‘Rock ‘N’ Roll High School’ Turns 40
August 24, 1979. The Ramones go back to school and become movie stars in the process.
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School was by no means a cinematic achievement; Wikipedia sums up the plot of the film in a tight two paragraphs. But it sure was fun, with Halloween vet P.J. Soles as the Ramones-obsessed Riff Randell, rallying her rock-loving classmates, pissing off her uptight principal, and palling around with the prominently-featured Ramones.
To celebrate the movie’s 40th anniversary, Consequence of Sound rounded up director Allan Arkush and screenwriter Joseph McBride for a bit of an oral history, which you can read here. Revisit the soundtrack here, complete with cuts from Alice Cooper, Devo, and Brian Eno. I shared some of my favorite clips below. Hey ho, let’s go!