I have to say, I am a byproduct in part of the '70s and '80s. I was there, I lived it as a music fan, band manager, and musician. In 1988, according to Poll Star and Performance Magazine, I managed a band that had the top grossing show in North America in Theaters 2,500 and under, the Judds were #2, and The Blue Oyster Cult was #3. We also had three of the top ten shows in Clubs 800 and under, the largest of all markets. The Rob Cassels Band, (AKA Rob Castles) competed with such mega groups as The Alarm, Poison, and others in this market. Why do I mention these things?

Rock of Ages, starring an ensemble cast including Tom Cruise, is a movie about the '80s and the desire, through the craziness of one's surroundings, to find oneself. In that regard, I think I am uniquely qualified to comment on this movie. To screen this movie I sat down with my wife to watch it. She thought it was okay, but she is more of a folk music gal. As a guy who lived this life, I absolutely loved it and found myself singing along to virtually every song in the movie. That was one heck of a lot of songs, because this movie is loaded with the music I loved and experienced while living through this time. I think I have seen almost every song in the movie played live by the original bands. Some of the bands I either met, worked with, or on a couple of occasions, helped promote in one way or another. Like I said, I am a little more than qualified to comment.

Rock of Ages starts off with a small town girl, Sherrie Christian played by Julianne Hough (known for her dancing on Dancing With The Stars) as well as for numerous rumored affairs and the reality that she is a pretty decent country singer). Sherrie is a small town girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma, seeking notoriety and to move into the music world; she is also searching for her own dreams and her identity.

Unfortunately, this is one of the only areas of weakness for the movie. The character is from Tulsa, a well-known area for music;Country Music above all, but many a rock legend has also come out of the Tulsa area. As one familiar with the music industry, for me, this was a lapse in authenticity. In real life, most locals in the music industry will get their start in the Tulsa area. Of course this isn't about real life, it is a movie that recognizes the absurdity of the era and has no reservation in making fun of that era in a respectful and fun way. It is just a bit of research I would have rather the movie recognized.

Sherrie's journey takes here to the Sunset Strip in the Los Angeles Hollywood area, where she meets Drew Boley (played by relative unknown Diego Boneta). Drew works at The Bourbon Room on the Sunset Strip. This area was historically notorious for their role in influencing the music scene in America in the 1980s. It is here that Sherrie starts her own journey in her self discovery, but in her journey others are also involved. They live in a world based on fun, excess, and above all, partying. There are also those who resist influence of the rock n' roll culture on their own perfect little worlds. We see this especially in the role played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, as Patricia Whitmore, the wife of the city's mayor. She is a religious fanatic who seeks to use her religion as a means of stopping the long-haired, drug using, life enjoying rock'n'rollers.

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