Rodney Bingenheimer
Encyclopedia
Rodney Bingenheimer, born December 15, 1947, is a radio disc jockey
on the long-running Los Angeles
rock station KROQ
who is notable for helping numerous iconic bands become successful in the American market. His contribution to the music business has been described as important. He developed a reputation for being the first American deejay to identify new artists and play "edgy new bands" such as Blondie
, the Ramones
, the Sex Pistols
, Guns N' Roses
, Duran Duran
, The Cure
, Joan Jett
, No Doubt, Blur
, Nirvana
, Sonic Youth
, The Bangles
, X, Coldplay
and many others. He managed a key but now-defunct L.A. nightclub called Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco
in the early seventies. He was the subject of a documentary
by late filmmaker George Hickenlooper entitled Mayor of the Sunset Strip
which told the story of a groupie-turned-kingmaker with a knack for making friends in the music industry. He was described as a "famous groupie, now respectable" by Mick Jagger
and he has numerous high-profile friends. In 2007, he was honored with the 2,330th star on Hollywood Boulevard.
to a star-struck mother who separated from Bingenheimer's father when he was only three years old. His father had wanted to be a celebrity
but settled for attending celebrity golf events. His mother was described as a "difficult woman" and a "relentless autograph hound". One report suggested he had a lonely childhood, since he often spent nights alone while his mother worked as a waitress. Another report suggested that the emerging rock music
of the day became his "home" and a way for him to deal with the divorce of his parents. He devoured fan magazines; he was "obsessed" with stars. When 16, his mother drove him to southern California and dropped him off at the house of movie star Connie Stevens
, and instructed her son to get the star's autograph. But then she left abruptly; this was the beginning of a six-year separation from his mother and he was on his own in Los Angeles, around the year 1965.
dubbed him “The Mayor of the Sunset Strip.” He formed friendships with pop stars of the day such as The Byrds
and Sonny & Cher
, for whom he was a live-in publicist. In his own words, Bingenheimer “became the talk of the town because I had the perfect Brian Jones
‘do’ (hairstyle).”
Bingenheimer worked as an intern at Mercury Records
. He escorted British pop star David Bowie
to L.A. hot spots. He auditioned for the Davy Jones
part in the Monkees
. While he did not get the part, he dressed like Davy Jones and had a similar haircut, and he later worked as a double or stand-in for Jones in the TV show The Monkees
episode "Prince and the Pauper". The Monkees stand-in role was a "break" for Bingenheimer.
Bingenheimer was described as shy, thin, unassuming with a "squeaky voice", usually described as soft; one report suggested his voice was "so soft you have to lean in to hear it". Another writer described his voice was soft like a "harmonica that cuts through the angry noise of today's frat jocks." His voice has also been described as "tentative" and not a "vibrating personality" or a "great radio voice" but reflecting almost "painful sincerity". He was described as having a "small, womanish face" and that he's had the "same haircut (shaggy with bangs)" for most of his life. Actor MacKenzie Phillips
reportedly called him a "gnome" and he's been described as having a faint resemblance to Andy Warhol
.
Bingenheimer became a groupie of sorts, and formed attachments with prominent artists including Sonny and Cher. He met Cher by going backstage after a concert, and according to Bingenheimer, she looked at him and said "Oh my God, you look just like Sonny!" They "bonded", and he went to work for them, and "they took care of me," he said.
In a later interview, Bingenheimer explained how many artists grew to like and trust him because of his sincerity, taste in music, and not being pushy. Writer Alison Powell in The Guardian
wrote that his "sincerity helped him gain the trust of Brian Wilson
, the Beatles, even Elvis
. During these years he was photographed near countless celebrities from the worlds of acting and music and Hollywood, including John Lennon
and Yoko Ono
, Mick Jagger
, Adam Ant
, the Beach Boys, and many others, almost like a "real life rock'n'roll Zelig." He ingratiated himself to many stars; people liked him. He got himself a job as a gofer for the Monkees, and worked as a caterer at one point.
In those days of "free love", he found many young women to "mother him" and sometimes have sex with him. He was described as being a go-between serving the needs of young women and rock stars, and often had sex with women as a precondition for them meeting rock stars later on, according to writer David Edelstein in Slate
magazine. Wherever he went in the music and club scene, "his face was his passport". According to Led Zeppelin
vocalist Robert Plant
, Bingenheimer had more sex with women than Plant.
