Attention Deficit Delirium

The soundtrack to the 2005 film "Sky High" was chock full of Eighties covers, from Vitamin C tackling 'Til Tuesday's "Voices Carry" to Bowling For Soup performing Modern English's "I Melt With You".

While the Nineties gave us some great underground music from the metal, goth, ambient and experimental communities, the mainstream world was generally filled with whiny rock, anemic pop and insipid dance music. It’s funny how a decade of prosperity inspired such underwhelming cookie cutter music. Or perhaps that is the reason why. Thankfully the ’00s — fueled by a strong Eighties flashback mode, including conservative cultural repression — brought back big hooks, colorful looks and the belief that it was okay to be a rock star once more. Even the darker pop and rock tunes from the Eighties seemed larger than life and more dramatic than what followed in the decade that spawned grunge, alternative and electronica. (Many people know I like dark and moody stuff, although I also have a soft spot for party hearty rock from back in the day.)

Naturally Eighties covers became all the rage during the Aughts and allowed many young listeners to be exposed to great songs that came out before they were born. And when done right, these new renditions also brought smiles to the faces of those of us who remember the originals. Following are ten reinvented tunes that made all things Eighties that much more cool during the first decade of the new millennium.



TORI AMOS “Raining Blood” (Slayer) — You have to give Amos points for sheer chutzpah in transforming this aggressive thrash metal classic into an eerie, dissonant piano and vocal composition. And it works. The live version below is slightly heavier and more rhythmic than the studio take. Okay, not exactly the feel good song of the Eighties, but you have to take sinister and intense along with perky and poppy. Complement and contrast, folks.
Compare to the original here.





APOPTYGMA BERZERK “Cambodia” (Kim Wilde) — This Norwegian band took Ms. Wilde’s slow, dreamy song and injected it with synth-rock energy and guitar crunch without losing the original’s melancholic edge. It’s funny that Apop gave an adrenaline boost to a song whose original singer was known for the propulsive pop anthem “Kids In America”.
Compare to the original here.





THE ATARIS “The Boys Of Summer” (Don Henley) — The Ataris’ lone Top 20 hit was an amped-up version of the forlorn Don Henley ballad that turned a nostalgic adult tune into an angst-laden teen rocker without sapping it of its emotional power. It was also one of the first prominent Eighties covers in the Aughts.
Compare to the original here.





CRADLE OF FILTH “Temptation” (Heaven 17) — Leave it up to this black metal battalion to take a bright synthpop number and transform it into a snarling, cheeky, heavy goth track. Then again, isn’t the point of doing a cover to try something different? They certainly did here.
Compare to the original here.





DISTURBED “Land of Confusion” (Genesis) — While they did a good job giving Tears For Fears’ “Shout” a metal makeover, Disturbed’s cover of “Land Of Confusion” upped the ante, not only with its driving energy but good timing — right at the height of the bitter Iraq War debate. Their choice of an animated video is an interesting nod to the original Genesis clip, which featured the political puppetry of Spitting Image.
Compare to the original here.










HIM “Wicked Game” (Chris Isaak) — Although this Finnish band’s thundering rendition of Isaak’s ethereal pop song lacks the subtlety or fluidity of the original, Ville Valo’s crooning and the group’s electric energy imbued it with new life. They’ve actually recorded and remixed this several times between 1995 and 2000, and since HIM didn’t get big in the U.S. until 2005, this one slides onto the list.
Compare to the original here.





IN EXTREMO “This Corrosion” (Sisters Of Mercy) — This was the Sisters’ best song, an 11-minute dance epic with choral vocals, catchy hooks and a driving beat. Then a bunch of crazy Germans turned it into a shorter medieval metal number complete with growled vocals and high-pitched bagpipes. Awesome. The video features a headbanging harpist and fire, fire, fire!
Compare to the original here: Single version and uncut.





GARY JULES and MICHAEL ANDREWS “Mad World” (Tears For Fears) — A lot of young music fans will never have heard Tears For Fears’ dancey original — come to think of it, I hadn’t either before I constructed this list. Jules and Andrews’ gloomy acoustic rendition — a vocal, piano and cello piece recorded for the cult film Donnie Darko — is beguiling and fantastic.
Compare to the original here.





