Mike Myers ‘Wayne’s World’ Trivia: Music Dispute Almost Made ‘Wayne Walk’
Mike Myers almost walked out on Wayne’s World over a music dispute. It seems that the studio didn’t want to use a certain song and Myers wasn’t going to give in.
Myers acknowledges how difficult he allegedly is to work with, and doesn’t seem to mind the notoriety. In a recent podcast with WTF’s Marc Maron, he revealed a specific moment during the filming of the comedy classic Wayne’s World when he almost walked away from the movie.
Myers explained:
An example of something I fought very, very hard for and it was my first movie, it was ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in Wayne’s World. They wanted Guns N’ Roses. Guns N’ Roses were very, very popular, they were a fantastic band…
Queen, at that point, not by me and not by hardcore fans, but the public had sort of forgotten about them. Freddie [Mercury] had gotten sick, the last time we had seen them was on Live Aid and then there were a few albums after where they were sort of straying away from their arena rock roots. But I always loved ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ I thought it was a masterpiece. So I fought really, really hard for it. And at one point I said, ‘Well I’m out, I don’t want to make this movie if it’s not ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’
While Guns N’ Roses may have been a good choice, Mike Myers wanted to bring awareness back to a band that wasn’t so prominent at the time. His demands had the results he expected, bringing Queen back to popularity for a whole new generation. The film was so influential to the band’s success that Myer’s song of choice shot to number two on the charts, higher than it originally was back when it was first released.
The film also did the same for comedian Rob Lowe, whose presence in the film revealed him to be a versatile comedian. The influence of Mike Myers didn’t end there either, as Lowe was also cast as a younger Number Two in the Austin Powers films.
Mike Myers Nearly Quit Wayne’s World Because Of T… http://t.co/UTgyrMUuqb #Movies h… pic.twitter.com/0bbS4ng9wh
— Ratermob (@ratermob) September 2, 2014
Myers has had other arguments, such as those with Lorne Michaels of Saturday Night Live, over projects where he owned the character. Apparently “Wayne” could be very controlling, but it usually paid off.
The SNL alum’s luck eventually ran out when he made the extremely racist and embarrassing The Love Guru. When that movie bombed really hard, he finally gave up acting and settled down to raise his family.
We will never forget the famous scene from Wayne’s World though, and we have Mike Myers to thank for the return of Queen, honoring the late Freddie Mercury.
[image via lev radin / Shutterstock.com]