Incidents contributed to Bingenheimer’s notoriety. He and Sonny Bono
were reportedly asked to leave the Hollywood restaurant Martoni’s because of their hippie appearance, which reportedly prompted Bono to write the song Laugh at Me. Bingenheimer brought Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson
to the recording session for Tina Turner
’s lead vocal on the Phil Spector
classic “River Deep, Mountain High,” and he was ridiculed in a dialogue by the all-girl band The GTOs
on their Frank Zappa
-produced LP Permanent Damage.
In the late Sixties he was hired by Nik Venet to do publicity for Linda Rondstadt’s group The Stone Poneys, but he became so disenchanted by the LA music scene during this period that he moved to the United Kingdom
where he enjoyed the London nightclub scene with the help of his friend David Bowie
. He discovered the nascent British glam rock
scene and met other emerging stars such as Rod Stewart
. Bingenheimer bought many records in London. It was Bowie who suggested that Bingenheimer return to Los Angeles and open a new music club.
. It had a small "VIP area" which was a roped-off section near the dance floor.
The club opened in October 1972 at 8171 Sunset, near his various West Hollywood apartments, and Bowie was one of the club’s first guests. It subsequently moved to 7561 Sunset and was renamed Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco
. In this version it became a favorite hangout for many rock stars (and a favored haunt for young female groupies) and through the Disco Bingenheimer introduced much of the Los Angeles music scene to glam rock
. At one point, Elvis Presley
dropped by for "pints of Watney's".
The English Disco also featured occasional live performances, including appearances by The New York Dolls and The Stooges
in 1973, and Iggy Pop
staged his infamous concert on 11 August 1974, during which he performed an improvised “play” called Murder of the Virgin (in which he was whipped by guitarist Ron Asheton
, who was dressed in a Nazi uniform) and which climaxed with Iggy repeatedly slashing his chest with a knife. In October 1974, Jerome T. Youngman
and the band Punk performed with fellow Detroit band Mighty Quick.
Speaking of this period, David Bowie later recalled:
When the club closed in 1975, Bingenheimer was reportedly disenchanted with the stylized dance genre disco to the extent that he abruptly abandoned his club “English Disco,” so as not to be associated with the popular movement. But a later report suggested that a disagreement between the owners was the primary cause of the club's closure.
, called Rodney on the ROQ, which began in August 1976 and continues to the present. His tentative voice conveyed a "painful sincerity" suggesting that he "loves the music he plays", introducing it like a matchmaker
introducing two lovers – a person to a song. His radio show strongly influenced the emergence of the Los Angeles punk scene in the late 1970s and was at odds with the prevailing country-rock
style that dominated the West Coast music scene at the time. The show featured the latest punk
and New Wave
and glam
releases from London and New York, and labored to help celebrities build their careers alongside “anybody brave or stupid enough to put out a record in Los Angeles,” he said. Bingenheimer later summed up his programming philosophy:
Bingenheimer was one of the very few DJs on commercial radio in Los Angeles who was described as having had autonomy over music selection. For example, he was described as having been the first deejay to have played many then-up-and-coming bands, including The Runaways
, Blondie
, The Ramones, Social Distortion
, Van Halen
, Duran Duran
, Oasis
, The Donnas
, No Doubt
, Dramarama
, The Offspring
, The Go-Gos
, The Germs
, The B-52s
, X, The Vandals
, Buck Brothers
, the Sex Pistols
, Teenage Fanclub
, The Smiths
, Siouxsie And The Banshees, and others. Nena
's song 99 Luftballons
, a hit in German-speaking countries in early 1983, became a hit in the USA in 1984 after Bingenheimer promoted it. It went on to become a world-wide hit—an event that arguably would not have happened if not for Bingenheimer. Many bands, such as Lippy’s Garden
knocked on the parking lot door of KROQ’s old studio in Pasadena
and handed Rodney a copy of their music. A Lippy’s track was played before they left the tiny Pasadena parking lot.
Bingenheimer developed a reputation in Los Angeles for being a kingmaker for new artists. His show became an influential part of KROQ
, which was a strong influence nationally. One reporter wrote "if you make it onto KROQ in America, you've made it in America. This is the house that Rodney built and which corporate radio has spread like spores across the nation." If he liked a track, such as Agent Orange
’s 1979 hit “Bloodstains,” he would play that song within the hour. In 1978, guitarist Eddie Vincent and drummer Tad of The Hollywood Squares gave Rodney a copy of their just released 45 single at his studio door. Within minutes Bingenheimer introduced the mysterious group to his wide listening audience and played “Hillside Strangler.” The song promptly charted in Record World’s New Wave Hit Parade. Bingenheimer was credited for giving the group Broken Bottles a big break by playing their single Gothic Chicks. In 1995, Bingenheimer introduced a segment to his show entitled “American in London,” co-hosted by Liza Kumjian-Smith, focusing on news and releases from upcoming British bands, which brought Brit Pop to the US and broke many UK bands such as Coldplay
, Doves, Muse
, Pulp
, and more recently the Arctic Monkeys
, among others.
