Kilroy Was Here (1983 film)

Last updated

Kilroy Was Here
Directed by Brian Gibson
Written by Brian Gibson
Dennis DeYoung (story)
Produced byJerry Kramer
Susan Smitman
Cinematography Stephen Goldblatt
Running time
10 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Kilroy Was Here is a short film made to tie in with the Styx album of the same name. [1] [2] It was played at the beginning of each Styx show on their 1983 tour. It was written and directed by Brian Gibson of Still Crazy , What's Love Got to Do With It , The Josephine Baker Story and Poltergeist II fame.

Contents

The VHS video release of the Kilroy Was Here mini-film and live concert is also known as Caught in the Act in the United States.

Plot

The film tells of a future where rock music is outlawed by a fascist theocratic government and the "MMM (the Majority for Musical Morality)". The story's protagonist, Robert Orin Charles Kilroy, is a former rock star who has been framed for murder and imprisoned by MMM leader Dr. Everett Righteous. In this future society, policing and other peacekeeping duties are maintained by robots; in the prison where Kilroy is kept, "Roboto" humanoid models act as prison guards. [3]

Meanwhile, a young musician/activist, Jonathan Chance, is on a mission to bring rock music back. He is shown leaving a shibboleth graffiti tag, and later comes to the attention of Kilroy when he pirates an MMM video broadcast with a Kilroy video (actually the Styx music video for "Borrowed Time" dubbed over with DeYoung clean shaven). This inspires Kilroy to disable a Roboto, steal its mask as a disguise, and escape prison.

At night, Chance breaks into the Paradise Theatre, the site of the Kilroy concert where an MMM member was allegedly killed by Kilroy. The theater has since been turned into an MMM museum against rock music, filled with animatronic replicas of "decadent" rock stars such as Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, and Kilroy. Still disguised as a Roboto, the real Kilroy emerges from the shadows and reveals himself to Chance. At this point the film ends (when shown in concert, this would segue into the opening song by the band, "Mr. Roboto").

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Styx (band)</span> American rock band

Styx is an American rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1972. They are known for blending melodic hard rock guitar with acoustic guitar, synthesizers mixed with acoustic piano, upbeat tracks with power ballads, and incorporating elements of international musical theatre. The band established themselves with a progressive rock sound during the 1970s, and began to incorporate pop rock and soft rock elements in the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilroy was here</span> Common marking and a meme from World War II

Kilroy was here is a meme that became popular during World War II, typically seen in graffiti. Its origin is debated, but the phrase and the distinctive accompanying doodle became associated with GIs in the 1940s: a bald-headed man with a prominent nose peeking over a wall with his fingers clutching the wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Roboto</span> 1983 single by Styx

"Mr. Roboto" is a song by American rock band Styx, released as the lead single from their eleventh studio album, Kilroy Was Here (1983). It was written by band member Dennis DeYoung. In Canada, it went to #1 on the RPM national singles chart. It entered the US Billboard Hot 100 on 12 February 1983, reaching No. 3 in April.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis DeYoung</span> American rock musician

Dennis DeYoung is an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist. He was a founding member of the rock band Styx and served as its primary lead vocalist and keyboardist from 1972 until 1999. DeYoung was the band's most prolific and successful writer, having been credited as the writer of more Styx songs than any other band member. DeYoung penned seven of the band's eight Billboard top 10 singles as well as a solo top 10 single.

<i>Cornerstone</i> (Styx album) 1979 studio album by Styx

Cornerstone is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Styx, released in 1979. Styx's third straight multi-platinum selling album, Cornerstone was Styx's first album to earn a Grammy nomination, which was for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. Like the four previous Styx albums, the band produced the album themselves. Styx recorded the album at Pumpkin Studios in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

<i>Kilroy Was Here</i> (album) 1983 studio album by Styx

Kilroy Was Here is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band Styx, released on February 22, 1983. A concept album and rock opera about a world where rock music is outlawed, it is named after a famous World War II graffiti tag, "Kilroy was here." It was the last album of original material to be released by the "classic" lineup of Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James "J.Y." Young, John Panozzo, and Chuck Panozzo.

