TRACK #442:

Rock Like an Animal by Animal

Since last season was so light on movie tracks, we’re gonna keep the inclusive train rolling here just a little longer, even if we step out of the Halloween cart, with a scorcher that’s been sitting in the bullpen for a while now.

Tonights inclusive jammer hails from Umberto Lenzi’s extra 80’s Nightmare Beach. This late-in-the-game slasher is literally wall-to-wall with late 80’s pop and metal, and while any number of songs could make the cut, the natural selection here is probably Don’t Take My Heart.

The tune acts as the film’s de facto theme and comes courtesy of 80’s pop-diva-in-waiting, Kristen. You know her, right? Of course you don’t, no one does. But making the argument for addition even more compelling, Kristen herself performs her other song, Say the Word, on-screen at a beachside spring break mixer. Double bonus.

That’s not The Shindig’s selection, however. Don’t get me wrong, it probably belongs here, and it’s definitely been in the bullpen too, but tonight we’re gonna keep it heavy.

Cause while Kristen’s jam may get the opening and closing credit duty, our selection appears in Nightmare Beach on 5 separate occasion and itself acts as a theme of sorts for the film’s dirtbag biker crew, The Demons.

The gang’s leader, Diablo, is given the chair right off the rip to open our story, then a mysterious biker shows up at spring break, electrocuting co-ed’s left and right. Is it some jilted incel, just lookin’ to get his rocks off any way he can? Is it some puritanical fundamentalist that hates Spring Break tits? Is it the ghost wraith of Diablo getting his revenge? Who knows? Our weekend warrior is fully suited and ready to dish out some juice.

Then we meet Trina, Diablo’s main squeeze, a girl who’s been begging to be a Shindig Radio logo for over 8 years now. Look, it’s all ready to go. We just need to feature this song on the show.

It’s when we meet her that we’re first introduced to tonight’s song, Rock Like an Animal by the band Animal.

Now, if you’re listening to this number and find yourself asking (as one YouTube commenter inquired) “how is this not W.AS.P.?” you’re on the right path. Apart from basically being a cross pollination of I Wanna Be Somebody and (unsurprisingly) Animal (Fuck Like a Beast), Animal (the band) was the side project of OG W.AS.P. guitarist Randy Piper.

W.A.S.P.-lite or not, this song rips and it’s a no-brainer addition for The Playlist.

And when I say it’s The Demon’s theme song, I mean it. Anytime they show up on screen, this song starts blasting and it’s awesome. In fact, the movie so effectively primes you with this song,  that in the climatic moment, when our hero is about to get wasted by crooked cop John Saxon (yeah, cause John Saxon’s in this, of course he is) you hear Rock Like an Animal before The Demons even show up, and you’re pumped. You just hear the roar of their bikes and Randy Piper start belting it out, and you’re like “Fuckin-a  right, John Saxon, you piece of shit. Here come my boys The Demons” and it’s goddamn glorious.

And anytime any song is getting this much screen time and is used so effectively, we gotta open up The Shindig and lay down the orange carpet.

Here’s Not W.A.S.P. but kinda W.A.S.P. anyway, I mean just listen to it) with Rock Like an Animal.