4/14/08: RightWingTrashMan: Roderick Falconer

Jonah Goldberg has to keep a lot straight as Liberal Fascism is routinely attacked. We almost hate to discuss the book, since it’s easily the most misunderstood (or just randomly maligned) work of the decade. We do, however, feel qualified to respond to Goldberg’s recent request for lazy definitions of “fascism.” Actually, we’re more inspired by Ed Driscoll’s two fine responses to Goldberg’s request, both addressing fascist imagery in rock ’n roll.

This makes for a good excuse to write up the greatness of Roderick Falconer. We’ve only been able to find two reviews of Falconer’s ’70s albums, but each critic felt compelled to invoke the f-word. To a certain extent, that laziness was Falconer’s vindication. 1976’s New Nation—as pictured above—certainly offered some intimidating imagery. The cover of 1977’s Victory In Rock City was more futuristic, with Falconer and a token blonde rock babe dolled up in silver uniforms. The inner sleeve featured Falconer in the pinstriped fashions of the earlier album, sporting black leather gloves and boots while groping a giant globe.

He looks a lot like Cameron Mitchell. That’s what made Falconer so distinct as a bizarre remnant of the glam period. Most glam guys tried to look like Greta Garbo, but Falconer embraced the sheer manliness of classic Hollywood. He cast himself as a public enemy with empirical ambition. The rest of L.A. (and then the world!) was an expendable supporting cast. There was the occasional love interest, but Roderick’s romance came with lowered expectations. New Nation offered “I Don’t Think Your Love Can Save Me,” while Rock City had the unsentimental mutual disappointment of “Show Me Something More.”

But was it political? Yes, and also brave. Rock City’s “Hard Times” even brought the un-commercial claim that “You find now that your parents were right”—as delivered by a struggling rock star who was already a parent himself. More importantly, Falconer had formerly been an equally outdated folkie back in 1973. The self-titled Rod Taylor had been released under his real name. Falconer had seen hippie culture at its best and worst, and the Roderick Falconer albums capture the best of pragmatic wisdom and nostalgia. Maybe he can’t be called old-fashioned, but Falconer was writing classic rock tunes with disdain for rock music. He was the only pre-punk artist in what would soon be a post-punk world.

In 1984, Roderick became Rod Falconer for a final bid at stardom. “Magnetic Wave” should’ve been a hit. “Only So Much Time” got the video budget, and this YouTube clip wisely warns off feminists. The album was Rules of Attraction, and it’s pretty good as a commercial bid—but by the time of its release, Falconer had launched his screenwriting career as Roderick Taylor. 1983’s The Star Chamber was a likable tale of vigilante justice, and he’d go on to plenty of work. A lot of it has been genre stuff that’s always fun and imaginative.

He’s also turned screenwriting into a family business, collaborating with son Bruce A. Taylor. Their biggest break yet came with the release of last year's The Brave One. That’s why Roderick Falconer’s name might sound familiar. We based our enthusiasm for the movie on the trust we had in both Falconer and Son of Falconer.

The Brave One, of course, went misunderstood as a tale of vigilante necessity. Film critics pretty much hated it on sight. Those rock critics in the ’70s were just as lazy. The trappings looked fascist, but Roderick Falconer was an individualist. That’s what an individualist looked like back then.

Make him your own: It’s never been hard to find vinyl copies of New Nation and Victory In Rock City. Same goes for Rules of Attraction. Here’s a fan's MySpace page with some ’70s samples, but longtime Falconer fans will be happy to know that pretty much all of his catalogue is available through iTunes—also neatly compiled there as two specially-priced album purchases.

That early folk album is available as a Japanese import. And the next script is a horror film called Open Graves.

 

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