MTF MTF
Chaka Khan in a few seconds of screen time in the James Brown-gospel sequence in THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980).
“How ya doin?” Legendary guitarist Joe Walsh as one of the prisoners in the”Jailhouse Rock” sequence at the end of THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980).
The Statler Brothers as themselves in SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT PART II (1980). The Statler Brothers are Phil Balsley, Lew DeWitt, Don Reid & Harold Reid
Nancy Wilson of Heart as the “Beautiful Girl in Corvette” in FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (1982). Wilson later married (and divorced) screenwriter Cameron Crowe.
Martin Scorsese is known to blast either Doo-Wop or Punk Rock music on his sets between takes. In THE KING OF COMEDY (1983) a gang of punks is seen on a street corner.. Billed in the credits as “Street Scum”, they are played by Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, and Paul Simonon of The Clash, actress-singer Ellen Foley (“Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” Night Court), Don Letts, Kosmo Vinyl, and Pearl Harbor.
Tom Waits as Buck Merrill in THE OUTSIDERS (1983).
George Martin with Ringo Starr in GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROAD STREET (1984).
Long time Beatles producer George Martin in his brief cameo as Paul McCartney’s producer in GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROAD STREET (1984). The engineer right next to Martin is Geoff Emerick, who was engineer with The Beatles from REVOLVER up until ABBEY ROAD. It was Emerick’s innovation to record John Lennon’s vocal through a Leslie speaker on “Tomorrow Never Knows”, to get the ethereal sound Lennon wanted. He received Grammy Awards for the engineering of SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND and ABBEY ROAD. He abandoned work on THE BEATLES (aka The White Album) on 16 July 1968, fed up with the tensions and arguments that hampered the sessions.
Paul McCartney’s band during the “Ballroom Dancing” sequence in GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROAD STREET (1984). included Dave Edmonds on the left and John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin on bass.
In the warehouse sequence in GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROAD STREET (1984), Eric Stewart from 10cc steps in and plays on “So Bad.” Stewart has the rare distinction of writing several songs with McCartney that appeared on Paul’s 1986 album PRESS TO PLAY.
REPO MAN’S (1984) Executive Producer (and hat-wearing member of The Monkees) Michael Nesmith briefly appears as a rabbi.
In REPO MAN (1984), Executive Producer & former Monkee Mike Nesmith’s friend, musician Jimmy Buffett, of ‘Margaritaville’ fame, is the crouching man who is photographing the man being set on fire. His part is listed as ‘Additional Blond Agent’
She had the beat before getting it from Miss Scarlett in the lobby. Former Go-Go’s guitarist Jane Wiedlin as the singing telegram girl in CLUE (1985).
Pee Wee Herman retrieves his stolen bike and is being chased on a Hollywood studio back lot, briefly interrupting a Twisted Sister music video shoot in PEE WEES BIG ADVENTURE (1985).
Rockabilly vs. Ziggy Stardust. Carl Perkins just pulled out a knife from his chest after being stabbed by David Bowie and the two have it out with Michelle Pfieffer in the middle in INTO THE NIGHT (1985).
On 1985′s DAY OF THE DEAD, director George Romero put out a call for zombie extras. For their services they received a hat that said ‘I played a Zombie in ‘Day of the Dead’, a copy of the newspaper from the beginning of the film [stating THE DEAD WALK!], and one dollar. Among those zombie extras were the members of the cult rock group NRBQ, who were big fans of Romero’s other zombie films. Here, down in the mines, singer/keyboardist Terry Adams gets a stagger-through cameo as the zombie n the orange shirt
Vincent Lauria (Tom Cruise) plays one of his many contenders on the road in THE COLOR OF MONEY (1986), none other than Iggy Pop.
Huey Lewis has the power of love, but not for Michael J. Fox’s band in BACK TO THE FUTURE (1986)
Alan Rudolph’s 1987 film MADE IN HEAVEN has quite a few odd cameos, one of which is Neil Young, appearing in one scene as ‘Truck Driver’ who picks up Timothy Hutton’s hitchhiker. As an extra wink to those in the know, Neil shows up as the soundtrack is playing his own “Mr. Soul” song, from back in the day when he was a member of Buffalo Springfield.
In MADE TO HEAVEN (1987) Timothy Hutton drives his own car into a garage only to find out the car is own its last legs. The diagnosing mechanic is played by Cars musician Ric Ocasek as ‘Shark. Also, an unbilled Ellen Barkin lurks behind the men.
In MADE TO HEAVEN (1987) ‘Lucille’ (Ellen Barkin) and ‘Elmo’ (Timothy Hutton) pull off a scam and rob Stanky’s bar. Playing ‘Stanky’ is an eyelinered Tom Petty.
Sting doesn’t have any lines in his very brief appearance before his execution as the “Heroic Officer” in THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN (1988).
Accordian player extraordiniarre “Weird Al” Yankovic appears as himself in THE NAKED GUN: FROM THE FILES OF POLICE SQUAD (1988).
In the final “Dirty Harry” film THE DEAD POOL (1988), showing their respects at the funeral for Johnny Squares, are just-becoming-famous real rock band Guns N Roses v.1 - (L-R)
Slash, Steven Adler, Duff McKagan, an unseen Izzy Stradlin, and Axl Rose.
From THE DEAD POOL (1988)
Here, Axl Rose is mentally making notes about shooting a music video in a cemetery, but his version features a big boobed model who has a lot of slo-motion fights with her on/off beau played by Axl, a big guitar solo in a field somewhere, a piano solo thing in a theater, lots of candles, maybe some kind of dramatic weather, like hail? Sleet? Hmm….*
(*Not actually true)
Jeff Beck & singer Nicolette Larson in TWINS (1988). Larson s best known for her work in the late 1970s with Neil Young, as well as her 1978 cover of Young’s “Lotta Love”.
Terry Bozzio is the unseen drummer, best known for his work with Missing Persons and Frank Zappa.
Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers as Needles in BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II (1989).
Edie Brickell as a folk singer in a Syracuse area bar in BORN ON THE FORTH OF JULY (1989).