Dad, Why is this Scene Funny?

With the coming release of Bohemian Rhapsody we can expect the actual song to be on the air more or less permanently this fall.

Younger reader(s) should understand something about Bohemian Rhapsody. The song benefited from absolutely perfect timing. Freddy Mercury died in the fall of 1991 and Wayne's World came out the winter of 1992. You want to talk about convergence? Well there it is. 

The rest is music history.

Behold:

Younger reader(s) are probably thinking, 'Ok, Wayne and Garth are driving and listening to Bohemian Rhapsody.'

Yes, but there is so much more to this scene.

Now, we were 18 in 1992 and we liked Queen. But we liked the Queen of Iron Eagle and Highlander, the 1980's hard rock Queen. 70's era Queen might as well have been another century. We had heard Bohemian Rhapsody but the song was not yet a 'thing' as it is today.  It was niche, even obscure, and that is what makes the above scene so funny. To put it another way, if one were making a Queen biopic in 1992, one would not have called it Bohemian Rhapsody.

In 1992 one watched this scene and thought, 'Why are these metal nerds driving around, in a Pacer no less, listening to Bohemian Rhapsody? Is that opera?....and the head banging.'

In 1992 the scene was ridiculous. That's why it was funny.

Metal Monday

Post 9/11 kicking Muslim Butt edition:

People of Earth, I give you:

Ahhhh Iron Eagle. Yeah, yeah, I know. Still its a lot of fun and God Bless Queen.

Twenty Five years ago I was listening to this sound track everyday. Queen does a song here for Iron Eagle, but also Highlander.

Check out Brian May's solo at about 3:00. It has a heroic feel, an almost operatic feel to it. Then he just hammers the listener.

Back then, when I was 18 mind you, I was writing about galactic alliances and such. I've held on to a few of the ideas I had and got them in print. Anywho with the One Vision opening I used to see helicopters rising out from a hill, the morning sun behind them. Very Apocalypse Now, I know. That massive sword fight in the middle, well that used to make me think of space dreadnoughts trading fire, one volley after another.

The interesting thing about Queen was their ability to adapt. In the early 70's they sound like a guitar driven classic rock band. By the end of the decade they're heavily influenced by Disco. By the mid-80s they sound kind of metal. Which was no fluke. Brian May is on my top ten guitar players list. Heavy was always in them, oh stop snickering.

Queen also has a special place in my generation's heart. Well, you know:

Before Wayne's World one only heard Bohemian Rhapsody on the musty classic rock stations, 92.3 and 102.7 in the NY metro area. As it happened Freddie Mercury died a few months before this came out, so this was kind of his swan song cum tribute. Yes, my friends and I drove around in my 86 Celica doing this. Heck, we do it when DJ's play the song at weddings.

Fuck yeah, who says the gays can't rock?