The Rock-afire Explosion
Encyclopedia
The Rock-afire Explosion is an animatronic robot
band that played in Showbiz Pizza Place
from 1980 to 1990, and in various Showbiz Pizza locations between 1990-1992 as Showbiz rebranded and the band was steadily replaced by Chuck E. Cheese characters. The show was pioneering in many respects to other animatronics shows of the early 80s, featuring life-sized characters capable of facial expression; some were even programmed in such a way that they could actually play simple melodies on musical instruments. The show was created and manufactured by inventor Aaron Fechter, through his company Creative Engineering, Inc.
in Orlando, Florida
; in addition to overseeing the production of the animatronics, Fechter also provided the voices for several characters.
Following the completion of rebranding, the show was sold to other restaurants and entertainment centers, such as Circus Pizza, Pistol Pete's Pizza, and Billy Bob's Wonderland. The characters in The Rock-afire Explosion were various animals ranging from a dog to a gorilla
. They would perform medleys of classic rock
, pop
, and country music, as well as original compositions.
Unlike other animatronic shows of the early 80s, the Rock-afire Explosion was designed to be life-sized, with most of the performers being about the size of an average adult human. Additionally, Fechter implemented the use of latex masks for the characters' faces, as opposed to the rubber and styrofoam masks common in animatronics of the time. The latex masks were designed to fit over various movable parts on the characters' faces, permitting them a range of facial expressions, including smiling and the raising of eyebrows. Fechter also implemented computer programming that permitted some of the characters to move in rhythm with music, making it theoretically possible for them to play actual instruments.
Billy Bob Brockali - Bass guitar. A bear in overalls, he was the mascot for ShowBiz Pizza Place throughout its existence, and his image was on most of the chain's merchandise. Sweet and naive, Billy Bob was usually a mediator to the band's minor on-stage quabbles.
Looney Bird - Vocals. Looney Bird shares Billy Bob's stage. His head is the only thing ever seen, the rest of him supposedly hiding in an oil drum. Some shows featured a segment where Looney Bird would answer fan mail
; for this, the robot was retrofitted to include a pair of hands which popped up holding a piece of paper for him to read. Looney Bird was originally portrayed as a drunk, but went on to become a tech nerd
Dook LaRue - Drums / Vocals. A dog who aspired to space travel; his costume was an astronaut suit. A bit of a dimwit, Dook would often lose focus during shows and miss his cues. He would respond to questions with a caustic "What?" The character is unique in that when setup properly, he has the ability to actually play a 4 piece drum kit in time with the music.
Fatz Geronimo - Keyboard / Vocals. A silverback gorilla
. He is a parody of real-life entertainers Fats Domino
and Ray Charles
. Unofficial band front man, Fatz had a tendency to ramble. He introduced the most shows and ordered other band members around, leading him and Rolfe into many arguments.
Beach Bear - Electric guitar / Vocals. Beach Bear is a "surfer" polar bear
. Beach Bear would usually make sarcastic comments or ask other characters questions to throw off their act, but never in mean spirits.
Mitzi Mozzarella - Vocals. Mitzi was a mouse
and a cheerleader. A typical teenager, Mitzi was obsessed with gossip, boyfriends, pop music, and (appropriate for the time) Michael Jackson
.
The Rolfe deWolfe & Earl Schemerle Show - Located on stage right. Nominally a stand-up comedy act performed in between musical sets; Rolfe is a wolf, and Earl is his sentient ventriloquist dummy. Rolfe also functioned as an antagonist
to the Rock-afire group during skits, bossing them around in his role as their unofficial manager.
The show also has several smaller prop characters, as well as characters who were only integrated into the show in certain locations. Many did not have speaking roles: These included an animated Sun and Moon, Antioch the spider, and Choo-Choo the baby bear, who hides in a small tree stump. Additionally, thirty stores were outfitted with "Uncle Klunk," a human character who replaced Rolfe and hosted talk-show segments with his bird sidekick (known as both Click and Murray D. Bird). The Klunks also served to be retrofitted into Santa Claus
shows during the holidays.
Pizza Time Theatre, another restaurant chain that was popular in other parts of the United States. In the mid-80s, both venues began to suffer financial difficulties, partially due to the video game crash of 1983
and also due to Showbiz Pizza's having opened more restaurants than they could afford to maintain. When "Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre" filed for bankruptcy
in 1984, Showbiz Pizza bought the company, hoping that new talent and merchandising opportunities could save both companies.
