John Mellencamp (56 today), or The Artist Formerly Known As John Cougar Mellencamp, is a Midwest heartland-rocker of the most extreme variety. One gets the feeling that if he had the choice of being the Ruler of the World or a simple factory worker in some mythical homespun bastion of Honest Americana, he'd be on the train to Indiana before you can say "pot roast." His classics, "Jack and Diane," "Hurts So Good," "Lonely Ol' Night," "Small Town," "R.O.C.K. In the U.S.A.," and "Wild Night" are truly fun encapsualtions of small-town America. He also directed and starred in a movie -- guess what it's about?

An unappealing creature of some sort gets too close to a nuclear explosion, turning it huge, ravenous, and prone to terrorizing cities.

A sensitive young woman finds her identity in repressive Victorian England.

A happy family man's son is killed by a deranged killer, turning him on the edge .

An oil-and-water cop team break all the rules in bringing down an evil druglord.

A rock star returns to his Indiana hometown to find himself unwelcome.