History Film / VelvetGoldmine

A 1998 film by Creator/ToddHaynes about a bisexual pop star and his meteoric rise to fame during the GlamRock movement of the 1970s. It's [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial absolutely not]] [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed about]] Music/DavidBowie. The film centers on Brian Slade (Creator/JonathanRhysMeyers), whose outer-space alter ego, [[CaptainErsatz Maxwell Demon]], is in no way Ziggy Stardust. His band, the Venus in Furs, are most definitely not the Spiders from Mars. Throughout his life, Slade falls in love with a series of people who in no way resemble Angie Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Mick Jagger or Brian Eno.

* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: Oscar Wilde was an orphan from the stars...right.

* {{Expy}}: Slade is Bowie, Curt Wild is Iggy Pop (with a dash of Mick Jagger and [[Music/VelvetUnderground Lou Reed]]), Jack Fairy is Brian Eno and Marc Bolan, and The Venus in Furs are The Spiders From Mars.

** Ewan Mcgregor plays a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed-version of Music/IggyPop / Music/LouReed / Music/MickJagger. Apparently people from Michigan have the tendency to sound like Creator/{{Sean Connery}}.

** Half the quotes in the movie are directly from said people, eg, what Mandy says re: Wild and Slade together in bed is a direct quote from Angie; Slade's first question to Mandy is something Bowie said; and everything that sounds just a little apropos of nothing is probably an Oscar Wilde quote or paraphrase.

* WordOfSaintPaul: Ewan McGregor has [[https://twitter.com/mcgregor_ewan/status/637666494487379968 speculated]] on Curt and Arthur's fate after the ending of the film

A 1998 film by Creator/ToddHaynes about a bisexual pop star and his meteoric rise to fame during the GlamRock movement of the 1970s. It's [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial absolutely not]] [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed about]] DavidBowie. The film centers on Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), whose outer-space alter ego, [[CaptainErsatz Maxwell Demon]], is in no way Ziggy Stardust. His band, the Venus in Furs, are most definitely not the Spiders from Mars. Throughout his life, Slade falls in love with a series of people who in no way resemble Angie Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Mick Jagger or Brian Eno.

* {{Expy}}: Slade is Bowie, Curt Wild is Iggy Pop and Mick Jagger (with a dash of [[Music/VelvetUnderground Lou Reed]]), Jack Fairy is Brian Eno and Marc Bolan, and The Venus in Furs are The Spiders From Mars.

** Wild's story of how he was caught ''flagrante'' with [[spoiler:his older brother, and his psychiatric treatment]] are this to LouReed.

A 1998 film by Creator/ToddHaynes about a bisexual pop star and his meteoric rise to fame during the Glam Rock movement of the 1970s. It's [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial absolutely not]] [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed about]] DavidBowie. The film centers on Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), whose outer-space alter ego, [[CaptainErsatz Maxwell Demon]], is in no way Ziggy Stardust. His band, the Venus in Furs, are most definitely not the Spiders from Mars. Throughout his life, Slade falls in love with a series of people who in no way resemble Angie Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Mick Jagger or Brian Eno.

* AgentPeacock: Brian Slade

* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Ewan Mcgregor plays a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed-version of Music/IggyPop / Music/LouReed / Music/MickJagger. Apparently people from Michigan have the tendency to sound like Creator/{{Sean Connery}}.

* {{Magic Plastic Surgery}}: [[spoiler: How Tommy Stone was created, presumably.]]

The movie was supposed to be about Bowie explicitly, but the aging pop star supposedly pulled support when he found out the film centered around his bisexuality, instead of his life or music. Reportedly, he said jokingly to friends it seemed like the Ziggy Stardust-like character seemed to simply "spend his time administering blowjobs". So the film-makers changed some names and added in some allusions to Creator/OscarWilde and ''voila'', no longer about Bowie.

* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Ewan Mcgregor plays a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed-version of IggyPop / LouReed / MickJagger. Apparently people from Michigan have the tendency to sound like {{Sean Connery}}.

** Brian Eno's first band was Maxwell Demon which in turn is a nod to Maxwell's Demon, a thought experiment.
** The Rats, Wild's band, is a reference to Pop's The Stooges. Wild's dancing and onstage nudity are directly based on IggyPop.

* {{Expy}}: Slade is Bowie, Curt Wild is Iggy Pop and Mick Jagger (with a dash of [[VelvetUnderground Lou Reed]]), Jack Fairy is Brian Eno and Marc Bolan, and The Venus in Furs are The Spiders From Mars.

** The Venus in Furs, while sounding a lot like Bowie's band from his Ziggy days, is actually based on a song by The VelvetUnderground (which is in turn based on a novel of the same name).

* ButForMeItWasThursday: Curt Wild ends up shagging Arthur on a rooftop, and doesn't remember him ten years later. Or maybe he does...

* ButForMeItWasThursday: Curt Wild ends up shagging Thomas on a rooftop, and doesn't remember him ten years later. Or maybe he does...

It also notably features expies of Iggy Pop and Brian Eno, plus numerous references to Oscar Wilde.

A 1998 film by Creator/ToddHaynes about a bisexual pop star and his meteoric rise to fame during the Glam Rock movement of the 1970s. It's [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial absolutely not about]] DavidBowie. Despite main character Brian Slade singing a song about Maxwell Demon, a character from outer space, or having a back-up band called The Venus in Furs.

The film centers around journalist Arthur Stewart researching the disappearance of Slade after a catastrophic failure of a publicity stunt at a concert. Apparently fans aren't forgiving if you fake your own death. So Slade fell into alcohol, drugs, and depression and dropped out of sight completely. Arthur starts by interviewing Slade's former friends and lovers. He also muses on his own youth and the impact of the glam rock scene on his life and sexual identity. The film is thus told in a series of flashbacks, mostly linearly, leading up to Slade's disappearance.

