Filed under ‘surprising things we learned recently,’ it turns out that Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese have been developing a movie based on the music business since the mid-nineties. As the proposed film needed to span three decades and would, as a result, be rather long, they eventually decided to develop the concept into a TV show instead. The resultant series, Vinyl, comes to HBO February 14 with a two-hour-long, Martin-Scorsese-directed debut.
The 1970s-era show centers on Ritchie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale), the founder of fictional record label American Century Records. Olivia Wilde plays his former ‘it girl’ wife, Ray Romano plays one of Ritchie’s executives, and Jagger’s son James plays the frontman of a made-up band called The Nasty Bits. Though there may be similarities between real events and their reimagining in Vinyl, Jagger claims the events of the series are not autobiographical. There will be cameos, however, starting with one by the late David Bowie, who appears in the first episode.
Perhaps most exciting for music fans, HBO will release a digital EP featuring songs from each upcoming episode the Friday before it airs. Participating artists including Julian Casablancas, Iggy Pop, Nate Ruess, Charli XCX, Chris Cornell, Trey Songz, Jessie J, Royal Blood, and Charlie Wilson.
Watch the most recent Vinyl trailer here, and catch the show’s debut at 9pm on February 14th.
