The Sunset Strip Icons- Rodney Bingenheimer
14:13Rodney Bingenheimer
Rodney Bingenheimer born December 15, 1947, is an American radio disc jockey on the long-running Los Angeles rock station KROQ who is notable for helping numerous iconic bands become successful in the American market.
His contribution to the music business has been described as important.
He developed a reputation for being the first American D.J. to identify new artists and play "edgy new bands" such as Blondie, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, Guns N' Roses, Duran Duran, The Cure, Joan Jett, Hole, Symbol Six, No Doubt, Blur, Nirvana,Sonic Youth, The Bangles, X and many others.
He developed a reputation for being the first American D.J. to identify new artists and play "edgy new bands" such as Blondie, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, Guns N' Roses, Duran Duran, The Cure, Joan Jett, Hole, Symbol Six, No Doubt, Blur, Nirvana,Sonic Youth, The Bangles, X and many others.
He managed a key but now-defunct L.A. nightclub called Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco in the early seventies.
He was the subject of a documentary by late filmmaker George Hickenlooper titled Mayor of the Sunset Strip which told the story of a groupie-turned-kingmaker with a knack for making friends in the music industry.
He was described as a "famous groupie, now respectable" by Mick Jagger and he has numerous high-profile friends.
In 2007, he was honored with the 2,330th star on Hollywood Boulevard.
He was described as a "famous groupie, now respectable" by Mick Jagger and he has numerous high-profile friends.
In 2007, he was honored with the 2,330th star on Hollywood Boulevard.
When Bingenheimer arrived in Los Angeles actor Sal Mineo dubbed him “The Mayor of the Sunset Strip.”
He formed friendships with pop stars of the day such as The Byrds and Sonny & Cher, for whom he was a live-in publicist. In his own words, Bingenheimer “became the talk of the town because I had the perfect Brian Jones ‘do’ (hairstyle).”
He formed friendships with pop stars of the day such as The Byrds and Sonny & Cher, for whom he was a live-in publicist. In his own words, Bingenheimer “became the talk of the town because I had the perfect Brian Jones ‘do’ (hairstyle).”
Bingenheimer worked as an intern at Mercury Records.
He escorted British pop star David Bowie to L.A. hot spots.
He auditioned for the Davy Jones part in the Monkees. While he did not get the part, he dressed like Davy Jones and had a similar haircut, and he later worked as a double or stand-in for Jones in the TV show The Monkees episode "Prince and the Pauper". The Monkees stand-in role was a "break" for Bingenheimer.
He escorted British pop star David Bowie to L.A. hot spots.
He auditioned for the Davy Jones part in the Monkees. While he did not get the part, he dressed like Davy Jones and had a similar haircut, and he later worked as a double or stand-in for Jones in the TV show The Monkees episode "Prince and the Pauper". The Monkees stand-in role was a "break" for Bingenheimer.
In a later interview, Bingenheimer explained how many artists grew to like and trust him because of his sincerity, taste in music, and not being pushy.[Writer Alison Powell in The Guardian wrote that his "sincerity helped him gain the trust of Brian Wilson, the Beatles, even Elvis.
During these years he was photographed near countless celebrities from the worlds of acting and music and Hollywood, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Mick Jagger, Adam Ant, the Beach Boys, and many others, almost like a "real life rock'n'roll Zelig".
During these years he was photographed near countless celebrities from the worlds of acting and music and Hollywood, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Mick Jagger, Adam Ant, the Beach Boys, and many others, almost like a "real life rock'n'roll Zelig".
Appearances
*He was briefly a member of The Chocolate Watch Band and played only one gig at the San Jose State Fair.
*He is shown in the crowd of a 1967 L.A. Love-In in 1968 documentary You Are What You Eat.
*Contributed to Kim Fowley's 1968 album "Good Clean Fun".
*He appeared as an extra in the 1969 musical film Paint Your Wagon.
*Bingenheimer made a brief cameo appearance in the Cheech & Chong film Up in Smoke released in 1978, during the Rock Fight sequence.
*Bingenheimer was seen driving The Ramones’ pink Cadillac in the film Rock 'n' Roll High School and provided the hand clapping in “The Return of Jackie and Judy” on the Phil Spector-produced End of the Century. He also appears in the video for their 1986 song “Something to Believe In”.
*As a token of their appreciation for his promotion of the band, the members of Blondie served as Bingenheimer’s backing band in a limited release single of “Little G.T.O.” credited as “Rodney and the Brunettes”. Bingenheimer drives a 1967 GTO with the license plate LIDL GTO.
*He appeared DJing at KROQ in the documentary "The Unheard Music" about X, the punk band from Los Angeles.
*Bingenheimer had a cameo role (as a nightclub owner) in the Alex Cox film Repo Man (1984).
*Rodney and slides from his English Disco were in Dramarama’s 1991 video for “Haven’t Got a Clue”.
*He was the subject of the documentary film Mayor of the Sunset Strip, directed by George Hickenlooper and produced by Chris Carter.
*Bingenheimer has a booth named after him at Canter's deli in Los Angeles, which was dedicated to him by Nancy Sinatra.
*After years of grassroots support, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce decided to acknowledge his contribution to music and radio with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame which was presented on 9 March 2007.
*This is the 2,330th star awarded, and it is in front of the Knitting Factory nightclub at 7021 Hollywood Blvd. When asked about his star, he said "then people can literally walk all over me" but added, "from down there I can look up girls' dresses."
*Bingenheimer was the voice of the radio DJ in the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon “Krab Borg.”
*Bingenheimer was portrayed by J. P. Manoux in the Darby Crash biopic What We Do Is Secret.
*Bingenheimer was played by Keir O'Donnell in the 2010 biopic The Runaways.
*He was in a film titled Nina Hagen = Punk + Glory in 2002.
Bingenheimer recorded a single titled "I Hate the '90s", and did spoken-word vocals with Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Hole's Eric Erlandson, and cut singles with Lita Ford (Let's Make the Scene) and Blondie with the single "Little GTO".
*Appears in Troma Entertainment's "B.C. Butcher" as himself.
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