Richard "Rich" Wilkes (born 1966) is an American filmmaker and musician. His work is noted for its rooting in contemporary music and youth culture.
Richard "Rich" Wilkes (born 1966) is an American filmmaker and musician. His work is noted for its rooting in contemporary music and youth culture.
Wilkes' major-studio debut was as screenwriter of the 1994 film Airheads . The story revolves around a group of loser musicians called The Lone Rangers who take a radio station hostage to get their song played on the radio. Airheads was directed by Michael Lehmann and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
This was followed by a co-writer credit (alongside director James Melkonian) for the 1994 comedy The Stoned Age , set in the stoner subculture of Southern California during the 1970s.
The same writing and directing team then collaborated with The Jerky Boys to create the 1995 production The Jerky Boys: The Movie , featuring the eponymous comedians (self-described as "low-lifes from Queens") as New York City youths who get into trouble with the Mafia when one of their prank calls leads them into a money laundering business.
Wilkes is credited as the sole screenwriter for the 2002 action-adventure film XXX and has a "based on characters created by" credit for the XXX film series.
Wilkes co-wrote the Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt , based on the New York Times bestselling book by Neil Strauss and Mötley Crüe. The film took 17 years to get made. David Fincher was initially attached to direct in 2004, followed by Larry Charles in 2008.
In 1995, Wilkes debuted as a director with Glory Daze , a semi-autobiographical tale based on his experiences as a student at the University of California, Santa Cruz. [1]
Wilkes has also appeared as an actor in the majority of his productions, primarily in minor roles. He has also appeared as himself in several documentaries, including the 1998 production Independent's Day, 2003's The Blockbuster Imperative and 2006's Punk Like Me.
Wilkes was the lead singer of the "world's original punk rock mariachi band" Carne Asada. The band was put together as a prank to get on the Vans Warped Tour. The story of Carne Asada was told in the award winning music documentary Punk Like Me.
Wilkes was born in Princeton, New Jersey. He attended El Camino High School in Oceanside, California. He obtained a BA from the University of California, Santa Cruz, then studied screenwriting at the American Film Institute.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Bulletproof 2 | Co-Writer and Story by | |
| 2019 | The Dirt | Co-Writer | |
| 2017 | XXX: Return of Xander Cage | Writer (characters) | |
| 2013 | XXX (short) | Writer (characters) | |
| 2008 | Art House, Vol. 1: Basic Shapes and Animals | Executive Producer | |
| 2006 | Punk Like Me | Self, Rico Suave | Actor, Writer, Executive Producer |
| 2005 | XXX: State of the Union | Writer (characters) | |
| 2003 | Men of Action (short) | The Director | Actor |
| 2002 | XXX | Tall Guy | Creator, Writer, Actor |
| 1995 | Glory Daze | Writer, Director | |
| The Jerky Boys: The Movie | Co-Writer | ||
| 1994 | The Stoned Age | Co-Writer, Actor | |
| Airheads | Corduroy Rocker | Writer, Actor | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Vegas Dick (pilot) | Writer, Executive Producer | |
| 2001 | Beer Money (movie) | Nick the Hollywood Snake | Writer, Actor, Executive Producer |
| 1999 | Fear of a Punk Planet (series) | Director (pilot) | |
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sold over 100 million albums worldwide. They have also achieved seven platinum or multi-platinum certifications, nine Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, twenty-two Top 40 mainstream rock hits, and six Top 20 pop singles.
The Jerky Boys are an American comedy act from Queens, New York City, New York, whose routine consists of prank telephone calls and other related skits. The duo was founded in 1989 by childhood friends Johnny Brennan and Kamal Ahmed. After Ahmed left the act in 2000, the Jerky Boys continued on as a solo act featuring only Brennan, before going on a 19-year hiatus after the 2001 release of the franchise's penultimate album, The Jerky Tapes. Brennan released a follow-up album of new material in November 2020.
The Jerky Boys: The Movie, also known as The Jerky Boys, is a 1995 American crime/comedy film starring Johnny Brennan and Kamal Ahmed, best known as the comedy duo the Jerky Boys.
Kamal Ahmed, usually called Kamal, is an American director, comedian, and former member of prank phone calling comedy group The Jerky Boys.
