Years and years ago, when me and my friends first had VCRs, we used to dupe almost everything. We frequented numerous video stores and made tapes for ourselves and for each other. My friend Dennis had access to a store and I asked him to rent and record Rock 'n' Roll High School for me. He was puzzled. Why?

We didn't like the Ramones. I know cool people swear by them, but we were thankfully never cool. I was a Zappahead and my standards for music were almost unattainably high. I wanted ruthless intelligence and exemplary musicianship. The Ramones had neither.

So why did I want to 'own' the movie? Rock 'n' Roll High School is a Corman flick, with performances by some of my favorite actors, like Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov, and Dick Miller. The movie is, however, much more than that.

The best thing about Rock 'n' Roll High School is how it isn't some big studio attempt to monopolize or dictate youthful behavior. No cigar-chomping senior exec trying to profit by selling corporate coolness to the kids. We've all seen way too much of that.

Director Alan Arkush was still a young man when he took on the project. Rock 'n' Roll High School was initially conceived as Gym Girls. It isn't hard to imagine a Corman/New World saga with that title. It morphed into Disco High after Rog became intoxicated by the success of Saturday Night Fever and Thank God it's Friday.

Arkush went along with the Disco High concept for a while, with every intention of persuading Roger to allow him to change it to Rock 'n' Roll High School. Arkush was a passionate and intelligent young man who was in love with movies and rock music. A previous job running lights at the Filmore East gave him intimate insight into the world of rock music and musicians.

The whole movie hinged on one idea: The school would blow up at the finale. Corman liked the notion of rebellious kids destroying their school, and he quickly realized that disco wasn't the right subject for such a concept.

Other bands were considered. A personal favorite, Todd Rundgren, was approached because of his violently antisocial song, "Heavy Metal Kids". The Ramones ended up with the job, and despite my lack of enthusiasm for the group, it was the perfect choice.

Rock 'n' Roll High School isn't exactly what you'd call a mature film. It's more than a little silly, with so many gags peppering the movie, it reminds me of Airplane! Which shouldn't surprise anyone, since Jerry Zucker was a second unit director on Rock 'n' Roll High School.

It was a case of the inmates running the asylum. Juvenile humor and silly subplots riddle Rock 'n' Roll High School. The simple, churning music of the Ramones and their aloof presence fit the movie perfectly.

So why is Rock 'n' Roll High School so cherished to this day? The Ramones, of course. The goofy humor, the anarchic tone, the inspired performances. All of that, but the heart and spirit of the film is P.J. Soles as Riff Randall, Rock 'n' Roller. Her infectious energy, her joy, her passion for the music.

Soles says she was nothing like the Riff Randall character, but all actors put some of themselves into their roles. She brought Riff to life and everyone loved her.

Riff Randall will always own a piece of my heart, because I'm like her. My love for horror is like Randall's devotion to rock 'n' roll. I really didn't care about History. I wasn't concerned about my future or world events. Horror was my form of rebellion and anarchy. I lived for it.

Which is why it breaks my rock and roll heart to see horror become so popular. It's no longer dangerous or subversive. Horror has become mainstream. Safe. Even extreme fiction is acceptable. Whenever anything becomes too popular, whether it is rock 'n' roll, punk, or horror, the guts are torn out of its soul.

When horror wasn't acceptable I was an outcast. Now that it is, I'm still one. I suppose I wouldn't have it any other way.

I Want You Around is a recent book about the making of Rock 'n' Roll High School. It written by Stephen B. Armstrong, who also wrote a bio of Paul Bartel. Armstrong knows his subject and I learned quite a bit about an old movie favorite in I Want You Around. It's a fast read, and I liked the book, but I feel that Backbeat Books, a small publisher that specializes in music titles, could have done a stronger job of editing it. There are various typos, some of which could be formatting issues.

Rock 'n' Roll High School is a movie that keeps my heart young. Its lack of sophistication, its genial humor, the youthful exuberance in every frame are all things I cherish. I Want You Around opened the doors and allowed me to feel like part of the show. Gabba gabba hey. Gabba gabba ho.

Written by Mark Sieber

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