His show has been relegated to the midnight to 3:00 a.m. slot on Monday mornings. In 1998, he interviewed the Toronto band Chicklet
when they dropped by the station while on tour. This was his first live air interview in years, with an interview of Bad Religion
said to be his last prior to this occasion. Film critic Roger Ebert
quoted another employee of the station as having said that the station management was "afraid to fire him ... because he's the soul of KROQ." Bingenheimer was also responsible for three Rodney on the ROQ compilation albums as well as the compact disc and later digital download compendium, "The Best of Rodney On The Roq" on Posh Boy Records
.
He was present at "nearly every major interval in the evolution of rock 'n' roll" but was described as being relatively unknown outside of Los Angeles, according to the Boston Globe. But he never exploited his connections to become a "mogul", according to this report, which suggested that Bingenheimer might find such success "vulgar". Rather, he's been content to be a "hanger-on".
Another report painted the same picture:
, director Hickenlooper examined Bingenheimer's life in a documentary format. According to one account, Bingenheimer was described as "intensely private" and was nervous about the documentary project to film his life; filming took place over a six year period. According to this report, Bingenheimer found it was sometimes difficult to answer questions about his parents and love life. He was never married
but apparently still holds on to the possibility that he'll find a woman who has the "ideal 1960s vision in plastic miniskirt, Mary Quant lashes and ropes of bullion fringe." In one scene in the documentary, Bingenheimer and a younger woman he was dating are talking on the camera, and it's only at the end of the scene that it's revealed that they're only friends; "by the time the scene is over, you feel devastated for him: his face says, I was jilted at the prom.", according to Boston Globe film critic Wesley Morris in 2004. The movie suggested that Bingenheimer had had sex
with "scores of women" during his earlier days but those relationships didn't form into lasting attachments with any particular woman. The movie "is a portrait of a man who has always needed celebrities to validate him," according to David Edelstein in Slate
. He's been compared to the character in the Woody Allen
film Zelig
in which the character keeps appearing in disparate places. He dines regularly at a Hollywood Denny's restaurant
, arriving at 1pm each day, according to one report. He owns a "classic blue Pontiac GTO". He wears "trademark snug black suits".
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
on the long-running Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
rock station KROQ
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
who is notable for helping numerous iconic bands become successful in the American market. His contribution to the music business has been described as important. He developed a reputation for being the first American deejay to identify new artists and play "edgy new bands" such as Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
, the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
, Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
, Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
, The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
, No Doubt, Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
, Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
, X, Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
and many others. He managed a key but now-defunct L.A. nightclub called Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco
Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco
Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco was a widely noted Los Angeles nightclub on the Sunset Strip from late 1972 until early 1975. It catered to the Glam Rock movement.-Early background:...
in the early seventies. He was the subject of a documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
by late filmmaker George Hickenlooper entitled Mayor of the Sunset Strip
Mayor of the Sunset Strip
Mayor of the Sunset Strip is a 2004 documentary film on the life of Rodney Bingenheimer directed by George Hickenlooper, and produced by Chris Carter.-Interviews:...
which told the story of a groupie-turned-kingmaker with a knack for making friends in the music industry. He was described as a "famous groupie, now respectable" by Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
and he has numerous high-profile friends. In 2007, he was honored with the 2,330th star on Hollywood Boulevard.
Early life
Bingenheimer was born December 15 in Mountain View, CaliforniaMountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
to a star-struck mother who separated from Bingenheimer's father when he was only three years old. His father had wanted to be a celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
but settled for attending celebrity golf events. His mother was described as a "difficult woman" and a "relentless autograph hound". One report suggested he had a lonely childhood, since he often spent nights alone while his mother worked as a waitress. Another report suggested that the emerging rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
of the day became his "home" and a way for him to deal with the divorce of his parents. He devoured fan magazines; he was "obsessed" with stars. When 16, his mother drove him to southern California and dropped him off at the house of movie star Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles in the television series Hawaiian Eye and other TV and film work.-Early life:...