The corporation maintained the two restaurant chains simultaneously for several years. Each continued its own stage shows and sold different merchandise. However, in the latter part of the decade, relations between Creative Engineering and Showbiz began to cool. In 1988, Aaron Fechter, the founder of Creative Engineering and creator of the Rock-afire Explosion, claimed that the fallout between his company and Showbiz arose when Showbiz asked him to sign away the licensing and copyrights to the Rock-afire Explosion, which would have allowed Showbiz to cut production costs on the show, such as manufacture of future shows and royalty payments to Creative Engineering. Fechter refused, both on the grounds that Showbiz offered no monetary compensation for the rights, and because Fechter had hoped to franchise Rock-afire out as a cartoon
series.
Showbiz began toying with the idea of replacing The Rock-afire Explosion with licensed characters, such as Spider-Man
or Garfield
, and three locations actually retrofitted the robots at stage left into Yogi Bear and Boo Boo
Ultimately, the company decided to enact a process called "concept unification," in which all Showbiz Pizza locations would be remodeled into Chuck E. Cheeses. The remodel included the elimination of all Rock-afire characters from merchandise and advertising and retrofitting/reprogramming the Rock-afire Explosion robots into a new show called Munch's Make Believe Band featuring the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre characters. Unused animatronics and props were either sold off to other restaurants or destroyed.
"Concept unification" began in 1990 and occurred sporadically at Showbiz locations for the next two years, with the final Showbiz being converted in 1992. As concept unification began at each location, the left and center stages of the Rock-afire show were shut down, leaving only the Rolfe and Earl characters operational. During this period, the characters performed "The Rolfe and Earl Show," featuring the voices of Showbiz employees imitating the characters; the two ran a highlights reel of old Rock-afire shows and wondered aloud what the band would do now, and hinted at the coming Chuck E. Cheese-themed show. "The Rolfe and Earl Show" was the final Rock-afire show; after concept unification had been completed on the center and left stages, Rolfe and Earl were themselves removed.
; as of 2009, the final show had yet to be sold.
Several Rock-afire performers went on to careers of their own: Shalisa James is currently a member of the a cappella group Toxic Audio
, while Burt Wilson is now better known as Bubba "Whoop-Ass" Wilson, a member of the The Monsters In The Morning
radio show - which is now syndicated as well as being available on XM satellite radio. Both Rick Bailey and Jeff Howell are still active as musicians in the Orlando area.
In the 2000s, spurred by the growing online Rock-afire fan community, Fechter reunited some of the Rock-afire performers and began to program shows set to fan-requested songs. Videos of the performances—posted to YouTube upon completion—are credited with helping to further revive interest in the group and ShowBiz pizza, and spurred individuals who owned their own Rock-afire bands to begin programming new shows themselves.
In October 2011, Aaron Fechter released a video on YouTube of the first new Rock-afire Explosion song since 1984, entitled "I Ain't Gay", and announced the possibility of a second album.
. The show appears each year at the fairground on the seafront in Bray, Ireland as part of the Bray Summerfest. A show was formerly a part of Snap's Blast to the Past Museum in Pace, Florida
, but the building was destroyed in a fire in October 2010.
In recent years the Rock-afire appeared at "Rock-afire Pizza" in Indio, California
; however, as of July 31, 2008 they were no longer running the show and had replaced it with large-screen TVs to show sporting events. There was also a Rock-afire Explosion show at Fun Station USA in Staten Island, New York, but it has since been dismantled and the characters have been put on display around the store.
In 2008, Chris Thrash, a Phenix City, Alabama car salesman, opened Showbiz Pizza Zone, an arcade fashioned after Showbiz Pizza, which featured an entire fully operational Rock-afire Explosion, which he funded with money he raised by working multiple part-time jobs. Although Showbiz Pizza Zone closed its doors on May 30, 2010, Thrash maintains the show privately, and he occasionally rents it out for birthday parties.
Another fan-owned show resides at Smitty's Super Service Station in Little Improve, Mississippi
, Damon Breland has run this location privately since 2007. He maintains a website at www.smittyssuperservice.com
music video for "Electric Feel
" in 2008, and Kokayi's "RoxTar," directed by Donlee Brussel. Notably, RoxTar was show on location in Orlando, Florida, with Aaron Fechter programming a Rock-afire show to perform the song. The fans' reception was very positive.
A near-complete Rock-afire show (with some modifications to costuming) was featured in several scenes of the Adam Sandler comedy Just Go With It
.
about Chris Thrash, Aaron Fechter and the remaining Rock-afire Explosion fan base, was released at film festivals and special screenings around the United States in the fall of 2008. Written and directed by Houston filmmakers Brett Whitcomb (Director) and Bradford Thomason (Writer), and produced by Jason Connell, the film has been featured in many reviews and made a November 2008 appearance on Last Call with Carson Daly
. It was released on DVD
on September 29, 2009 by Connell Creations.
