The Kinks’ loosely conceptual, only somewhat campy Schoolboys In Disgrace—recorded in the midst of Ray Davies’ mid-’70s attempts to transform the band into some sort of vaudevillian theater troupe—fills in the origin story of its Preservation: Acts 1 & 2 villain Mr. Flash, seen here as a “naughty schoolboy” whose punishment at the hands of his headmaster (following a “mistake” involving an equally naughty schoolgirl) leaves him disillusioned with the establishment and vowing to “always get what he wanted.” But mythology aside, Schoolboys is a relatively straightforward story about teenage rebellion, one timeless enough that all generations of evil little bastards should relate to it. So not surprisingly, it's finally headed for a big-screen musical adaptation; somewhat surprisingly, it's under the direction of Bobcat Goldthwait.
Confirming rumors of the project first floated last year over at CHUD, The Hollywood Reporter announced today that Goldthwait will be directing from his own script with Davies serving as executive producer, and that he plans to shoot entirely within the U.K. so as to get that genuine “British school system” aura, which we always imagine as looking just like The Wall. Goldthwait characterizes Schoolboys as “the story of the world's most charming criminal and a realistic high school musical for all the kids who hate sugary, sweet, unrealistic high school musicals”—and given his past directorial work (Shakes The Clown, Sleeping Dogs Lie, and World’s Greatest Dad among them), “sugary” is definitely the last thing we’d expect from Goldthwait. The original Kinks songs will be re-recorded by the yet-to-be-cast leads and released as their own separate album; here’s a little taste of what they’ll be working with. [Fun fact: The cover art was designed by T. Rex’s Mickey Finn!]