, and instructed her son to get the star's autograph. But then she left abruptly; this was the beginning of a six-year separation from his mother and he was on his own in Los Angeles, around the year 1965.
Career
When Bingenheimer arrived in Los Angeles actor Sal MineoSal Mineo
Salvatore "Sal" Mineo, Jr. , was an American film and theatre actor, best known for his performance as John "Plato" Crawford opposite James Dean in the film Rebel Without a Cause...
dubbed him “The Mayor of the Sunset Strip.” He formed friendships with pop stars of the day such as The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
and Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher
Sonny & Cher were an American pop music duo, actors, singers and entertainers made up of husband-and-wife team Sonny and Cher Bono in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector....
, for whom he was a live-in publicist. In his own words, Bingenheimer “became the talk of the town because I had the perfect Brian Jones
Brian Jones
Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones , known as Brian Jones, was an English musician and a founding member of the Rolling Stones....
‘do’ (hairstyle).”
Bingenheimer worked as an intern at Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
. He escorted British pop star David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
to L.A. hot spots. He auditioned for the Davy Jones
Davy Jones (actor)
David Thomas "Davy" Jones is an English rock singer-songwriter and actor best known as a member of the Monkees.-Early life:...
part in the Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
. While he did not get the part, he dressed like Davy Jones and had a similar haircut, and he later worked as a double or stand-in for Jones in the TV show The Monkees
The Monkees (TV series)
The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
episode "Prince and the Pauper". The Monkees stand-in role was a "break" for Bingenheimer.
Bingenheimer was described as shy, thin, unassuming with a "squeaky voice", usually described as soft; one report suggested his voice was "so soft you have to lean in to hear it". Another writer described his voice was soft like a "harmonica that cuts through the angry noise of today's frat jocks." His voice has also been described as "tentative" and not a "vibrating personality" or a "great radio voice" but reflecting almost "painful sincerity". He was described as having a "small, womanish face" and that he's had the "same haircut (shaggy with bangs)" for most of his life. Actor MacKenzie Phillips
Mackenzie Phillips
Mackenzie Phillips is an American actress and singer best known for her roles in American Graffiti and as rebellious teenager Julie Cooper Horvath on the sitcom One Day at a Time...
reportedly called him a "gnome" and he's been described as having a faint resemblance to Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
.
Bingenheimer became a groupie of sorts, and formed attachments with prominent artists including Sonny and Cher. He met Cher by going backstage after a concert, and according to Bingenheimer, she looked at him and said "Oh my God, you look just like Sonny!" They "bonded", and he went to work for them, and "they took care of me," he said.
In a later interview, Bingenheimer explained how many artists grew to like and trust him because of his sincerity, taste in music, and not being pushy. Writer Alison Powell in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
wrote that his "sincerity helped him gain the trust of Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
, the Beatles, even Elvis
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
. During these years he was photographed near countless celebrities from the worlds of acting and music and Hollywood, including John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
, Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, Adam Ant
Adam Ant
Adam Ant is an English musician who gained popularity as the lead singer of New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1980 and 1983, including three No.1s...
, the Beach Boys, and many others, almost like a "real life rock'n'roll Zelig." He ingratiated himself to many stars; people liked him. He got himself a job as a gofer for the Monkees, and worked as a caterer at one point.
In those days of "free love", he found many young women to "mother him" and sometimes have sex with him. He was described as being a go-between serving the needs of young women and rock stars, and often had sex with women as a precondition for them meeting rock stars later on, according to writer David Edelstein in Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
magazine. Wherever he went in the music and club scene, "his face was his passport". According to Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
vocalist Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, Bingenheimer had more sex with women than Plant.
Incidents contributed to Bingenheimer’s notoriety. He and Sonny Bono
Sonny Bono
Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono was an American recording artist, record producer, actor, and politician whose career spanned over three decades.-Early life:...
were reportedly asked to leave the Hollywood restaurant Martoni’s because of their hippie appearance, which reportedly prompted Bono to write the song Laugh at Me. Bingenheimer brought Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
to the recording session for Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
’s lead vocal on the Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
classic “River Deep, Mountain High,” and he was ridiculed in a dialogue by the all-girl band The GTOs
The GTOs
The GTOs were a "groupie group" that consisted of Miss Pamela , Miss Sparky , Miss Lucy , Miss Christine , Miss Sandra , Miss Mercy and Miss Cynderella...
on their Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
-produced LP Permanent Damage.