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
band that played in Showbiz Pizza Place
Showbiz Pizza Place
ShowBiz Pizza Place was a restaurant chain popular in the 1980s. Its history is greatly intertwined with that of its main competitor and eventual successor, Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre. Both companies found early success, owing partially to the rise in popularity of arcade games at the...
from 1980 to 1990, and in various Showbiz Pizza locations between 1990-1992 as Showbiz rebranded and the band was steadily replaced by Chuck E. Cheese characters. The show was pioneering in many respects to other animatronics shows of the early 80s, featuring life-sized characters capable of facial expression; some were even programmed in such a way that they could actually play simple melodies on musical instruments. The show was created and manufactured by inventor Aaron Fechter, through his company Creative Engineering, Inc.
Creative Engineering, Inc.
Creative Engineering, Inc. or CEI is a company most famous for creating the animatronic characters featured at Showbiz Pizza Place and Chuck E. Cheese restaurants, the most popular being The Rock-afire Explosion. They are also known for creating the Whac-A-Mole game in 1971. The company was founded...
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
; in addition to overseeing the production of the animatronics, Fechter also provided the voices for several characters.
Following the completion of rebranding, the show was sold to other restaurants and entertainment centers, such as Circus Pizza, Pistol Pete's Pizza, and Billy Bob's Wonderland. The characters in The Rock-afire Explosion were various animals ranging from a dog to a gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
. They would perform medleys of classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, and country music, as well as original compositions.
Production of the show
Production of the programming and audio for the show was done in-house by Creative Engineering, Inc. in Orlando, Florida. All Rock-afire shows were produced completely in-house, with Creative Engineering employees not only manufacturing the characters, but also writing and performing their songs and skits.Unlike other animatronic shows of the early 80s, the Rock-afire Explosion was designed to be life-sized, with most of the performers being about the size of an average adult human. Additionally, Fechter implemented the use of latex masks for the characters' faces, as opposed to the rubber and styrofoam masks common in animatronics of the time. The latex masks were designed to fit over various movable parts on the characters' faces, permitting them a range of facial expressions, including smiling and the raising of eyebrows. Fechter also implemented computer programming that permitted some of the characters to move in rhythm with music, making it theoretically possible for them to play actual instruments.
Band members
| The following voice actors portrayed the characters of the The Rock-Afire Explosion. | |
|
|
Billy Bob Brockali - Bass guitar. A bear in overalls, he was the mascot for ShowBiz Pizza Place throughout its existence, and his image was on most of the chain's merchandise. Sweet and naive, Billy Bob was usually a mediator to the band's minor on-stage quabbles.
Looney Bird - Vocals. Looney Bird shares Billy Bob's stage. His head is the only thing ever seen, the rest of him supposedly hiding in an oil drum. Some shows featured a segment where Looney Bird would answer fan mail
Fan mail
Fan mail is mail sent to a public figure, especially a celebrity, by their admirers or "fans".In return celebrities may send a poster or picture and usually a return letter.-Overview:...
; for this, the robot was retrofitted to include a pair of hands which popped up holding a piece of paper for him to read. Looney Bird was originally portrayed as a drunk, but went on to become a tech nerd
Technician
A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skills and techniques, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles. Experienced technicians in a specific tool domain typically have intermediate understanding of theory and expert...
Dook LaRue - Drums / Vocals. A dog who aspired to space travel; his costume was an astronaut suit. A bit of a dimwit, Dook would often lose focus during shows and miss his cues. He would respond to questions with a caustic "What?" The character is unique in that when setup properly, he has the ability to actually play a 4 piece drum kit in time with the music.
Fatz Geronimo - Keyboard / Vocals. A silverback gorilla
Silverback Gorilla
Silverback Gorilla is the third studio album by rapper Sheek Louch. Its first single is "Good Love", produced by Red Spyda. The video is already out and has been shown on BET's "Rap City" and MTV Jams. The second single is set to be "Keep Pushin. The guest list for the album is Jadakiss, Styles P,...
. He is a parody of real-life entertainers Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
and Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
. Unofficial band front man, Fatz had a tendency to ramble. He introduced the most shows and ordered other band members around, leading him and Rolfe into many arguments.
Beach Bear - Electric guitar / Vocals. Beach Bear is a "surfer" polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
. Beach Bear would usually make sarcastic comments or ask other characters questions to throw off their act, but never in mean spirits.
