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Led Zeppelin Question

soupcan Feb 28 2006 10:42 PM

I've been asking this question for 20 some odd years and no one has been able to answer it to my satisfaction. Maybe one of you geniuses here can finally enlighten me. In the movie 'Fast Times At Ridgemont High' before Mark Ratner takes Stacy out on their first date, Damone advises Mark to make certain that when make-out time comes to have the first side of Led Zeppelin IV playing. Now that's not necessarily what I would pick but since it includes 'The Battle of Evermore' and 'Stairway To Heaven' I guess it could work. Cut to the next scene - Mark and Stacy are in Mark's car driving to the restaurant....playing on the car stereo is 'Kashmir'. 'Kashmir' as we all know is not on IV but on (I think) the second side of the first album of Physical Graffiti. So what's the joke? Is it that Mark Ratner didn't have IV and figured Zeppelin is Zeppelin, the joke being that he picked the worst possible Zep make-out song? Or is it simply that Zep is not a great 'make-out song' band - that being the joke - and the director just got the references wrong? I always thought the former but it seemed so oddly subtle if that was the case. Any opinions?

KC Feb 28 2006 10:50 PM

Scary that I know exactly what you're talking about. I always thought it was just a way to make him look dumb(er).

soupcan Feb 28 2006 11:01 PM

Of course you know exactly what the scene is - we all do - that's part of what makes this so maddening for me. Everyone knows WHAT I'm talking about but no one ever thought about it. Either they didn't catch the error or didn't think enough about it. It's always bugged me. Couple of months ago I read that Jennifer Jason Leigh married this director guy, Noah Baumbach. Years ago I met this guy Noah in a bar - he was dating a friend of my now wife then girlfriend. When I read he married Jennifer Jason Leigh my first thought was 'Hmmm, now that I kinda sorta could maybe get to 'Stacy' maybe I could ask her that question!' How wrong and just plain stupid is that and yet that was my first freakin' thought!

Johnny Dickshot Feb 28 2006 11:01 PM

There's prolly a great story they tell about it, but maybe they just couldn't get the rights. IIRC, it was actually a low-budget film. I haven't seen the flick in ages.

soupcan Feb 28 2006 11:10 PM

But they played 'Kashmir'! They got the rights to that! As to low budget - I don't think so. Granted that the people who were in the movie weren't stars yet but it was not a low budget flick. Ever realize who is in that movie? Besides the obvious Sean Penn (still the best role of his career), Judge Rhienhold, Phoebe Cates and Jennifer Jason Leigh. There was Forrest Whitaker, Eric Stoltz, Nicolas Cage (credited as 'Nicolas Coppola'), Anthony Edwards, Taylor Negron ('Pizza Guy'). Great movie.

Methead Mar 01 2006 09:35 AM

Easily one of my favorite movies of all time. It would be in the top ten if I had such a list. I always thought Kashmir just made a better choice for the film... highlighting Ratner's ineptness, for one thing. I think it makes the movie funnier. I mean, try to imagine that scene with a few seconds of Black Dog or Battle of Evermore. Plus, it's a better makeout song than Black Dog anyway. Phoebe Cates was in that movie?

Methead Mar 01 2006 09:38 AM

Of course, Damone is the guy who suggests Led Zeppelin IV as a makeout album... and he's not exactly the smoothest operator with the ladies. Maybe he just doesn't know what he's talking about. He could have suggested Barry White or something.

Willets Point Mar 01 2006 09:41 AM

]Phoebe Cates was in that movie? Phoebe Cates was topless in that movie in Judge Reinhold's mastabatory fantasy.

Methead Mar 01 2006 09:47 AM

Yeah, I was just playing. I might have a little TV screen mounted in my tombstone, and request that scene be played on an endless loop.

Johnny Dickshot Mar 01 2006 09:50 AM

Willets Point wrote: ]Phoebe Cates was in that movie? Phoebe Cates was topless in that movie in Judge Reinhold's mastabatory fantasy. That's funny. It was mine too. Hijack: Anyone see Judge Rheinhold play "Judge Judge Rheinhold" on Arrested Development? Holy shit that was funny.

soupcan Mar 01 2006 09:54 AM

Methead wrote: I always thought Kashmir just made a better choice for the film... highlighting Ratner's ineptness, for one thing. I think it makes the movie funnier. I mean, try to imagine that scene with a few seconds of Black Dog or Battle of Evermore. Plus, it's a better makeout song than Black Dog anyway. That's fine and all but then why not have Damone just say 'Play the second side of Physical Graffiti'? I think only a real Zep fan would notice that it wasn't IV that Ratner was playing hence 85% of the audience would miss the joke (if THAT was the joke) Maddening is what it is. Methead wrote: Yeah, I was just playing. I might have a little TV screen mounted in my tombstone, and request that scene be played on an endless loop. You bastard! You stole my idea!

KC Mar 01 2006 09:57 AM

People on 'ludes should not drive.

soupcan Mar 01 2006 09:58 AM

"My dad's a TV repairman, he's got an awesome set of tools in the garage. I can fix it."

Johnny Dickshot Mar 01 2006 10:03 AM

"You're that dude from All-American Burger!" For some reason that line always struck me as the one of the funniest in the whole flick.

Methead Mar 01 2006 10:06 AM

Hear that? That's my SKULL!

soupcan Mar 01 2006 11:12 AM

"All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine."

TheOldMole Mar 02 2006 12:01 PM

And don't forget Ray Walston.

Methead Mar 02 2006 12:16 PM

Aloha.

Johnny Dickshot Mar 05 2006 10:31 AM

Rented the "director's commentary" DVD last night. According to director Amy Heckerling and writer Cameron Crowe, they weren't able to get the rights to LZ IV, so they used Kashmir and agreed that ultimately it was better because it illustrated Rat's cluelessness and sounded "ominous" and not sexy. They were certainly aware Led Zep fans would notice.

soupcan Mar 06 2006 09:49 AM

Thank You Mr. Dickshot. Now I can die in peace. So the original joke was Damone thinking Zep was a good make out band and then they figured the better joke was having Ratner get it wrong. It makes me wonder though why they could get 'Kashmir' and couldn't get Led Zep IV.

Johnny Dickshot Mar 06 2006 05:19 PM

Something to do with legal blah blah blah... and the fact that Zep music was especially hard for any movie to get, but that since Crowe was one of the few critics that didn't hate Zeppelin, his relationships allowed it. For the most part, btw, their commentary is a boring, 90-minute homage to Sean Penn's magnificent powers. Wasn't a lot of insight they added other than congratulating themselves on making it. So, just watch the ,movie. I see where Mr, Vargas checked out this year. I musta missed that.

Methead Mar 06 2006 05:53 PM

Yeah, I missed that too. When he showed up in the Oscars montage, I was surprised. Died just a few months ago... the day after Christmas, apparently.