Mayor of the Sunset Strip
Directed by George Hickenlooper.
US, 2003, 35mm, color, 94 min.
US, 2003, 35mm, color, 94 min.
This documentary generates exposure for a music impresario who is celebrated by a large cross-section of musicians, but is virtually unknown outside of Los Angeles. Rodney Bingenheimer, a radio D.J. on KROQ, is responsible for promoting and breaking bands as disparate as Blondie and Van Halen. Although the film is somewhat melancholic in its evocation of his relative decline in significance, it is more a celebration of his love of pop music, and the ability of innumerable artists to detect his sincerity and befriend him. The film is directed by George Hickenlooper, who co-directed Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse.