... |
Big Rand | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1990 | Monsters Monsters (TV series) Monsters is a syndicated horror anthology series which originally ran from 1988 to 1991 and reran on the Sci-Fi Channel during the 1990s. As of 2011, Monsters airs on NBC Universal's horror/suspense-themed cable channel Chiller in sporadic weekday marathons.In a similar vein to Tales from the... |
Swlabr | 1 episode |
| 1996 | Musical Shorts with Debi Mazar | Club Owner | Television movie |
| 1999 | Oz Oz (TV series) Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons... |
Barber | 1 episode |
External links
- "Rockets Redglare film website"
- "Drinking With...Rockets Redglare", New York Hangover, July, 1999, retrieved November 26, 2006.