However, my indifference to what looked like a side project was soon obliterated. Catullo is a master at making the audience give a fuck. Take the whole Joe Perry business. Because I was just a tot in the 70s, I missed out on why Aerosmith was such a big deal. Catullo not only showed me why Aerosmith and Perry were so important, he also made me feel it. This is because Unleashed Spirits: The Rise Of The Hollywood Vampires is one of the most emotionally intoxicating rock docs ever made; a film that is actually a controlled substance. If you were able to take how this movie makes you feel and bottle it, all the bottles would be drunk by Hollywood vampires. You wanna feel good? You wanna feel great? Take a watch on this movie and see how pumped you get.
Johnny Depp performs live onstage in a scene from Unleashed Spirits: The Rise of the Hollywood Vampires. photos credit Hollywood Vampires
“Catullo is a master at making the audience give a fuck.”
Depp has always been the most notorious element of The Hollywood Vampires, as well as an enormous draw throughout the band’s existence. The controversy of Depp’s participation only increased when his acting career was canceled, as music was the only medium he was allowed in for a while. Unleashed Spirits: The Rise Of The Hollywood Vampires puts to rest any doubt that may remain about Depp’s musical chops. I have seen play live in concert Russell Crowe, Billy Bob Thornton, and Andy Dick, so this isn’t my first celebrity band spin. Watching Depp made me wonder what would happen if Elvis had only done movies while never recording any songs. When you hear Depp play, you hear someone who was born to rock from way back in the day. It is dumbfounding that, a lot of the time, Depp could have been making rock history.
On the other hand, maybe it is meant that Depp ended up in a band as classic rock as The Hollywood Vampires. If he had been playing out in the 80s, 90s, and 00s, chances are his format would be molded to fit the current markets. It is much better that Depp is playing songs he learned from playing along with records as a kid in the 70s. Unleashed Spirits: The Rise Of The Hollywood Vampires is a rare instance to see raw, uncut joy from people who have seen it all. The reverence that is shown for Sir Paul McCartney is genuinely humbling, with all these rock legends in absolute awe of the former Beatle. The music is really good as well, with bits and pieces being played in the background to skin-pop your ears. I never expected to like this band. I never expected to even watch Unleashed Spirits: The Rise Of The Hollywood Vampires. Now that I have, I am totally strung out. I am over 32 years sober, but I could drink this rock doc all night. First sip, then gulp, as you will love it.
"…a film that is actually a controlled substance."