NO DOUBT “It’s My Life” (Talk Talk) — This is a fairly faithful take on the dramatic Talk Talk song, with Gwen Stefani’s sultry vocal stylings supplanting Mark Hollis’ elegant crooning. Part of what sold this rendition (which won a Grammy for its “Thin White Duke” remix by Jacques Lu Cont) was a hip, humorous video, in which femme fatale Stefani offs three lovers (her bandmates) in different ways before going to the gas chamber. Ironically, she departed for a successful solo career, and the band has not released a new album since 2001.
Compare to the original here.





QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE “Never Say Never” (Romeo Void) — It seems apropos that an eclectic hard rock unit like QOTSA would tackle this off-kilter cult song from the early ’80s. Beyond the obvious switch from female to male vocals, this Romeo Void remake enhances the discordant guitars and replaces the saxophone with a kazoo. Nice touch.
Compare to the original here.

Anvil rockin' out in Japan. (Photo credit: Brent J. Craig.)

One of the most talked about movies of the year is Sacha Gervasi’s heartwarming music documentary Anvil! The Story Of Anvil. While the words “heartwarming” and “heavy metal” don’t sound compatible, they lovingly embrace in Gervasi’s exploration of veteran Canadian headbangers Anvil, who have slogged away for over 30 years without getting their due. Until now. The documentary is a cult phenomenon that has attracted high profile fans like Chris Martin, John Mayer and Trent Reznor, and critics have universally acclaimed it as a must-see movie. And that is because of the endearing and enduring relationship between frontman Steve “Lips” Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner, who have struggled to make it since the beginning.

I confess that the only Anvil album I’ve ever owned is Hard ‘N’ Heavy, the group’s over-the-top 1981 debut. As a testosterone-laden teenager, I enjoyed its raucous rumble of blues riffs, thrash intensity and dirty lyrics, but for some reason never scooped up Metal On Metal, Forged In Fire or their later releases. I certainly heard plenty of their tunes on local radio metalshops and through friends, but I was the kind of guy who sampled many different groups without often investing in full catalog purchases. Anvil should have received more attention for being part of the initial thrash movement that included the likes of Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica and Anthrax, but for some reason it didn’t happen.

Anvil! director Sasha Gervasi has plenty to smile about. His movie is a cult hit that will only continue to grow worldwide as it is released in more and more territories. (Photo credit: Brent J. Craig.)

When former Anvil roadie Gervasi decided to document two years of their lives, he was doing so out of admiration and awe, but his film has reached people beyond the metal community because of its compelling tale about hardship, struggle and faith. Even if you hate metal you’ll be touched by the movie. It’s the best gift the band could have gotten from a friend and fan. As the movie has grown in stature, Anvil have opened three stadium shows for AC/DC in the U.S. and Canada. Their latest album This Is Thirteen is being reissued on September on CD and vinyl (the latter with bonus tracks) through VH1 Classic Records, and they have become international celebrities. And Gervasi is still filming them even as he prepares to make an unrelated fictional drama.

ADD recently spoke with Gervasi about the Anvil movie, how it has impacted his life and that of the band and what his next projects are.



There are very few metal magazines left on newsstands in America, but there is an increasing number of metal documentaries. It’s making me wonder if that’s how younger listeners are learning about classic bands these days.
It’s weird, yeah.

On top of various documentaries shown on cable television and released on DVD recently, there have been the theatrical releases of Anvil! The Story Of Anvil and Iron Maiden’s Flight 666…
I don’t know if it’s a trend but there’s certainly more awareness about these movies. I think Flight 666 and Anvil! are very, very different movies. I think one is a concert film and one is a movie, and there is a huge difference between the two.

Did you start the Anvil film as a lark just to see what happened?
Kind of. I don’t know if it was a lark, but it was more that I met Lips again after 20 years and was so blown away by him. He was so compelling in his absolute belief that one day things would happen for Anvil. Of course, on the surface to look at him you’d think he is completely out of his mind. When we started spending time with him, the passion and belief level was so intense…at the beginning of the weekend I thought he was crazy and by Sunday night I was thinking he’s right, Anvil’s going to make it. The winning enthusiasm of the singer was huge in making me realize that there was a movie [there]. Maybe it’s about people who refuse to give up, even though they really should, according to the world, and also exploring the beauty of what it means to have that level of defiance and that level of belief and magical thinking. Cut to a week ago, [with me] standing on the side of the stage in Moncton, New Brunswick, with Anvil blowing away 72,000 fans as they opened for AC/DC in the biggest concert of their lives, in their home country. It’s happening. There you go, it’s a dream coming true.

