Welcome to the Callous Blog!The Movie (and Music) that Changed My Life
Posted by Carlo Jose San Juan, MD on Sunday, January 4, 2015
We hear it often: "That was a life-changing experience!" In 1991, while the verbal exclamation was not expressed, I thought the same after watching a certain movie.
Not many people remember it but 1991 was a GREAT year for movies. Look at what came out: The Silence of the Lambs, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Beauty and the Beast, Hook, The Addams Family, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Boyz n the Hood, Thelma & Louise, JFK, City Slickers, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (my personal favorite with the original Enterprise crew), My Girl, The Rocketeer, The Doors, and many more. But the one that CHANGED MY LIFE? It had the following scene.
Not many people remember it but 1991 was a GREAT year for movies. Look at what came out: The Silence of the Lambs, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Beauty and the Beast, Hook, The Addams Family, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Boyz n the Hood, Thelma & Louise, JFK, City Slickers, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (my personal favorite with the original Enterprise crew), My Girl, The Rocketeer, The Doors, and many more. But the one that CHANGED MY LIFE? It had the following scene.
Yes, it was Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. Not exactly the Oscar-contender you might have been expecting. But this little movie helped me discover something that had eluded me for pretty much my whole life up to that point... what kind of music I liked.
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey Trailer
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey Trailer
I grew up with a big sister that was heavily into pop music. I enjoyed it too though probably because that was all I was exposed to. So I bobbed my head to lots of 80's pop, rap, and hiphop. Yes, even Color Me Badd.
Then I saw this movie. In a Footloose-esque moment as I was listening to the heavy riffs and songs that were either played or referenced to in the film, I had somehow discovered myself! I liked rock! Better yet, I liked metal! This stuff was me! The movie and its predecessor, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, were filled with rock and metal inside jokes that I just had to find out the meaning behind them.
The Bogus Journey soundtrack was the first cassette tape I ever bought for myself. It had tracks by Slaughter, Winger, Kiss, Steve Vai, Faith No More, Megadeth, and Primus, among others. It was a good start and my first step into a larger world.
And 1991 was a great time to start getting into metal. Rock music in general was evolving and that included metal. Alternative rock was also on the rise and I got into that too. There was a resurgence of Philippine rock music as well. I got my first and only electric guitar and began to learn to shred. My friends and I formed a band. My music collection grew as did my hair. I started going to rock concerts, most notably Metallica in Manila back in 1993.
The titular characters, Bill and Ted, were trying to save the world with their music. Well, they sure saved me.
Then I saw this movie. In a Footloose-esque moment as I was listening to the heavy riffs and songs that were either played or referenced to in the film, I had somehow discovered myself! I liked rock! Better yet, I liked metal! This stuff was me! The movie and its predecessor, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, were filled with rock and metal inside jokes that I just had to find out the meaning behind them.
The Bogus Journey soundtrack was the first cassette tape I ever bought for myself. It had tracks by Slaughter, Winger, Kiss, Steve Vai, Faith No More, Megadeth, and Primus, among others. It was a good start and my first step into a larger world.
And 1991 was a great time to start getting into metal. Rock music in general was evolving and that included metal. Alternative rock was also on the rise and I got into that too. There was a resurgence of Philippine rock music as well. I got my first and only electric guitar and began to learn to shred. My friends and I formed a band. My music collection grew as did my hair. I started going to rock concerts, most notably Metallica in Manila back in 1993.
The titular characters, Bill and Ted, were trying to save the world with their music. Well, they sure saved me.
Tags: bill and ted metal music movies
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Caz is a practicing licensed physician, professional voice actor/talent, writer, and cartoonist. He has been working on the Callous comic strip since 1996, winning several of The LaSallian's Silver Quill awards for his work. He has written several published short stories.
He currently lives in the Philippines with his wife and two children.