Mitzi Mozzarella - Vocals. Mitzi was a mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
and a cheerleader. A typical teenager, Mitzi was obsessed with gossip, boyfriends, pop music, and (appropriate for the time) Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
.
The Rolfe deWolfe & Earl Schemerle Show - Located on stage right. Nominally a stand-up comedy act performed in between musical sets; Rolfe is a wolf, and Earl is his sentient ventriloquist dummy. Rolfe also functioned as an antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
to the Rock-afire group during skits, bossing them around in his role as their unofficial manager.
The show also has several smaller prop characters, as well as characters who were only integrated into the show in certain locations. Many did not have speaking roles: These included an animated Sun and Moon, Antioch the spider, and Choo-Choo the baby bear, who hides in a small tree stump. Additionally, thirty stores were outfitted with "Uncle Klunk," a human character who replaced Rolfe and hosted talk-show segments with his bird sidekick (known as both Click and Murray D. Bird). The Klunks also served to be retrofitted into Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
shows during the holidays.
Concept unification
ShowBiz Pizza Place was similar to (and competed with) Chuck E. Cheese'sChuck E. Cheese's
Chuck E. Cheese's is a chain of family entertainment centers. Chuck E...
Pizza Time Theatre, another restaurant chain that was popular in other parts of the United States. In the mid-80s, both venues began to suffer financial difficulties, partially due to the video game crash of 1983
Video game crash of 1983
The North American video game crash was a serious event that brought an abrupt end to what is considered the second generation of console video gaming in North America. Beginning in 1983, the crash almost destroyed the then-fledgling industry and led to the bankruptcy of several companies producing...
and also due to Showbiz Pizza's having opened more restaurants than they could afford to maintain. When "Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre" filed for bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in 1984, Showbiz Pizza bought the company, hoping that new talent and merchandising opportunities could save both companies.
The corporation maintained the two restaurant chains simultaneously for several years. Each continued its own stage shows and sold different merchandise. However, in the latter part of the decade, relations between Creative Engineering and Showbiz began to cool. In 1988, Aaron Fechter, the founder of Creative Engineering and creator of the Rock-afire Explosion, claimed that the fallout between his company and Showbiz arose when Showbiz asked him to sign away the licensing and copyrights to the Rock-afire Explosion, which would have allowed Showbiz to cut production costs on the show, such as manufacture of future shows and royalty payments to Creative Engineering. Fechter refused, both on the grounds that Showbiz offered no monetary compensation for the rights, and because Fechter had hoped to franchise Rock-afire out as a cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
series.
Showbiz began toying with the idea of replacing The Rock-afire Explosion with licensed characters, such as Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
or Garfield
Garfield
Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since June 19, 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield ; his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Arbuckle's dog, Odie...
, and three locations actually retrofitted the robots at stage left into Yogi Bear and Boo Boo
Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear is a fictional bear who appears in animated cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show. Yogi Bear was the first breakout character created by Hanna-Barbera, and was eventually more popular than...
Ultimately, the company decided to enact a process called "concept unification," in which all Showbiz Pizza locations would be remodeled into Chuck E. Cheeses. The remodel included the elimination of all Rock-afire characters from merchandise and advertising and retrofitting/reprogramming the Rock-afire Explosion robots into a new show called Munch's Make Believe Band featuring the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre characters. Unused animatronics and props were either sold off to other restaurants or destroyed.
"Concept unification" began in 1990 and occurred sporadically at Showbiz locations for the next two years, with the final Showbiz being converted in 1992. As concept unification began at each location, the left and center stages of the Rock-afire show were shut down, leaving only the Rolfe and Earl characters operational. During this period, the characters performed "The Rolfe and Earl Show," featuring the voices of Showbiz employees imitating the characters; the two ran a highlights reel of old Rock-afire shows and wondered aloud what the band would do now, and hinted at the coming Chuck E. Cheese-themed show. "The Rolfe and Earl Show" was the final Rock-afire show; after concept unification had been completed on the center and left stages, Rolfe and Earl were themselves removed.
Current status
Although Fechter attempted to keep Creative Engineering afloat following the termination of his Showbiz contract, he was ultimately forced to terminate all of his employees, a process he dragged out over the course of several years as he struggled to find new venues for the show. As of 2010, the company was still in operation, with Fechter as its' sole employee; Fechter sells both new and unused animatronic equipment, in addition to giving tours of the facility. In 2008 he sold one of the last two unused Rock-afire shows to a restaurant in JordanJordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
; as of 2009, the final show had yet to be sold.