One of the longest running partnerships in music history: Robb Reiner (l) and Steve "Lips" Kudlow. (Photo credit: Brent J. Craig.)

It’s a strange time for the music industry, with bands making more money touring than selling albums. And you chose an interesting way to promote the film with your “Anvil Experience” screenings.
Anvil is really a touring band. They’re a live act. And specifically in conjunction with the movie, it becomes a really interesting live event. You don’t see a movie, fall in love with the characters, and then they burst out of the screen and play to you, right in the movie theater. That’s not done. I think that’s the really exciting part, that we have this crazy live event. It’s not like at the end of the movie they take off their wigs. That’s who they are. You get emotional about these people, and there they are, right there.

There are painful truths in this movie that resonate with audiences, and even though we’re laughing off some of their dilemmas, we sympathize greatly with Lips and Robb. While so many people seem to be compelled by the stories of American Idol contestants, those singers really haven’t gone through what famous classic rock bands like Aerosmith or Judas Priest or Maiden have. Members of those groups often grew up together, endured tough times together, clashed personally and artistically and evolved because of those experiences. That’s what made them strong and gave them character. And Anvil have gone through more hardship than most bands ever will, don’t you think?
That’s true, and I think that’s why people respect that. Whether you like the band or like the music or don’t, it doesn’t make a difference because it’s ultimately not about that. It’s about their experience and still being together after 36 years and still going for it. That’s pretty exemplary, no matter what field it could be. Lips said they could have been pyramid builders or guys on an oil rig. It’s the same qualities. They’re still here pounding away. I think that’s important and that’s why it’s resonating. It’s really nothing to do with the music. In fact, the music to most people is kind of off-putting. Ironically the people who hate heavy metal the most seem to be the ones who love the movie the most. It’s weird.

The Anvil! DVD will be released on October 6th. (Photo credit: Ross Halfin.)

Are you shooting more material for a follow-up?
Yes. We’ve been filming a lot of stuff. I filmed them at Giants Stadium, and we’ve just been doing a lot of stuff, so who knows what is going to come of that. We don’t know what we’re going to do with all the footage yet, but we’re going to figure it out.

It looks like 2009 is the year of Anvil. Hopefully the success of this movie will allow them to have a stronger touring career in the future?
AC/DC added them to the bill, and they had a great spike in ticket sales. People are interested in the band. If AC/DC is adding them to the bill and the promoters think it’s making a difference, that’s a good sign for Anvil. They’re starting to make money now, so from my point-of-view, it’s mission accomplished. They’re going to have a way longer, more successful career now as a result of the film than they were going to prior to this.

How do their spouses feel about all of this?
They think it’s great. It’s a lot of change, but they’re very proud that they’ve stuck by these guys who stuck with it for so long, and they’re now seeing the results of the hard work. Lips’ wife is excited because there’s a two-page article on Anvil in this month’s Hustler in Canada. She’s like, “Why is my husband in Hustler? Why aren’t I in it?” It’s just funny. They’re having fun with it, I think.

How has this movie changed your life?
Look, it’s been huge for me. Here’s a movie I made completely my way and on my terms, and it’s insane. It’s got a 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. All of that stuff is great for me. People are interested in working with me. People are learning more about know who I am and embracing the movie.

Hervé Villechaize: The subject of Gervasi's next film.

You wrote the screenplay for the Steven Spielberg film The Terminal many years ago. This was an interesting switch.
I still do big studio Hollywood stuff — uncredited rewrites and all sorts of things. I worked briefly on the new Transformers. I wrote the Shia LaBeouf line, “My low self-esteem is at an all-time high.” So I continue to have those experiences. I have a very good day job.

What is the next project for you?
I’m doing the story of Hervé Villechaize. He was Tattoo on Fantasy Island. I interviewed him and a week later he killed himself, so I’m doing the true story of his last week alive. It’s going to be interesting. We’re working it out right now, so it’s all coming together.