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Rodney Bingenheimer may not be a bona fide celebrity in his own right, especially by Hollywood standards. But he’s spent the better part of four decades surrounding himself with celebrityhood, mostly as a specialty-show DJ on the now massive Los Angeles FM station KROQ. And through that, he’s attained a certain standing as an LA scenester that seems something akin to a pathology in this George Hickenlooper documentary. Hickenlooper is no stranger to strange stories: he documented the making of Apocalypse Now in the film Hearts of Darkness. But with Bingenheimer — known to many simply as "Rodney on the ’ROQ" — he’s stumbled upon an even darker human tragedy. Indeed, there are times here — long, pregnant pauses when the aging, sad-eyed Bingenheimer catches glimpses of how his life must appear through the camera and simply stares silently into the lens — when the filmmaker seems rather sadistic. Bingenheimer has plenty of friends, or at least acquaintances, in high places. The movie is peppered with cameos by the many rock artists he’s helped break by featuring them on his show, from David Bowie on up through Coldplay’s Chris Martin (the film’s CD soundtrack features a wide and eclectic variety of tracks by some of Rodney’s favorites). And he’s an institution at KROQ, even if his show airs on Sundays at midnight. Yet he remains a lonely outsider, even with a platinum all-access pass hanging from his neck. The Mayor of Sunset Strip is an artful cautionary tale in an era when reality TV offers just about anyone a chance for his or her 15 minutes of shame. Be careful what you wish for because it might just come true. (94 minutes)
BY MATT ASHARE
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