There are many shows and films out there you should add to your watchlist if you liked “Daisy Jones and the Six,” the new Amazon Prime show following Daisy Jones (Riley Keough) as she pursues her music career in the 1970s. Here are six suggestions that also revolve around music to get your list started.
1. “Pistol”
This British miniseries is a biopic covering the famous journey of the 1970s punk band, Sex Pistols. Their story as a band was fairly short yet very impactful on the world of music and fashion. “Pistol” follows the lives of the band members, particularly bassist Sid Vicious (Louis Partridge) and lead vocalist Steve Jones (Toby Wallace). It also portrays the upbringing of Vivienne Westwood’s (Talulah Riley) brand and how she and Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) left their mark. “Pistol” is an all-around great series, yet it does cover sensitive topics like death and drug abuse. It’s a bit heavier than “Daisy Jones and the Six,” but if you were or are a fan of Sex Pistols, it’s interesting to watch how their fame supposedly skyrocketed, yet crashed even harder. Or, if you don’t know who they are, you’re in for a rollercoaster of emotions.
“Pistol” is available for streaming on Hulu. You can watch the trailer here.
2. “Roadies”
This 2016 comedy-drama shows what it’s like to be a “roadie,” one who lives life following bands on tour and making friends with other supporters along the way. This series particularly focuses on the crew of a fictional band named The Staton-House Band, not the members themselves. It goes to show how hectic life can be for a band’s helpers, not just the reckless lives on stage. It’s an interesting perspective considering a lot of rock band entertainment is, well, focused on the band. But in “Roadies” we instead closely watch the lives of those helping the tour actually happen on tour across multiple cities. The cast is filled with familiar faces, like Owen Wilson as the band’s manager and Machine Gun Kelly as a roadie named Wes, making it a very entertaining watch.
“Roadies” is available for streaming on Amazon Prime. You can watch the trailer here.
3. “Vinyl”
Based in New York in the 1970s, Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale) is a record executive finding his way in the various genres of music being offered in the city during the time. Finestra owns the record label American Century, which fell flat and he’s working his way back into the mainstream through the series by selling it to a big-time record company named Polygram Records. The catch is, though, he got himself caught as an accessory to murder. It’s messy, full of music, and was created partially from the mind of Mick Jagger, singer of Rolling Stones and rock icon. Although not based on a true story, you can expect it to be fairly accurate since Jagger used inspiration from his own experiences during the decade, according to Bustle.
“Vinyl” is available for streaming on Amazon Prime. You can watch the trailer here.
4. “Almost Famous” (2000)
15-year-old William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is an aspiring journalist with the dream of becoming a writer for Rolling Stone. After finally landing a job with the publication, Miller is assigned to follow an up-and-coming band named Stillwater. Being only 15 years old, Miller is not taken seriously at first. He seems like a fan just like the other kids his age. That is until infamous groupie Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) sees his potential and asks him to come on tour with Stillwater. “Almost Famous” is a wholesome watch of a kid trying to make it, yet he is exposed to a lot of the band life of the 70s including drugs and sex. This film not only exposes the rock and roll experience of the time but follows the coming-of-age of a high schooler chasing his dream and balancing it with the real world.
“Almost Famous” is available for streaming on Roku Channel. You can watch the trailer here.
5. “High Fidelity” (2000)
Rob Gordon (John Cusack) owns a record store in Chicago that is slowly losing business and popularity because he’s sticking to selling only vinyl. The film follows Gordon as his business is failing, as well as his relationship with his girlfriend Laura (Iben Hjejle). The reason Gordon’s girlfriend broke up with him is that he has not grown as a person at all since they first met. With this burden, Gordon reminisces on his past five relationships before this mid-life crisis, and tries to understand how he ended up where he did: moneyless and loveless. The two life experiences overlap, as he incorporated his love for music throughout his life, and we get to see how it has connected him to his past partners and employees, Barry (Jack Black) and Dick (Todd Louiso).
“High Fidelity” is available for streaming on Hulu. You can watch the trailer here.
6. “Pamela: A Love Story” (2023)
This new film gives us all we need to know about Pamela Anderson. Unlike past movies and television shows on this list, this shows unreleased footage and the absolute truth about the life of a star, showing never-seen-before footage and confessionals from Anderson herself. It’s raw, insightful, and shows the truth behind one of the most iconic women of our time. The film also responds to the “Pam and Tommy” miniseries released last year, which Anderson claims reflected the hardest time in her life, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Pamela: A Love Story” is available for streaming on Netflix. You can watch the trailer here.
“Daisy Jones and the Six” has had very positive reviews, including a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes. If you agree with the craze surrounding the 1977-based miniseries, these six suggestions will not let you down.
By Amena Ahmed