V-Rock is a radio station based in Reddick, Florida in 1984 and later Vice City by 1986. It broadcasts to Vice City. The station is featured in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. It was originally hosted by Couzin Ed, until Lazlow took over in 1986, when the events of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City take place.
Description
As its name implies, the station primarily plays rock, particularly 80s hair metal and glam metal, but also plays some heavy metal tracks. Station promos often included derogatory comparisons to other stations, mocking the kind of synthesizer-based music played by its competitors while insinuating that real men only listen to the rock music that V-Rock airs. The station's mascot is a vulture, as can be seen in the station's logo; V-Rock DJ Lazlow would often complain that the bird got more air time than he did.
The station was officially endorsed by rock artists of the time, including Jezz Torrent of Love Fist, who can regularly be heard in V-Rock's promos. The station also operated a studio at it's Vice City headquarters, which would often be used by Love Fist for their recording sessions. V-Rock also features call-ins from members of the public (similar to that of Lazlow's later station Chatterbox FM, although with far reduced prominence). The three callers featured in GTA Vice City are Couzin Ed, who wishes to vent his anger at Lazlow for "stealing" his job, Mitch Baker and a person who refers to himself as Snow-Dog. The phone line is also used in GTA Vice City Stories, although in this instance the only caller is a guy who hates Couzin Ed.
The V-Rock Hotel in GTA San Andreas.
The V-Rock Hotel in Las Venturas, San Andreas takes its name from the radio station and features the V-Rock logo prominently on its sign.
Tracklist
GTA Vice City
- Twisted Sister - "I Wanna Rock" (1984)
- Mötley Crüe - "Too Young to Fall in Love" (1983)
- Quiet Riot - "Cum On Feel the Noize" (1983)
- The Cult - "She Sells Sanctuary" (1985)
- Ozzy Osbourne - "Bark at the Moon" (1983)*
- Love Fist - "Dangerous Bastard" (Unknown. 2002 in real world)
- Iron Maiden - "2 Minutes to Midnight" (1984)
- Loverboy - "Working for the Weekend" (1981)
- Alcatrazz - "God Bless Video" (1985)
- Tesla - "Cumin' Atcha Live" (1986)
- Autograph - "Turn Up the Radio" (1984)
- Megadeth - "Peace Sells" (1986)
- Anthrax - "Madhouse" (1985)
- Slayer - "Raining Blood" (1986)
- Judas Priest - "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" (1982)
- Love Fist - "Fist Fury" (Unknown. 2002 in real world)
- David Lee Roth - "Yankee Rose" (1986)
Songs marked with * don't appear in the 10th Anniversary Edition
GTA Vice City Stories
- Dio - "Holy Diver" (1983)
- Queensrÿche - "Queen of the Reich" (1984)
- KISS - "Lick It Up" (1983)
- Dokken - "Breaking the Chains" (1983)
- Autograph - "All I'm Gonna Take" (1984)
- Accept - "Balls to the Wall" (1984)
- Scorpions - "Rock You Like a Hurricane" (1984)
- Krokus - "Long Stick Goes Boom" (1982)
- Ted Nugent - "Stranglehold" (1975)
- Ratt - "Round and Round" (1984)
- Judas Priest - "Electric Eye" (1982)
- Mötley Crüe - "Looks That Kill" (1984)
- Quiet Riot - "Metal Health" (1983)
Trivia
- A large portion of Couzin Ed's banter references the 1986 cult-documentary "Heavy Metal Parking Lot".
- One of the V-Rock stingers contains the first few seconds of the Dio song "Jesus, Mary & The Holy Ghost".
- Couzin Ed also says "Comin' atcha live! The bitch is back...", referencing to "Cumin Atcha Live" by Tesla that featured in GTA Vice City. "The Bitch Is Back" by Elton John is also a popular classic rock song, although not on either V-Rock playlist.
- The songs "Round and Round" by Ratt and "Working for the Weekend" by Loverboy are present in Saints Row and Saints Row 2 respectively. The Saints Row series is considered by some to be a GTA Clone. "Peace Sells" by Megadeth is featured in True Crime: Streets of LA, which is also considered by some to be a GTA Clone.
- Couzin Ed makes reference to the heavy metal mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, saying "let's turn it up to 12", an obvious play on 11 being "one louder" than 10 on the guitar amplifier volume control in the film.
- Lazlow quotes the famous Neil Young song Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) during one of his segments by quoting the line "It's better to burn out than to fade away." This was the final line in Kurt Cobain's suicide note when he committed suicide in 1994, and was also used in the 1983 Def Leppard song Rock of Ages and by Clancy Brown's character in the 1986 film Highlander.
- The word "Rock" in the V-Rock logo, and the text on its billboards, are written in the same font as the logo for heavy metal band, Iron Maiden.
- Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth are part of the "big four" thrash groups. Metallica is the only band not to be featured on the station.
Video
GTA Vice City
GTA Vice City Stories
See Also
- K-DST - A radio station in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas which plays another song by KISS.
- Radio X - A radio station in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas which plays another song by Ozzy Osbourne
- Liberty Rock Radio - A radio station in Grand Theft Auto IV which also plays metal, as well as other songs by Iron Maiden and Mötley Crüe.
- Los Santos Rock Radio - A radio station in Grand Theft Auto V which also plays metal, as well as another song by The Cult.
- Liberty City Hardcore - A radio station in Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City which also plays thrash metal.
Template:Gtaiii era radio stations