<i>Caught in the Act</i> (Styx album) 1984 live album by Styx

Caught in the Act is a live double album by Styx, released in 1984. It contains one new song, "Music Time," which was released as a single, reaching #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Shaw</span> American musician

Tommy Roland Shaw is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups including Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades as well as releasing several solo albums.

<i>Big Bang Theory</i> (Styx album) 2005 studio album by Styx

Big Bang Theory is the fifteenth studio album and the first covers album by the band Styx, released in 2005. It consists of cover versions of classic rock songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renegade (Styx song)</span> 1979 hit song recorded by the American rock band Styx

"Renegade" is a 1979 hit song recorded by the American rock band Styx on their Pieces of Eight album. Although songwriter Tommy Shaw and fellow Styx guitarist James Young usually played lead guitar on their own compositions, Shaw asked Young if he could take the solo on "Renegade". Young agreed, and Young later returned the favor by allowing Shaw to play lead on his "Half-Penny, Two-Penny" on the Paradise Theatre album. When performed live from 1978 to 1983, drummer John Panozzo increased the tempo of the drum pattern during the guitar solo sections. Also, the track would serve as the drum solo spot for Panozzo during that time frame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babe (Styx song)</span> 1979 single by Styx

"Babe" is a song by the American rock band Styx. It was the lead single from the band's 1979 triple-platinum album Cornerstone. The song was Styx's first, and only, US number-one single, spending two weeks at No. 1 in December 1979, serving as the penultimate number-one single of the 1970s. "Babe" also went to No. 9 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It additionally held the number-one spot for six weeks on the Canadian RPM national singles chart, charting in December 1979 and becoming the opening chart-topper of the 1980s. It was also the band's only UK Top 40 hit, peaking at No. 6. It also reached No. 1 in South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Let It End</span> 1983 single by Styx

"Don't Let It End" is the third track and the second top 10 single on the 1983 album Kilroy Was Here, by Styx. The song is also reprised at the end of the album.

"Snowblind" is a song by Styx that appears on the Paradise Theatre album released in 1981. The song is about the helplessness of cocaine addiction, alternating between slow, brooding verses and a faster, harder-edged chorus, representing the addict's cycle of highs and lows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borrowed Time (Styx song)</span> 1980 single by Styx

"Borrowed Time" is a song written by Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw that was first released on Styx's 1979 album Cornerstone and was also released as the third single from Cornerstone. It peaked at No. 64 on the U.S. chart in April 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Too Much Time on My Hands</span> 1981 single by Styx

"Too Much Time on My Hands" is a song by American rock band Styx, released as the second single from their tenth album Paradise Theatre. It was written and sung by Tommy Shaw, who also plays the lead guitar solo during the break in the song. It was Shaw's only top 10 single as a writer and vocalist with Styx.

"Music Time" is the sole studio track released on the live Styx album, Caught in the Act. It peaked at number 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of June 2, 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Show Me the Way (Styx song)</span> 1990 single by Styx

"Show Me the Way" is a song by American rock band Styx, written by Dennis DeYoung and released as the second single from Edge of the Century. It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1991. The song's music video was directed by Michael Bay.

<i>One with Everything: Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra</i> 2006 live album by Styx

One with Everything is a live album and concert video by the rock band Styx, which was recorded and professionally filmed in Cleveland, Ohio during their 2006 tour. The band played with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, playing a set of 16 songs, including three songs from their 2005 studio album Big Bang Theory. Both an album and a DVD were released, with the Blu-ray Disc on April 29, 2009. As with many of the live releases post-Dennis DeYoung, this album does not contain any Dennis DeYoung penned or sung songs.

ROCK may refer to:

"Heavy Metal Poisoning" is a song by American rock band Styx. It was included as the fifth track on their 1983 studio album Kilroy Was Here.

References

  1. ↑ How 'Kilroy Was Here' Tore Styx Apart, Ultimate Classic Rock and Culture, 18 February 2015, retrieved 4 March 2024
  2. ↑ Friday A/V Club: The Terrible Things That Can Happen When a Pop Act Makes a Movie, Reason, 10 June 2016, retrieved 4 March 2024
  3. 1 2 Holden, Stephen (27 March 1983). "Serious Issues Underlie a New Album From Styx". The New York Times. p. 27. Retrieved 8 January 2020.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.