Stephan Jenkins, Jeff Pilson Talk About Being Rock Stars

Aug 14, 2001, 9:20 am PT

 

Steel Dragon

For the co-stars of the upcoming Mark Wahlberg/Jennifer Aniston film, Rock Star, snorting cocaine, drinking beer, and rocking out was child's play.

"For me, it was another day at the park," says Zakk Wylde, who appears in the film as a member of the faux '80s metal band, Steel Dragon, which also features Dokken's Jeff Pilson, Jason Bonham, and Wahlberg.

"Firing shotguns, drinking beer, playing guitar and doing whatever I wanted to do -- it wasn't much of a stretch," he continues. "I do music videos and it's the same shit. If you got lines in a movie, you just say your lines and be yourself."

Pilson agrees: "There's a scene on the tour bus where I'm snorting cocaine off a girl's breasts. Boy, did I have to summon my thespian talents for that scene."

The film, due Sept. 7, is based on the true-life story of Ripper Owens, who sang in a Judas Priest cover band before replacing Rob Halford as lead singer of the famed metal group. Wahlberg plays the role of the singer in the tribute band, Blood Pollution, who ends up the frontman for the band he's paying tribute to, Steel Dragon. Aniston plays his girlfriend.

  Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind appears in the film as the new singer for Blood Pollution, which also features the Verve Pipe's Brian Vander Ark, Slaughter's Blas Elias, and Black Label Society's Nick Catanese.

"I walk in, tear up all of Mark's flyers, attack Jennifer Aniston, and we fight in a parking lot," says Jenkins of his role. "It was a ball, I loved it -- except for the wig. Burn that thing. They take these pins and they bolt it to your head. It doesn't shake off. The shooting day is 12 hours and you can't get high enough on Vicodin to make the pain stop."

Vander Ark says his first movie shoot was uncomfortable for different reasons. "Being put in that place in the '80s, it was not what I was trying to do at the time," he says. "And I remember it was so frustrating because these bands were huge and it was all about the silly lyrics, the big hair, the parties, the massive album sales, and the radio play."

Vander Ark also contributes a new Verve Pipe song, "Colorful," to the film's soundtrack, which is due Aug. 28 on Marilyn Manson's Posthuman/Priority Records label. "Colorful" is also on the Verve Pipe's next album, Underneath, which is due Sept. 25 on RCA Records. For the soundtrack, Steel Dragon includes Wylde (lead guitar), Bonham (drums), Pilson (bass), Catonese (guitar), Yngwie Malmstein singer Jeff Scott Soto, and former Steel Heart singer Mike Matijevic. Sammy Hagar and Marilyn Manson's Twiggy Ramirez wrote "Stand Up" and "Blood Pollution," respectively.

The Rock Star track listing is as follows:

1. Everclear, "Rock Star" (first single and video)
2. Steel Dragon, "Livin' the Life"
3. Motley Crue, "Wild Side"
4. Steel Dragon, "We All Die Young"
5. Steel Dragon, "Blood Pollution"
6. Bon Jovi, "Livin' on a Prayer"
7. Steel Dragon, "Stand Up"
8. Ted Nugent, "Stranglehold"
9. Steel Dragon, "Wasted Generation"
10. Kiss, "Lick It Up"
11. Steel Dragon, "Long Live Rock & Roll"
12. INXS, "Devil Inside"
13. Verve Pipe, "Colorful"
14. Trevor Rabin, "Gotta Have It"

-- Corey Levitan