* {{Expy}}: Slade is Bowie, Curt Wild is Iggy Pop (with a dash of [[VelvetUnderground Lou Reed]]), Jack Fairy is Brian Eno or Marc Bolan, and The Venus in Furs are The Spiders From Mars.

The film centers around journalist Arthur Stewart researching the disappearance of Slade after a catastrophic failure of a publicity stunt at a concert. Apparently fans aren't forgiving if you fake your own death. So Slade fell into alcohol, drugs, and depression and dropped out of sight completely. Arthur starts by interviewing Slade's former friends and lovers. He also muses on his own youth and the impact of the glam rock scene on his life and sexual identity. The film is thus told in a series of flashbacks, mostly linearly, leading up to Slade's disappearance.

A 1998 film by Creator/ToddHaynes about a bisexual pop star and his meteoric rise to fame during the Glam Rock movement of the 1970s. It's [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial absolutely not about]] DavidBowie. Despite main character Brian Slade singing a song about Maxwell Demon, a character from outer space, or having a back-up band called The Venus in Furs. Nope, he's absolutely not David Bowie. Oh sure, he reinvents himself as Tommy Stone.

A 1998 film about a bisexual pop star and his meteoric rise to fame during the Glam Rock movement of the 1970s. It's [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial absolutely not about]] DavidBowie. Despite main character Brian Slade singing a song about Maxwell Demon, a character from outer space, or having a back-up band called The Venus in Furs. Nope, he's absolutely not David Bowie. Oh sure, he reinvents himself as Tommy Stone.

* AbusiveParents: The only time anyone's parents get any lines in the movie, it's [[spoiler: Arthur's father yelling at him (for being gay)]]. Kurt's parents are the most obviously abusive, [[spoiler: sending him for electric-shock treatment after he got sexually abused by his older brother]]

* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Ewan Mcgregor plays an {{No Celebrities Were Harmed}} version of {{Iggy Pop}}. Apparently people from Michigan have the tendency to sound like {{Sean Connery}}.

** The Venus in Furs, while sounding a lot like Bowie's band from his Ziggy days, is actually based on a song by VelvetUnderground (which is in turn based on a novel of the same name).

** The Rats, Wild's band, is a reference to Pop's The Stooges.

A 1998 film about a bisexual pop star and his meteoric rise to fame during the Glam Rock movement of the 1970s. It's [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial absolutely not about]] DavidBowie. Despite main character Brian Slade singing a song about [[strike:Ziggy Stardust ]]Maxwell Demon, a character from outer space, or having a back-up band called [[strike:The Spiders From Mars ]]The Venus in Furs. Nope, he's absolutely not David Bowie. Oh sure, he reinvents himself as [[strike:The Thin White Duke ]]Tommy Stone.

Oh alright. The movie was supposed to be about Bowie explicitly, but the aging pop star supposedly pulled support when he found out the film centered around his bisexuality, instead of his life or music. Reportedly, he said jokingly to friends it seemed like the Ziggy Stardust-like character seemed to simply "spend his time administering blowjobs". So the film-makers changed some names and added in some allusions to OscarWilde and ''voila'', no longer about Bowie.

* {{Bishonen}}: Brian Slade, who manages to be more delicately pretty that ''his own wife'' (who is not bad-looking or particularly butch.)
** Not to mention [[{{Placebo}} Brian Molko]] who is prettier than ''most women''.

* CureYourGays: Poor [[strike:LouReed ]]Curt Wild.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The whole movie for David Bowie's career.
** Also one scene in which Slade, while on stage, gets down on his knees and goes after a bandmate's guitar in a way simulating oral sex.
*** Which was something the real Bowie used to do onstage with Mick Ronson.

* {{Expy}}: Slade is Bowie, Curt Wild is Iggy Pop (with a dash of [[VelvetUnderground Lou Reed]]), Jack Fairy is Brian Eno, and The Venus in Furs are The Spiders From Mars.
** I always saw Jack Fairy as more of a Marc Bolan.
* FakeAmerican / FakeBrit: Toni Collette (Australian) doing ''two'' levels of fake accent, one excellent and one StylisticSuck, while playing American-and-pretentious Mandy.

* {{Gayngst}}: Arthur had some as a kid before coming out.
** [[spoiler: [[TheRunaway Not that it really goes smoothly for Arthur after that point, either.]] ]]
* HeyItsThatGuy: There's quite a few famous actors in this film. ToniCollette and EwanMcGregor for a start. And then there's ChristianBale.

* MeaningfulName: Curt ''Wild''. And the ''Rats''. And it's Jack ''Fairy'' who begins the bisexual glam rock movement. And how the Maxwell ''Demon'' tour is Slade's demise. I mean, really, guys? ''Really''?
** And how everyone has a popstar name but Arthur and Mandy, essentially marking them out as Normal [=McNormalsons=].

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: The numerous Wilde quotes and dialogue.
** Also notable: the fact that the "present day" is a dingy, 1984, and the numerous cinematographic shoutouts to Citizen Kane.

* AbusiveParents: The only time anyone's parents get any lines in the movie, it's [[spoiler: Arthur's father yelling at him (for being gay)]].

* HookersAndBlow: When Slade's career is on the skids, he falls into total depravity, and we see him sprawled half-naked in bed with a ''mountain'' of cocaine beside him. Later, [[spoiler: when Mandy is trying to get him to sign their divorce papers,]] we see Brian snorting a line of coke from the bare buttocks of a large, semi-conscious black man in a big white wig.
** It's actually a woman. She appears throughout the film as part of his entourage, and is seen taking cocaine with him slightly earlier.