One Iconic Movie Theme
Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 01:22PM There are no spoilers in this post!
Oh it's Saturday again. Have you seen Top Gun: Maverick yet? If not, go to the theatre immediately. I saw it last weekend and I swear, it is better than the original.
The Top Gun theme is one of the best, most iconic pieces of movie music ever. It proves you don't need lyrics to have a memorable song! Steve Stevens is a guitar badass here. Such a joy to hear again on those massive movie theater speakers.
The Top Gun theme is so important to my little social circle that Heather even got married (the second time) to it! When I was a teen, Paramount owned Kings Island amusement park and there was a ride named "Top Gun" and the music played everywhere in the park. It's the kind of song that instantly brings a smile to your face.
Steve Stevens
Reader Comments (6)
Geezus, I NEVER knew that was Steven’s playin’ the geetar on it, either!
I, too, saw TOP GUN: Maverick (last Saturday) and was pleasantly surprised how well done it is!
I met Stevens once as his Uncle is a successful movie and commercial director I once ALMOST worked with on a couple of projects.
Years before that, I saw him and his merry band of Atomic Playboys POINT BLANK at The Cat Club in NYC!
He asked me and some chicks up front, “Are you guys ready?” and proceeded to blow the roof off the place AND us from the front of the stage by opening with Hendrix’s “Fire”.
As with most of the acts I saw there, I was able to buy him a couple of drinks after the show (in this case, because I knew his uncle!).
TOP GUN: Bonus - I met Jennifer Connolly (Tom Cruise’s love interest in the latest movie) once as she was in a print ad for Maybelline I art directed back in the day before I became Metalboy!, haha!!
And I also understand that some people are a bit turned off by the fact that the media, in general, gives Tom Cruise a nice, feather-light, pass on his involvement in Scientology. There are a lot of odious aspects of that religion (yes, it is a religion . . . get over it). It has harmed a lot of people. Then again, turning the other cheek, so, too, have other religions. And I am not one to bash religions,as they do a lot of good (and secular humanists can be as annoying at the evangelist in that tent--not my tent!--down the street).
Here's the thing: in a very, very specific zone, Tom Cruise is a good actor. I am thinking of the M:I movies, movies like TG, etc. Out of that zone, he fumbles . . . hard. And he does have a certain charisma factor, with a bit of a too glossy sheen, that makes him still marketable.
My take? Cool that this movie is doing so well. The general public probably could care less what he does in his free time. That said, know this going in . . . you are supporting a man who had/has Sea Org members do his bidding (look it up). He is very close to David Miscavige (look it up).
All I am saying is this: we often cancel people for far less. Just know that you are, in some small part, giving Scientology a pass when you buy products that come with Cruise's seal of approval. That isn't a jab at anyone. Just a reminder to be clear-eyed when you wander into the Danger Zone or faun over Stevens, sans his toy ray-gun.
Just because Scientology got away with becoming a religion (they own half of Los Angeles!), doesn’t necessarily make them one … Legally, I suppose, because they bought there way into becoming a religion … Morally, NO, because they kill people (Dehydration Murder in their dormitories) …
A good friend of mine who’s from L.A. told me they must have stuff on Cruise from when he went “clear” (their brainwashing process).
One thing I’ve been able to do in life is to get past one’s f*ckedupedness and still appreciate their art … Case in point, “Terrible Ted” Nugent …
For me, all his asinine phony MAGA bullsh*t doesn’t make me still not enjoy his first album and his following comedy albums just the same.
So, enjoy “Top Gun: Maverick”, despite personal misgivings regarding Tom Cruise falling short (haha!!) as a human being.
But it is also a religion in the non-IRS sense too. See the OED (for one of several definitions): "Action or conduct indicating belief in, obedience to, and reverence for a god, gods, or similar superhuman power; the performance of religious rites or observances." They got all that. So the whole 'they are a cult' or 'they are nuts' stuff actually stops a lot of the important discussions (heck, even Tony Ortega avoids calling them a cult).
The question is: is it a good religion? Another question: do religions deserve tax-exempt status? And another, more in relation to the ongoing Danny Masterson trial: do a religion's tenets shield it from outside review when discussing alleged violations of civil law? Those are far better ways to adjust and adapt to discussing things such as this. Just my opinion. Oh, one more: why are a lot of brilliant secular humanists jerks and scolds?
More generally, I tend to track with William James and his _The Varieties of Religious Experience_ (a series of lectures published collectively in 1902). A sane and practical work. When I was far younger, I had a lot of animus towards particular religions (and particular political POVs). No longer. Painting with a big brush is fun when you are dumb. And it gets the job done a lot quicker. But it is sloppy. And I try to avoid sloppy thinking (even when I end up being wrong).
One additional point: your side-winder about Nugent is well taken (save if you include his more recent output, which is horrid). But there is a limit. Do we still treat Roman Polanski the same? Should we? How about Gary Glitter? Or Jimmy Savile? Or Louie CK? How about Bill Cosby? Dave Mustaine? My point was pretty clear: if you buy in, just buy in knowing that you are doing so. And that is not an attack on anyone, as I have dirty hands when it comes to some of the artists I still admire, now more for their art than for who they were (Kubrick and Riefenstahl, I am looking at you!!!) as people.
And just one more: it is not generally accepted that Cruise is an OT8, or clear (even if it is often asserted as such). Many celebrities get a pass on 'going up the bridge' or get their stats fudged due to their loyalty/financial tithing/good publicity, etc. And, even you accept that he is, he probably got to skip steps. But, yes, his auditing (like all others in Scientology) is recorded and stored for 'safe-keeping'. Should he go rogue and get declared an SP, these sorts of files would have an impact on whether he stayed out or didn't.
Jack, 😂 right back at you, brother! Keep on rocking in the free world!