A Truly RAD Premiere: Michael Des Barres Remembers ‘Rock Against Drugs’ in Exclusive Film Excerpt
The new rockumentary Michael Des Barres: Who Do You Want Me to Be?, directed by J. Elvis Weinstein of Mystery Science Theater 3000/Freaks and Geeks fame, is a fascinating character study of an undersung, under-the-radar rocker and thespian. From his acting gigs (playing everything from a student in To Sir, With Love to MacGyver villain Murdoc); to his bands Silverhead, Detective (signed to Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song label), and Chequered Past (featuring the Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones, Blondie’s Clem Burke and Nigel Harrison, and Tony Sales); to his gig fronting the Power Station at Live Aid; to his brush with the Top 40 co-penning Animotion’s “Obsession”; to his fabled marriage to “Queen of the Groupies” Pamela Des Barres… well, Michael Des Barres is a Zelig-like figure who has truly done and seen it all. And Who Do You Want Me to Be?, which takes its title from the Animotion hit, covers it all, in-depth and with great cheeky humor.
Sober since 1981 after a long struggle with addiction, Michael Des Barres founded Rock Against Drugs (RAD) in the late'80s, recruiting various rock-star pals, including Jones, for one of the most successful PSA campaigns of all time. But even this serious subject has a comedic side in Who Do You Want Me to Be?, as evidenced by this fun exclusive clip, premiering here on Yahoo Music.
Check out the rad RAD story above; see some unarchived Rock Against Drugs PSAs below; and visit www.mdbmovie.com for more information about the film starring what Weinstein calls “the most famous person you’ve never heard of.”
Get Michael Des Barres’s new album The Key to the Universe
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