In the late Sixties he was hired by Nik Venet to do publicity for Linda Rondstadt’s group The Stone Poneys, but he became so disenchanted by the LA music scene during this period that he moved to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where he enjoyed the London nightclub scene with the help of his friend David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
. He discovered the nascent British glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
scene and met other emerging stars such as Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
. Bingenheimer bought many records in London. It was Bowie who suggested that Bingenheimer return to Los Angeles and open a new music club.
Club days
Bingenheimer flew back and opened a nightclub initially called the "E Club" on Sunset Strip with two partners. Outside there was the British flag, the Union Jack. It served "British bangers" and beerBeer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
. It had a small "VIP area" which was a roped-off section near the dance floor.
The club opened in October 1972 at 8171 Sunset, near his various West Hollywood apartments, and Bowie was one of the club’s first guests. It subsequently moved to 7561 Sunset and was renamed Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco
Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco
Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco was a widely noted Los Angeles nightclub on the Sunset Strip from late 1972 until early 1975. It catered to the Glam Rock movement.-Early background:...
. In this version it became a favorite hangout for many rock stars (and a favored haunt for young female groupies) and through the Disco Bingenheimer introduced much of the Los Angeles music scene to glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
. At one point, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
dropped by for "pints of Watney's".
The English Disco also featured occasional live performances, including appearances by The New York Dolls and The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
in 1973, and Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
staged his infamous concert on 11 August 1974, during which he performed an improvised “play” called Murder of the Virgin (in which he was whipped by guitarist Ron Asheton
Ron Asheton
Ronald Frank Asheton was an American guitarist and co-songwriter with Iggy Pop for the rock band The Stooges.Asheton is ranked as number 29 on Rolling Stones list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time....
, who was dressed in a Nazi uniform) and which climaxed with Iggy repeatedly slashing his chest with a knife. In October 1974, Jerome T. Youngman
Jerome T. Youngman
Jerome T. Youngman , is an American rock singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his hits "Creeps at my Door" and "Blood for Oil", and TV host of the Talk show Bring it to Jerome.-Career:Youngman's musical influences are Igor Stravinsky, John Lee Hooker, Rolling Stones, Bo Diddley,...
and the band Punk performed with fellow Detroit band Mighty Quick.
Speaking of this period, David Bowie later recalled:
When the club closed in 1975, Bingenheimer was reportedly disenchanted with the stylized dance genre disco to the extent that he abruptly abandoned his club “English Disco,” so as not to be associated with the popular movement. But a later report suggested that a disagreement between the owners was the primary cause of the club's closure.
Radio days: KROQ
Due to his far-reaching connections within the burgeoning Hollywood music scene, Bingenheimer was given a show on the then relatively unknown Pasadena FM and AM radio station KROQKROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
, called Rodney on the ROQ, which began in August 1976 and continues to the present. His tentative voice conveyed a "painful sincerity" suggesting that he "loves the music he plays", introducing it like a matchmaker
Matchmaking
Matchmaking is any process of matching two people for the purpose of marriage or a sporting contest.-Practice:In some cultures, the role of the matchmaker was and is quite professionalized...
introducing two lovers – a person to a song. His radio show strongly influenced the emergence of the Los Angeles punk scene in the late 1970s and was at odds with the prevailing country-rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
style that dominated the West Coast music scene at the time. The show featured the latest punk
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...
and New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and glam
Glam punk
Glam Punk is a music genre that mixes elements of glam rock with protopunk or punk rock ....
releases from London and New York, and labored to help celebrities build their careers alongside “anybody brave or stupid enough to put out a record in Los Angeles,” he said. Bingenheimer later summed up his programming philosophy:
The Runaways
The Runaways were an American all-girl rock band that recorded and performed in the second half of the 1970s. The band released four studio albums and one live set during its run. Among its best known songs: "Cherry Bomb", "Queens of Noise", "Neon Angels On the Road to Ruin", "California Paradise"...
, Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
, The Ramones, Social Distortion
Social Distortion
Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness , Jonny Wickersham , Brent Harding and David Hidalgo, Jr...
, Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
, Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
, Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, The Donnas
The Donnas
The Donnas are an American all-female rock band from Palo Alto, California. They draw inspiration from The Ramones, The Runaways, AC/DC, Bachman–Turner Overdrive and Kiss. Rolling Stone has stated that "the Donnas offer a guileless take on adolescent alienation; they traffic in kicks, not...
, No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
, Dramarama
Dramarama (band)
Dramarama is a Los Angeles, California-based alternative rock/power pop band. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994...
