Super fans of particular bands or musicians have done a lot of crazy things over the years-- throwing underwear at the stage, posting elaborate covers to YouTube, even assassination attempts. But a complete biopic, including a $55,000 budget, without the cooperation of the band or the rights to any songs? That's a whole new level of devotion.
This week MTV is chronicling the attempts of 24-year-old Brandon Flores to make Blink, the story of the band's early days with original drummer Scott Raynor, before Travis Barker joined Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus to form the group we know today. Though Flores claims he's tried to contact the band's management, Hoppus seemed in the dark when MTV contacted him-- "No, I didn't know anything about the movie. I wonder how it pays? Should I try out for the part of Tom?"
More power to Flores for putting his indie-filmmaking dream into a band biopic, whether or not the band itself will cooperate. He's far more likely to get an audience for the low-budget film given the band's existing fanbase, and hey, maybe this exposure will snag him a cameo or some such. You've gotta be a little crazy to make a low-budget indie these day, and if you're also crazy for a popular band, it can't hurt.