Several Rock-afire performers went on to careers of their own: Shalisa James is currently a member of the a cappella group Toxic Audio
Toxic Audio
Toxic Audio is a five-person a cappella singing group from Orlando, Florida. They began with appearances at the Orlando International Fringe Festival in the late 1990s. Upon achieving frequent appearances at the Jazz Club in Pleasure Island at Walt Disney World Resort's Downtown Disney, their fame...
, while Burt Wilson is now better known as Bubba "Whoop-Ass" Wilson, a member of the The Monsters In The Morning
The Monsters In The Morning
The Monsters in the Morning is a talk radio show on WTKS-FM Real Radio in Orlando, Florida, USA, XM Radio Channel 152 and via the Iheartradio app for mobile devices. It is a morning show that runs from 6 am-11 am ET. The show is a mix of current events, comedy, and stunts. Discussions involve the...
radio show - which is now syndicated as well as being available on XM satellite radio. Both Rick Bailey and Jeff Howell are still active as musicians in the Orlando area.
In the 2000s, spurred by the growing online Rock-afire fan community, Fechter reunited some of the Rock-afire performers and began to program shows set to fan-requested songs. Videos of the performances—posted to YouTube upon completion—are credited with helping to further revive interest in the group and ShowBiz pizza, and spurred individuals who owned their own Rock-afire bands to begin programming new shows themselves.
In October 2011, Aaron Fechter released a video on YouTube of the first new Rock-afire Explosion song since 1984, entitled "I Ain't Gay", and announced the possibility of a second album.
Independent shows
As of 2011, the animatronic band still exists in a few locations in various states of disrepair, such as Billy Bob's Wonderland in Barboursville, West VirginiaBarboursville, West Virginia
Barboursville is a village in Cabell County, West Virginia, United States. It is located near the second largest city in the state, Huntington. The population was 3,183 at the 2000 census....
. The show appears each year at the fairground on the seafront in Bray, Ireland as part of the Bray Summerfest. A show was formerly a part of Snap's Blast to the Past Museum in Pace, Florida
Pace, Florida
Pace is a census-designated place in Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States. The population was 7,393 during the 2000 census. It is part of the Pensacola–Ferry Pass–Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area.According to Pace CDP Census 2010 results, the population of the area was...
, but the building was destroyed in a fire in October 2010.
In recent years the Rock-afire appeared at "Rock-afire Pizza" in Indio, California
Indio, California
Indio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, and east of Los Angeles. It is about north of Mexicali, Baja California on the U.S.-Mexican border...
; however, as of July 31, 2008 they were no longer running the show and had replaced it with large-screen TVs to show sporting events. There was also a Rock-afire Explosion show at Fun Station USA in Staten Island, New York, but it has since been dismantled and the characters have been put on display around the store.
In 2008, Chris Thrash, a Phenix City, Alabama car salesman, opened Showbiz Pizza Zone, an arcade fashioned after Showbiz Pizza, which featured an entire fully operational Rock-afire Explosion, which he funded with money he raised by working multiple part-time jobs. Although Showbiz Pizza Zone closed its doors on May 30, 2010, Thrash maintains the show privately, and he occasionally rents it out for birthday parties.
Another fan-owned show resides at Smitty's Super Service Station in Little Improve, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Damon Breland has run this location privately since 2007. He maintains a website at www.smittyssuperservice.com
In popular culture
Following the spate of YouTube videos featuring the band, several mainstream groups began to feature Rock-afire shows as part of their music videos. Examples include the MGMTMGMT
MGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
music video for "Electric Feel
Electric Feel
-Quotations:"Electric Feel is a shunting single that cobbles together the instrumental roving of Gary Numan, the high pitch vocal provocation of Scissor Sisters and tops it off with a Timo Maas vibe that varies in impact. Worldly, boundary crossing expressionism is the end result...
" in 2008, and Kokayi's "RoxTar," directed by Donlee Brussel. Notably, RoxTar was show on location in Orlando, Florida, with Aaron Fechter programming a Rock-afire show to perform the song. The fans' reception was very positive.
A near-complete Rock-afire show (with some modifications to costuming) was featured in several scenes of the Adam Sandler comedy Just Go With It
Just Go With It
Just Go with It is a 2011 romantic comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. The film was released on , 2011...
.
Documentary
The Rock-afire Explosion, a documentaryDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Chris Thrash, Aaron Fechter and the remaining Rock-afire Explosion fan base, was released at film festivals and special screenings around the United States in the fall of 2008. Written and directed by Houston filmmakers Brett Whitcomb (Director) and Bradford Thomason (Writer), and produced by Jason Connell, the film has been featured in many reviews and made a November 2008 appearance on Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly
Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....
. It was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on September 29, 2009 by Connell Creations.