In my July 23 post, I mentioned the influence that Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth had on its star, David Bowie. Today, I'd like to discuss the influence that Robert Benton's film, Bad Company (1972), had on the group of the same name. Obviously the film so inspired the singer, Paul Rodgers, that the first album, its best song, and the group itself were all named for it. (I believe that Public Image Ltd. and Wilco are the only two other groups to have accomplished the song, album, name trifecta, but there may be others.) The film is about draft dodgers - from the Civil War, not Vietnam - and their misadventures on the frontier. Now, it could be argued that film has always had a large effect on rock and roll - Elvis Presley could recite Rebel Without a Cause from memory, for example - but this case is a particularly explicit one. The film's story and characters seem to have provided the band with the personae that they have used, in both songs and performance, from their prime in the seventies to this day.

Some might say that this is a form of dishonesty, and that they prefer performers to be more "real" with themselves and their audience - the confessional approach, it used to be called - and they might have an argument. But it eventually comes down to the fiction vs. non-fiction debates that readers have occasionally. Yes, fiction is not "the truth", but when it influences someone so deeply that it gives them direction and purpose in life - as is the case with the many scientists whose interests and careers began from reading science fiction novels - what could be more real than that? (Incidentally, Bad Company's two leaders are Rodgers, formerly of Free, and Mick Ralphs, formerly of Mott the Hoople. They've made some very strong hard rock albums, particularly early on, that stand up well today. Rodgers, as a singer, is considered one of the best rock has produced, and Ralphs is a thoughtful, less-is-more rock guitarist. Suggested listening: Run with the Pack from 1976.)