"Wild In The Streets" is the best cult film ever made. It follows the meteoric rise of a rock star who becomes U.S. President and revolutionary leader (Max Frost is played by Christopher Jones). Max initially becomes involved in politics in a crusade to lower the voting age in California to age 14 (in 1967 it was age 21). After helping to elect Johnny Fergus to the U.S. Senate, he uses his popularity to get former child movie star and band member Sally Leroy, played by Diane Varsi ("Peyton Place"), elected to the U.S. House. In the wake of her election, state after state lowers its voting age. Following her victory and dramatic speech before the House Of Representatives, voting rights protesters are shot dead in Washington D.C. Max then enters the race for U.S. President. The rough and dirty campaign culminates in Max and his inner circle drugging the water supply of Washington D.C. in order to impair the mental facilities of the U.S. Congress. Congress lowers the voting age and Max is elected in a landslide. At President Frost's first address before Congress, Johnny Fergus' assassination attempt is foiled and consequently President Frost is granted unprecedented power and authority. He declares 30 to be a mandatory retirement age after which individuals will be given LSD. As a reign of terror sweeps the nation, neo-Fascist paramilitary youth gangs create internment camps. At the very end, the film makes a subtle comment about the dangers of age discrimination when Max realizes that children under 14 regard his generation as the enemy.
Max Frost - The Shape of Things to Come
http://www.geocities.com/wildinthestreets2002/
There's a new sun
Risin up angry in the sky
And there's a new voice
Sayin were not afraid to die
Let the old world make believe
It's blind and deaf and dumb
But nothing can change the shape of things to come
There are changes
Lyin ahead in every road
And there are new thoughts
Ready and waiting to explode
When tomorrow is today
The bells may toll for some
But nothing can change the shape of things to come
The futures comin in, now
Sweet and strong
Aint no-one gonna hold it back for long
There are new dreams
Crowdin out old realities
There's revolution
Sweepin in like a fresh new breeze
Let the old world make believe
It's blind and deaf and dumb
Nothing can change the shape of things
To come
God how I love this song.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 11, my brother and I were in a band called The Wiretappers (which we thought was about the coolest name ever). We knew just one song, “NOTHING CAN CHANGE THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME”, which we played over and over for, like, hours.
Fast forward to today, and I'm in another garage band, Chapel Hill NC's THEE DIRTYBEATS, and we're playing SHAPES live on stage. Cannot express how weirdly karmic this feels.
Eventually, THEE DIRTYBEATS recorded a version of SHAPES in the studio for our debut ep.
While it's not Max Frost & The Troopers (I mean really -- what could be?), we're pleased with how it came out.
You can hear it online here: http://tinyurl.com/7p93vvm
Best,
-A
THEE DIRTYBEATS - maximum vintage garage
PS - BTW, we're pretty happy with the whole album. If you are into that vintage 60s garage rock thing, it hangs together pretty well. It's a free download; see http://theedirtybeats.bandcamp.com