“Michael Bay is the Nickelback of movies.” — Mrs. LeBrain
RECORD STORE TALES MkII: Getting More Tale
#427: I Do Want to Miss This Thing
Blame Michael Bay.
Quite possibly the worst movie director of all time may be responsible for the downfall of Aerosmith. I’m not talking about the “Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)” music video, which he directed. No, that was not the downfall. In fact quality-wise, Nine Lives was a bit of an up-tick from Get A Grip. It’s too bad that sales didn’t match (2 million sold U.S. vs. 7 million U.S.), but that’s the fickle finger of fate. The tastes of the public seldom make a perfect match with hard rock quality.
Since Nine Lives would have been considered a bit of a sales disappointment in some camps, it probably didn’t take Steven Tyler much coercing to do a Diane Warren ballad for a movie soundtrack. Of course, Tyler’s daughter Liv was the headline actress in the flick, so from that standpoint it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for them to work on the same project. Unfortunately for the world, that project was Armageddon. Not quite as bad as a real meteor heading to Earth, this Michael Bay stinker made so much money, that some reports suggest that Bay wallpapered his 43 bedroom mansion entirely in Benjamin Franklins. There’s that problem with the tastes of the masses, again.
So Bay, aided and abetted by Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thorton, and Steve fucking Buscemi, laid this turd of a movie and all it needed was a turd soundtrack. As for what happened next, Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader 2015 desktop calendar* has the answer:
For many fans, this was the beginning of the end of Aerosmith. Some truly dreadful music followed “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”, such as Just Push Play and (ewww) “(It) Feels So Good”. Can Aerosmith be redeemed? I don’t know the answer to that.
What I do know this is, and it’s quite simple.
If Michael Bay didn’t make this damned movie, Aerosmith wouldn’t have had this damned million selling single!
Message to Michael Bay: Stay away from things I like!
* These things are brilliant and I recommend them to anyone who does not have a stunted sense of humour!
It wasn’t the worst film I’ve ever seen (definitely not the best) but I do agree that Aerosmith’s contribution did lose them cred in the rock world. However, as a substitute teacher back then, it did help me connect with the children I taught. I could say I liked Aerosmith and they would say that liked that song. So not a total waste.
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I’m a big fan of hard sci-fi. I have a near-complete collection of Arthur C Clarke fiction and a pretty respectable one of Isaac Asimov. I found Armageddon offensive to my intelligence, having read all that good stuff before. And it made me a little sad because I thought, “People are going to think this stuff is really how it would go, when it’s not at all how hard sci-fi depicts it.” Anyway that’s just nerd-talk for “I didn’t like it”. LOL
Good story on the connection with the students you taught. Every cloud has that silver lining right?
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Yep, had to be a silver lining somewhere.
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Oooft. Yup – that’s a dreadful song. Really pretty dreadful. I remember thinking “what’s this?” when I heard it. Especially after Nine Lives.
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I’m gonna get Nine Lives out this weekend and attempt a review.
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Do it! I used to like that album a whole lot. Kinda miss not having the CD anymore …
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It is done, man :) Completed this morning.
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Hurrah! I’m looking forward to reading!
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This is just pure utter sap!….Blah!
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Yup…and not even good sap. It’s like artificial sweetener sap.
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Always liked the song ‘pearl harbor sucked…and I miss you’ from Team America. “Why does Michael Bay get to keep on making movies?”
I’ll give him the Rock though!
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Oh and well said Mrs. LeBrain!
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She thanks you sir!
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Here is the song for those who don’t know!
I liked this song and the others so much that I bought the soundtrack CD. I don’t know if it came out in the summer, but would you like me to do a review?
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Would I like you to do a Team America soundtrack review?
To modify the title track, LeBrain review, F*** Yeah!
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Shite film, and shite song. Shite shite shite.
But Team America, now THAT was hilarious.
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Especially the song “Training Montage”
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For your edification:
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I love Jaded off of Just Push Play though…always will…
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OK, but Jaded aside…that’s the only real good song on it.
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fair enough
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Get a Grip is where I got off the Aerotrain. I just felt really embarrassed that Id liked them so much after this one.
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I think Aerosmith began to have terrible power ballads as early as Permanent Vacation, but Miss a Thing surely is their suckiness peak in that regard.
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I am proud to say I have never ever watched Armageddon…I have had the displeasure of listening to the Aerosmith song, however!
I don’t see Tyler recovering any time soon, especially after he laid a juicy turd on American Idol…
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TYler’s done — put a fork in him!
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Too late, Michael Bay and Transformers are now intertwined forever, although it looks like the newer stuff doesn’t won’t him
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