It’s Finally Here: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains on DVD

Posted in Feminism, Movies, Music, Retrovirus, Reviews |

By Noreen Sobczyk

Misfit youths who happened to catch a late night airing of Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains have been rubbing their magic lamps for years, fully willing to trade one wish for a good quality copy of this film. Now the wait is over, thanks to the folks at Rhino who’ve released it as the debut title in their Rock ‘N’ Roll Cinema Series.

Rocky Horror Picture Show producer and music business veteran Lou Adler directed this unique film in 1981. The movie managed to satisfy fans of new wave and punk with its story of two edgy bands on the road, but it also succeeded as an insightful and clever critique of the music business, and stardom itself. It truly became a cult phenomenon, and throughout the past twenty-plus years, fans got excited just meeting another person who had seen it. A hardcore group of people made a lot of fuss about a movie that never even had a wide release. So what’s the buzz?

Diane Lane as Corinne

Diane Lane stars as the rebellious orphan Corinne “Third Degree” Burns and Marin Kanter and Laura Dern play her sister and cousin, respectively. They live in a dreary dead end town and Corinne decides that music is the way for the trio to escape its limitations. Her idea is to spread “rock and roll and the truth.” A local television station happens to film her during an angry outburst at work (“This town died years ago!”) and airs it along with a follow-up interview wherein Corinne declares herself lead singer and manager of The Stains (never mind that they don’t play any instruments).

Via Corinne’s attendance at a concert we are introduced to two bands representing different musical styles and attitudes. Opening the show is punk band The Looters, played by iconic punk rock musicians Paul Simonon (The Clash), Paul Cook, and Steve Jones (both from the Sex Pistols). Ray Winstone (who appeared in Quadrophenia) plays their lead singer Billy. Corinne is entranced as they perform their song “Join the Professionals” (by Jones’ and Cook’s real life band The Professionals). Backstage, Corinne tries to get advice from Billy, but he dismisses her in favor of a groupie. The rag tag tour headliner, The Metal Corpses, and their singer (a cokehead living off his recycled hit, played to perfection by The Tubes’ singer Fee Waybill) represent everything Billy hates. It’s a macho power struggle between new and old, and this foreshadows the feelings of future fans of The Stains (“Watch it you old fart.”) This tension is also reflected between the condescending older male anchorman and his younger ambitious female co-host who launch The Stains into the surrounding area’s living rooms.

Ray Winstone as Billy

The first gig collapses as the girls struggle through the somewhat Shaggs-like song “Waste of Time.” In reaction to audience disdain, Corinne snatches off her beret to reveal a skunk-like hairdo. She tells a lady in the front row (who has lip gloss so thick it looks like she was sucking on a pork chop) that she’s “just another girl lining up to die.” Dropping her overcoat she reveals a new see-through blouse and an outlandish red, black, and white look. She spits out the classic line, “I’m perfect, but no one in this shit hole gets me, ’cause I don’t put out.” This starts a chain reaction with a few audience converts.

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