Rock That Rolls

ROCK THAT ROLLS

"Rock 'n' roll is what you listen to and cars are what you look at and they’re rock that rolls," Bob Merlis.

Next to love, heartache and sex, cars have been the most popular subject for rock 'n' rollers since the first Rock record was released.  In fact, the first rock ‘n' roll song was the 1951 hit, “Rocket 88”, a song about the virtues of a V8 powered Oldsmobile. 

Ever since this song rocked the airwaves, music has provided the soundtrack for teen life as kids cruised the boulevards, staked out the drive-ins and steamed up the windows of their hot rods and jalopies.  "It’s all about getting chicks and rock 'n' roll, and, cars is all about getting chicks," according to Guitar Center's Dave Weiderman.

Inside their cars, away from the watchful eyes of parents, teens were free to taste the forbidden fruit of the sexually charged music of blues, R&B, Bee Bop and the early strains of rock 'n' roll, in Jazz lingo a term for sex.  "The whole phrase, rock 'n' roll, was about having sex in the back of the car," explained David Bowie's former guitar player, Reeves Gabriel.

According to music publicist and car buff, Bob Merlis, "It’s always about hormones.  You know kids want to go out and cruise and you've got to have a car to do it, and while you’re 'doing it', you’re turning on the radio."

The freedom of the open road laced with music pouring out of tinny car radio speakers intoxicated and inspired fledgling rock artists to pick up guitars and spill their souls onto vinyl. "Musicians came up with car songs because it was a way to have unbridled love and not be embarrassed about it," said Merlis.

Through interviews, music clips and original footage of the scenes their songs evoke, we’ll trace the influence cars and rock had on many of today’s top artists.  We’ll chronicle hot rod hits by ZZ Top, Chuck Berry, Brian Setzer and the Hip Hop artists whose music is filled with car themes.  We’ll find out how these artists found "paradise by the dashboard light."  Van Halen's Michael Anthony sees the connection,  "I think rock ‘n roll and cars, it’s just kind of a fast lifestyle.  It’s very free, very open, very fast and it’s this little thing in everybody that just wants to get out."

We’ll see how this burning desire to "get out" on the open road created music that inspired the youthquake, launching the Boomers, the Gen X’rs and today’s car addicted Fast and Furious fans.

When they weren’t singing about cars, rock stars were dreaming about them. Cars became a status symbol for musicians who celebrated their first hits with the purchase of the finest rides money could buy.  They all had favorites.  Elvis Presley, like many others, loved Cadillacs.  The Beach Boys chose little Deuce Coupes, and ZZ Top created custom Hot Rods. Gilby Clark of Guns 'n' Roses summed it up.  "These are our toys.  These are things that, since we were little boys we’ve admired, cars, guitars and all that."

Today, cars continue to inspire musicians and their fans.  With the advent of music videos, groups could display their custom rides for the world to see.  Rap and rock videos were quickly filled with images of hot rods, Ferraris, Bentleys, huge menacing Cadillac Escalades, Hummers, Rolls Royces and low riders. 

Young fans are in a decibel battle on the streets of every city today. They're outfitting their cars with monster sound systems that announce their arrival with the deafening beat of their favorite cruising music.  And, once again, parents just don’t understand.  

This documentary special will connect car culture and the music it inspires though artists like Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Dean Torrance of Jan and Dean, The Beach Boys, Mitch Ryder, the Go Go's, Jimmy Vaughn, ZZ Top, Van Halen and Coolio as well as new musicians like Smash Mouth and Rob Zombie whose videos celebrate the hot rod heritage in rock 'n' roll.

In the end it all comes down to what Gilby Clark told us, "It's rock that rolls, man.  This is what it’s all about, fast cars, fast guitars.