Corporate Line: Mayor of the Sunset Strip tells the story of music and fame through the eyes of pop impresario Rodney Bingenheimer, and his friends David Bowie, Gwen Stefani, Coldplay, Courtney Love, Oasis, Brian Wilson, The Doors, Cher, Nancy Sinatra, Mick Jagger, Brooke Shields, among many others.
The Good: Imagine this… your mother drives you to Hollywood one day with a packed suitcase and the hope that Connie Stevens will take you into her home. Rodney Bingenheimer need not imagine it because he lived it. And although it wasn’t his mother’s intention, she actually dropped her son off on the doorstep of a truly unbelievable journey through the music and celebrity scene of Hollywood that spans several decades and the music that filled them – from The Rolling Stones and David Bowie to Coldplay and No Doubt.
I’m going to refer to Rodney here by his first name because one thing this film does very well is make you feel a warm affinity to this man. He is a music industry legend, as proven by the countless photographs we see of him with everyone from Andy Warhol to John Lennon. Yet, unlike the image most have of industry giants, Rodney is short in stature and walks with an unusual gait. Not to mention, he’s unassuming and shy in nature. And oh yeah, Rodney’s not exactly rolling in the dough from his years of launching and promoting about a billion musicians and bands to great stardom.
It’s the irony of Rodney’s years of A-list status with the music industry in-crowd juxtaposed with his current lack of wealth, his present career uncertainty, and his failure in love that make his tale a bit of a heartbreaker. Even his own family is so disconnected from Rodney that they need to search the entire house for a single photograph of him (it ends up being unframed and simply taped up on a wall hidden behind some dresses his stepmother has hung in a corner).
Many of the stories and moments of Rodney’s fascinating life are augmented by celebrity interviews woven through the documentary. Interestingly, Kim Fawley (another major player in the Hollywood music scene of yore) serves as a bit of a foil to Rodney in the interviews. Fawley is a bigger and louder personality than Rodney. Whereas no one has anything bad to say about Rodney, people (including Fawley himself) don’t have anything nice to say about Kim Fawley. Regardless of these glaring differences in personality, both Rodney and Fawley suffer the shared fate of fighting against a quiet slip into obscurity. Therein lays a point about Hollywood fame and success being less about whom you are, and more about how important you are to everyone else at that moment.
The documentary does a good job of telling us about Rodney’s journey thus far. And the insights into his inner consciousness provided by himself, family and friends make you really feel for Rodney because of the hardships he’s endured since he was a child. I would be surprised if anyone can walk out of this film without feeling the need to root for this man as he presses on.
The Bad: Fans of some of the various bands and artists touted by promotions as being in this film may be disappointed. Many of the artists are not even interviewed, and some of them are just shown in quick glimpses with Rodney. These clips were used to show how many different artists Rodney has been close to over the years. But, viewers beware. If you are hoping for that in-depth interview with Tori Amos or Elvis Costello, it isn’t there.
One other aspect of the documentary that falls a bit flat is the filmmakers’ attempt to make this story larger than Rodney’s life. There are some interesting moments early on that hint at a deeper exploration of the modern nature of celebrity and fame in our culture. However, the film never seems to take these ideas anywhere new or conclusive. It fails to transcend Rodney’s life in any meaningful way, but luckily Rodney’s story is compelling enough that the film stands strong.
Frankly: “Mayor of Sunset Strip” will take you into the world of Rodney Bingenheimer and entertain you with a montage of celebrities along the way. Neither completely tragic nor Disney magic, this tale of Rodney’s life will inevitably make you realize why so many people have been touched by this man and his passion for music.
+ Jeffrey Kroitsch
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