, The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
, The Go-Gos
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
, The Germs
The Germs
The Germs are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1977 to 1980. The band's early lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom, and their most consistent drummer Don Bolles. Germs have since reformed in 2005 with Shane...
, The B-52s
The B-52's
The B-52's are an American rock band, formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider , Kate Pierson , Cindy Wilson , Ricky Wilson , and Keith Strickland . Following Ricky Wilson's death in 1985 Strickland switched to guitar...
, X, The Vandals
The Vandals
The Vandals are an American rock band established in 1980 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour...
, Buck Brothers
Buck Brothers
Buck Brothers are a British three piece band. The band's sound is a mixture of pop, punk and rock music.-History:Buck Brothers formed early in 2005 via a chance meeting at the unlikely location of a Buddhist Disco in a North London....
, the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
, Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub are an alternative rock band from Bellshill, Scotland. The band is composed of Norman Blake , Raymond McGinley , Gerard Love and Francis MacDonald , with songwriting duties shared equally among Blake, McGinley and Love...
, The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
, Siouxsie And The Banshees, and others. Nena
Nena
Gabriele Susanne Kerner , better known by her stage name Nena, is a German singer and actress. She rose to international fame in 1983 with the New German Wave song "99 Luftballons". In 1984, she re-recorded this song in English as "99 Red Balloons". Nena was also the name of the band with whom she...
's song 99 Luftballons
99 Luftballons
"99 Luftballons" is a protest song by the German pop-rock band Nena from their 1983 self-titled album. Originally sung in German, it was later re-recorded in English as "99 Red Balloons" for their album 99 Luftballons in 1984...
, a hit in German-speaking countries in early 1983, became a hit in the USA in 1984 after Bingenheimer promoted it. It went on to become a world-wide hit—an event that arguably would not have happened if not for Bingenheimer. Many bands, such as Lippy’s Garden
Lippy's Garden
Lippy's Garden was a post-punk band formed in 1984 in Glendora, California. The band consisted of David Milhous , his cousin Mark Bollinger , James Ross , and Rob Salter . The four were nicknamed "Corn", "Milo", "Stuart", and "Raw", respectively...
knocked on the parking lot door of KROQ’s old studio in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
and handed Rodney a copy of their music. A Lippy’s track was played before they left the tiny Pasadena parking lot.
Bingenheimer developed a reputation in Los Angeles for being a kingmaker for new artists. His show became an influential part of KROQ
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
, which was a strong influence nationally. One reporter wrote "if you make it onto KROQ in America, you've made it in America. This is the house that Rodney built and which corporate radio has spread like spores across the nation." If he liked a track, such as Agent Orange
Agent Orange (band)
Agent Orange is an American punk rock band formed in Orange County, California in 1979. The band is one of the first to mix punk rock with surf music. They first gained attention with their song "Bloodstains" which they released on their own 7" E.P. An early demo of the song was presented to...
’s 1979 hit “Bloodstains,” he would play that song within the hour. In 1978, guitarist Eddie Vincent and drummer Tad of The Hollywood Squares gave Rodney a copy of their just released 45 single at his studio door. Within minutes Bingenheimer introduced the mysterious group to his wide listening audience and played “Hillside Strangler.” The song promptly charted in Record World’s New Wave Hit Parade. Bingenheimer was credited for giving the group Broken Bottles a big break by playing their single Gothic Chicks. In 1995, Bingenheimer introduced a segment to his show entitled “American in London,” co-hosted by Liza Kumjian-Smith, focusing on news and releases from upcoming British bands, which brought Brit Pop to the US and broke many UK bands such as Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
, Doves, Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, Pulp
Pulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
, and more recently the Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
, among others.
His show has been relegated to the midnight to 3:00 a.m. slot on Monday mornings. In 1998, he interviewed the Toronto band Chicklet
Chicklet
Chicklet are Julie Park and Daniel Barida . Sean Bettam was part of the group from 1997 to 1999. Bettam toured with Chicklet throughout the US to support their first album Wanderlust. Chris Sytnyk recorded on several Chicklet releases including Lemon Chandeliers, Wanderlust and Indian Summer...
when they dropped by the station while on tour. This was his first live air interview in years, with an interview of Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
said to be his last prior to this occasion. Film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
quoted another employee of the station as having said that the station management was "afraid to fire him ... because he's the soul of KROQ." Bingenheimer was also responsible for three Rodney on the ROQ compilation albums as well as the compact disc and later digital download compendium, "The Best of Rodney On The Roq" on Posh Boy Records
Posh Boy Records
Posh Boy Records was a Hollywood, California based record label owned by Robbie Fields, a high school substitute teacher and former copyboy at the L A Times who took an interest in the emerging punk rock scene in Orange County, California during the late 1970s...
