Music has always seemed a bit cult-like to me. I was raised as a rock baby through and through—my parents constantly listening to the Stones and Pink Floyd throughout my childhood. Most notably, however, were The Doors. Every single day that my father drove me to school, The Doors were always blasting. They kinda worshiped Jim Morrison and, honestly, same.

While I didn’t particularly enjoy this week’s screening, I did enjoy learning about the relationship of cult movies and music. Detroit Rock City (1999) falls under the first category that our “Cult Cinema and Music” reading breaks down: Rock Movies.

The reading describes these types of films as movies which primarily attract a following due to the cult reputation of the musical artists who feature within the film which was, in our case, KISS. I particularly enjoyed reading about the visual economy of rock.

Lawrence Grossberg has argued that rock itself is a visual form, in that its fans often encounter it through live or mediated performances, or through the visual containers of record sleeves. He also notes how different types of rock fans will often adopt specific dress codes and other stylistic markers.

I find it so interesting that the reading spoke about how different types of rock fans will often adopt specific dress codes. It’s funny how that applies to so many different eras of music—from psychedelic rock to grunge rock to hip-hop.

It was also interesting to read about cult cinema and musicals, considering the fact that one of the most iconic, if not the most, cult movies of all time is a musical—The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1995). I liked that the reading categorized The Sound of Music (1965) as a cult film—after a semester of watching the screenings we’ve had, it’s funny to see how a movie like The Sound of Music can fall under the same category as a film like Pink Flamingos (1972).

Funny enough, most of the music I’ve been listening to lately have been cult soundtracks. I’ve been bumping tunes from movies we’re watched all semester. In fact, I think that I can credit a large chunk of my taste in music to movies in general.

I completely understand the cultural significance of Detroit Rock City in the world of cult films, don’t get me wrong. I just didn’t find the film enjoyable at all. Perhaps it’s because I don’t fall under any of the target market—I don’t like KISS, I don’t know Detroit, and I don’t like boyish-humor filled movies with numerous rape jokes. Also, the boys look more like Big Time Rush than anything (yes, even Edward Furlong).

Perhaps I didn’t like Detroit Rock City because, for me, it wasn’t drenched in nostalgia. To me, this film was a goofy, try-hard comedy with a pretty good soundtrack, but that’s just because I don’t have an emotional connection to so many of the film’s elements. Again, I completely understand the significance of this film—I just don’t get it.