Musicians who die at 'The Perfect Age'

When Scott Rosenbaum heard about Amy Winehouse, dead at 27, he was stunned. Not by the news. And not by the "27" thing, either.

Rosenbaum, a Syosset native and former financial exec, is a rock music buff, and knew the lore -- how an uncanny number of performers have died at 27, from landmark blues singer Robert Johnson to Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain.

No, what was stranger is that Winehouse died just two weeks before the release of his first feature film, "The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll," which considers the phenomenon.

"I don't want to exploit this," says Rosenbaum, 42. "It's a tragedy. But interesting timing."

"Perfect Age," released in Manhattan and On Demand starting Aug. 5, is a fictional tale starring Kevin Zegers as Spyder, a 27-year-old burnt-out rocker; Jason Ritter as Eric, a songwriting pal, and Taryn Manning as Rose, the woman caught between the two.

The film starts in Oyster Bay, where Spyder returns to find his hometown pal, Eric, stuck in a lifeless marriage and job. Spyder, who'd skyrocketed to fame years earlier, is now in free fall, addictions out of control. He coaxes Eric to join him and a tough manager (Peter Fonda) in a final comeback before he derails.

In one scene that now inadvertently resonates, a reporter (Lukas Haas) states, "All the great ones died at 27."

SEE PHOTOSCelebrities who died at 27

So what's with that fateful age? "Record labels drive these people to spit out music like ATM machines," says Rosenbaum. Hangers-on provide alcohol, drugs -- and by 27 they've been "immersed in this lifestyle long enough for it to take a toll."

Changing lifestyles, whatever the career, isn't easy. Rosenbaum knows. He attended Syosset High, playing drums in garage bands and hanging at Christiano's, rumored to be the inspiration for Billy Joel's iconic song "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant."

He dreamed of making movies but opted for Wall Street and a family. Then came 9/11.

"I hate to sound cliched," he says, "but it affected me."

Realizing life was short, he plunged into writing a screenplay in 2002, working in the wee hours before work, at various delis and diners near his office. "I'd sit there, grab coffee, breakfast, and write -- it was fantastic," he says.

Making his film, of course, was a challenge. His kids appear in a school band scene, but a scene featuring his wife hit the cutting-room floor.

He insisted his actors perform their own music. Ritter played guitar, but Zegers had never sung. One scene calls for them to perform alongside real-life blues legends Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin and Sugar Blue.

"Typically, you'd prerecord the song," Rosenbaum says. "But these blues guys said absolutely not -- we're playing live."

So the jam session scene . . . became an actual jam session.

"I have a huge respect for all who pulled that off," Rosenbaum says. "The music here had to be authentic or else . . . what's the point?"