.
He was present at "nearly every major interval in the evolution of rock 'n' roll" but was described as being relatively unknown outside of Los Angeles, according to the Boston Globe. But he never exploited his connections to become a "mogul", according to this report, which suggested that Bingenheimer might find such success "vulgar". Rather, he's been content to be a "hanger-on".
Another report painted the same picture:
Personal life
In Mayor of the Sunset StripMayor of the Sunset Strip
Mayor of the Sunset Strip is a 2004 documentary film on the life of Rodney Bingenheimer directed by George Hickenlooper, and produced by Chris Carter.-Interviews:...
, director Hickenlooper examined Bingenheimer's life in a documentary format. According to one account, Bingenheimer was described as "intensely private" and was nervous about the documentary project to film his life; filming took place over a six year period. According to this report, Bingenheimer found it was sometimes difficult to answer questions about his parents and love life. He was never married
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
but apparently still holds on to the possibility that he'll find a woman who has the "ideal 1960s vision in plastic miniskirt, Mary Quant lashes and ropes of bullion fringe." In one scene in the documentary, Bingenheimer and a younger woman he was dating are talking on the camera, and it's only at the end of the scene that it's revealed that they're only friends; "by the time the scene is over, you feel devastated for him: his face says, I was jilted at the prom.", according to Boston Globe film critic Wesley Morris in 2004. The movie suggested that Bingenheimer had had sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with "scores of women" during his earlier days but those relationships didn't form into lasting attachments with any particular woman. The movie "is a portrait of a man who has always needed celebrities to validate him," according to David Edelstein in Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
. He's been compared to the character in the Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
film Zelig
Zelig
Zelig is a 1983 American mockumentary film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Allen and Mia Farrow. Allen plays Zelig, a curiously nondescript enigma who is discovered for his remarkable ability to transform himself to resemble anyone he's near.The film was shot almost entirely in...
in which the character keeps appearing in disparate places. He dines regularly at a Hollywood Denny's restaurant
Denny's
Denny's is a full-service coffee shop/family restaurant chain. It operates over 1,500 restaurants in the United States , Canada, Curaçao, Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan , Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.Denny's is known for always being...
, arriving at 1pm each day, according to one report. He owns a "classic blue Pontiac GTO". He wears "trademark snug black suits".
Cultural appearances
- Bingenheimer played the backside and over-the-shoulder shots of both of the Davy JonesDavy Jones (actor)David Thomas "Davy" Jones is an English rock singer-songwriter and actor best known as a member of the Monkees.-Early life:...
characters in "The Prince and the Pauper" episode of The MonkeesThe Monkees (TV series)The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
situation comedy.
- He was briefly a member of The Chocolate Watch Band, and played only one gig at the San Jose State Fair.
- He appeared as an extra in the 1969 musical film Paint Your WagonPaint Your Wagon (film)Paint Your Wagon is a 1969 American musical film starring Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood. The movie was adapted by Paddy Chayefsky from the 1951 stage musical by Lerner and Loewe, set in a mining camp in Gold Rush-era California.-Plot:...
.
- Bingenheimer made a brief cameo appearance in the Cheech & Chong film Up in SmokeUp in SmokeUp in Smoke, directed by Lou Adler, is Cheech and Chong's first feature-length film, released in 1978 by Paramount Pictures. It stars Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Edie Adams, Strother Martin, and Stacy Keach....
released in 1978, during the Rock Fight sequence.
- Bingenheimer was seen driving The RamonesRamonesThe Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
’ pink Cadillac in the film Rock 'n' Roll High SchoolRock 'n' Roll High SchoolRock 'n' Roll High School is a 1979 musical comedy film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Allan Arkush, and featuring the Ramones.The film starred P. J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, and Clint Howard...
, and provided the hand clapping in “The Return of Jackie and Judy” on the Phil SpectorPhil SpectorPhillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
-produced End of the CenturyEnd of the CenturyT. Donald Guarisco of Allmusic notes that the "entire album is pretty controversial in the world of Ramones fandom".Dee Dee recalled hearing a song from the album on the radio, perhaps "I'm Affected": "I couldn't believe how awful it sounded. It was horrible. I hated "Baby, I Love You"...