Nikki Sixx is an American musician, best known as the co-founder, bassist, and primary songwriter of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, being the only member to remain throughout their entire history. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister bandmate Lizzie Grey. In 2000, he formed side project group 58 with Dave Darling, Steve Gibb and Bucket Baker, issuing one album, Diet for a New America. Also in 2002, he formed the hard rock supergroup Brides of Destruction with L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns. Formed in 2006, initially to record an audio accompaniment to Sixx's autobiography The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star, his side band Sixx:A.M. featured songwriter, producer, and vocalist James Michael and guitarist DJ Ashba.
Chris Moore is an American film producer and director who has worked in the industry since the 1990s. Moore's first film was Glory Daze (1995), followed by successes Good Will Hunting (1997) and American Pie (1999). In addition to producing films throughout the 2000s and 2010s, he has also produced television such as the first three seasons of Project Greenlight. He has directed two films, Kill Theory and The People Speak, both released in 2009.
Nicholas Charles Dingley, better known by his stage name Razzle, was an English musician, who was the drummer of the Finnish glam rock band Hanoi Rocks from 1982 until his death.
Airheads is a 1994 American crime comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann and written by Rich Wilkes. It stars Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, and Adam Sandler as the members of a struggling rock band who hijack a Los Angeles radio station in order to get their demo aired. The supporting cast includes Chris Farley, Michael McKean, Judd Nelson, Michael Richards, Joe Mantegna, Ernie Hudson, Amy Locane, Nina Siemaszko, Marshall Bell, Reg E. Cathey, and David Arquette.
Joshua Todd is an American singer. He is the frontman and last remaining original member of hard rock band Buckcherry.
Robert Jens Rock is a Canadian record producer, sound engineer and musician, best known for producing rock bands and music artists such as Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, the Tragically Hip, the Cult, 311, Our Lady Peace, Bryan Adams, the Offspring, Michael Bublé, Black Veil Brides, David Lee Roth, and Ron Sexsmith.
Jeff Tremaine is an American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for co-creating the MTV reality stunt show Jackass with Spike Jonze and Johnny Knoxville.
Generation Swine is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe, released on June 24, 1997. The album marks the return of lead singer Vince Neil following his last appearance on 1991's Decade of Decadence and the last to feature drummer Tommy Lee until the 2008 album Saints of Los Angeles. It is also the band's last album to be released on Elektra Records. The album's name as well as the title track is derived from Generation of Swine by Hunter S. Thompson.
Glory Daze is a 1995 American independent comedy film written and directed by Rich Wilkes and starring Ben Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Megan Ward, and French Stewart. It also features John Rhys-Davies, Alyssa Milano, and Spalding Gray in supporting roles. The plot concerns five college housemates in Santa Cruz, California who are facing graduation and make an attempt to prolong their carefree lifestyle before going their separate ways. Matthew McConaughey, Meredith Salenger, Matt Damon, Brendan Fraser, and Leah Remini all appear in minor roles. Music for the film was composed and selected by members of the punk rock band The Vandals, and the soundtrack features several punk rock bands of the era.
Samantha Maloney is an American musician best known for playing in the bands Hole and Mötley Crüe. She has also performed live with Eagles of Death Metal and Peaches.
"Smokin' in the Boys Room" is a song originally recorded by Brownsville Station in 1973 on their album Yeah!. It reached number 3 in Canada and on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was later certified by the RIAA.
Wayne Isham is an American film director and music video director who has directed films and music videos of many popular artists.
Dirty Penny was an American glam metal band from Santa Cruz, California, United States. Their music is identified as glam or sleaze metal, with their influences being Mötley Crüe, AC/DC, Skid Row, Judas Priest, Poison, and Guns N' Roses. Dirty Penny has currently released two albums, Take it Sleezy (2007), and Young & Reckless, released on September 17, 2009.
Seann Scott is a rock/metal drummer who has played in various bands, and continues to be active in multiple current acts.
The Dirt is a 2019 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Jeff Tremaine from a screenplay by Rich Wilkes and Amanda Adelson, about heavy metal/glam metal band Mötley Crüe. The film stars Douglas Booth, Colson Baker, Daniel Webber and Iwan Rheon.
