When the production of Detroit Rock City started, the publicity department at New Line was the top in the industry. It was said they could sell acne to teenagers. However, when it came time to initiate the marketing campaign for the film, the publicity team had moved on to greener pastures and left the producers with a group of well-meaning but clueless soccer mom types who thought Led Zeppelin was the name of the blimp that infamously blew up. Not exactly the peeps you want in charge of publicity for your R rated Rock and Roll flick set in 1977 and featuring a stellar soundtrack of classic rock. Dismayed and dejected, director Adam Rifkin and producer Tim Sullivan took matters into their own hands, and in Adam's case, put his money where his heart was. Wanting a poster that reflected classic 70's comedies with the same spirit as DRC such as 'Animal House' and Rock N Roll High School', Adam contacted renowned comic and graphic artists Phil Roberts and commissioned him to come up with something at Adam's own expense. The first pass was a parody of the 'Destroyer' album cover with the 'Mystery' lads in place of KISS in pencil sketch form. Though they absolutely loved it, Adam steered Phil in the direction of a concept in which all the characters of the film would be featured much like the Jack Davis art for "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", which is exactly what Phil delivered. The end result was stunning to say the least. New Line President Mike DeLuca knew this was THE poster this film needed, and stand-up guy that he was (and is), Mike reimbursed Adam and designated Phil Roberts' piece as the official poster for Detroit Rock City However, if you look carefully at the artwork, you will notice it is not quite exactly the poster fans have come to know and cherish... Phil's original design contained 70's pop culture icons interspersed amongst the characters from the film-Fonzie, Farrah Fawcett, Bruce Lee, Billy Jack, Cher... basically echoing the pop culture montage of the film's main titles montage. Unfortunately, the cost of licensing usage of these characters and individuals was exceedingly high and prohibitive and so Phil photo shopped non-descript people over the recognizable celebrities (Including sneaking in Rifkin and Sullivan). The final version of the DRC poster never existed as an actual piece of artwork. Only the aforementioned version with the 70's icons. A version never used and never seen...except...for now! Featured here is the original Phil Roberts painting, done with water colors on a 28 x 32-inch board. It shows magnificent detail of - among others - Bruce Lee, Billy Jack, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Steve Martin, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Adam Alda, Superfly, Pam Grier, Sonny & Cher, John Belushi, The Banana Splits, Carrie, Barry Gibb, John Travolta, Disco Duck, Linda Blair (Exorcist) and Evel Knieval. An absolute master piece and an absolute Holy Grail KISS collectible! The painting shows a light bit of staining in the lower left corner and some moderate surface wear. None however that would show if this painting would be professionally matted and framed. This painting comes directly from the personal archives of DRC movie director Adam Rifkin and producer Tim Sullivan. A Certificate of Authenticity - signed by Rifkin and Sullivan - will be included with this lot.
Item: KMM2001
|