. He also appears in the video for their 1986 song “Something to Believe In”.
- As a token of their appreciation for his promotion of the band, the members of BlondieBlondie (band)Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
served as Bingenheimer’s backing band in a limited release single of “Little G.T.O.” credited as “Rodney and the Brunettes”. Rodney drives a '67 GTO with the license plate LIDL GTO.
- He appeared DJing at KROQ in the documentary "The Unheard Music" about X, the punk band from Los Angeles.
- Bingenheimer had a cameo role (as a nightclub owner) in the Alex CoxAlex CoxAlexander Cox is a British film director, screenwriter, nonfiction author and sometime actor, notable for his idiosyncratic style and approach to scripts...
film Repo Man (1984).
- Rodney, and slides from his English Disco, were in Dramarama’sDramarama (band)Dramarama is a Los Angeles, California-based alternative rock/power pop band. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994...
1991 video for “Haven’t Got a Clue”.
- He was the subject of the documentary filmDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Mayor of the Sunset StripMayor of the Sunset StripMayor of the Sunset Strip is a 2004 documentary film on the life of Rodney Bingenheimer directed by George Hickenlooper, and produced by Chris Carter.-Interviews:...
, directed by George Hickenlooper and produced by Chris CarterChris Carter (producer/disc jockey)Chris Carter is a Los Angeles-based disc jockey and music/film producer who started his music career as a founding member and bass player with alternative rock/power pop band Dramarama. After Dramarama originally split in 1994, Carter formed QM Management to manage LA pop group The Wondermints,...
.
- Bingenheimer has a booth named for him at Canter'sCanter'sCanter's Deli is a famous Jewish style delicatessen in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California, near the border of West Hollywood.The Canter family originally opened up a delicatessen in Jersey City in 1924....
deliDelicatessenDelicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, which was dedicated to him by Nancy SinatraNancy SinatraNancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
.
- After years of grassroots support, the Hollywood Chamber of CommerceHollywood, Los Angeles, CaliforniaHollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
decided to acknowledge his contribution to music and radio with a star on the Hollywood Walk of FameHollywood Walk of FameThe Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
which was presented on 9 March 2007. This is the 2,330th star awarded, and it is in front of the Knitting FactoryKnitting FactoryThe Knitting Factory is a music venue and concert house with locations in Brooklyn, Boise, Reno, and Spokane. The club originally specialized in jazz and experimental music and has expanded to showcasing all genres of music, performing arts and comedy....
nightclub at 7021 Hollywood Blvd. When asked about his star, he said "then people can literally walk all over me" but added "from down there I can look up girls' dresses."
- Bingenheimer was the voice of the radio DJ in the SpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
cartoon “Krab Borg.”
- Bingenheimer was portrayed by J. P. Manoux in the Darby CrashDarby CrashDarby Crash was an American punk musician who, along with long time friend Pat Smear , co-founded The Germs...
biopic What We Do Is SecretWhat We Do Is Secret (film)What We Do Is Secret is a 2008 American biographical film about Darby Crash, singer of the late-1970s Los Angeles punk rock band the Germs. Rodger Grossman directed the film and wrote the screenplay, based on a story he had written with Michelle Baer Ghaffari, a friend of Crash's and co-producer of...
.
- Bingenheimer was played by Keir O'DonnellKeir O'DonnellKeir O'Donnell is an Australian actor best known for his roles in the comedy films Wedding Crashers and Paul Blart: Mall Cop...
in the 2010 biopic The RunawaysThe Runaways (film)The Runaways is a 2010 American biographical film about the 1970s all-girl rock band of the same name. The film was written and directed by Floria Sigismondi, who based the screenplay on the book Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway by the band's original lead vocalist Cherie Currie...
.
- He was in a film entitled Nina Hagen = Punk + Glory in 2002.
- Bingenheimer recorded a single entitled I Hate the '90s, and did spoken-word vocals with Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Hole's Eric Erlandson, and cut singles with Lita Ford (Lets Make the Scene) and BlondieBlondie (band)Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
with the single Little GTO.
Quotes
Numerous quotations have been attributed to Bingenheimer, including the following:- “Is this Godhead, or what?”
- “It’s all happening!”
- “I’m ageless!”
- “The only thing black about [Rodney’s English Disco] was the color of the 45s.”
- “Phil SpectorPhil SpectorPhillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
’s music is ‘Permanent’ Wave!”
External links
- Official page at MySpace
- “Rekindling the Punk Flame” article – official movie upload from FirstLook Studios