Airheads

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Airhead (disambiguation).
Airheads

Airheads poster
Directed by Michael Lehmann
Produced by Mark Burg
Robert Simonds
Written by Rich Wilkes
Starring Brendan Fraser
Steve Buscemi
Adam Sandler
Music by Carter Burwell
Cinematography John Schwartzman
Editing by Stephen Semel
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date(s) August 5 1994
Running time 92 min.
Country USA
Language English
IMDb profile

Airheads is a comedy film released on August 5, 1994. It was written by Rich Wilkes and directed by Michael Lehmann.

It stars Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, and Adam Sandler as a group of loser musicians called The Lone Rangers who take a radio station hostage, just so that their song would get played on the radio. Joe Mantegna plays the radio station's disc jockey and Michael McKean plays the station's manager.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Chazz (Fraser), Rex (Buscemi) and Pip (Sandler) are a would-be rock band calling themselves The Lone Rangers. The guys are continuously turned down as they try to get their demo tape heard by producers. They finally decide to try to get the local rock station, Rebel Radio 103.6, to play it on the air, after they saw how Rebel Radio helped another band (The Sons of Thunder) get a record deal. Their first break-in attempt is using Pip's ATM card and its PIN. Then, Rex tries to "short circuit" the electronic lock with Pip's Big Gulp. They finally get in when a station employee comes out (and goes back in) and they keep the door from shutting. Once inside, disc jockey Ian the Shark (Mantegna) puts them on the air without them knowing. The station's sleazy manager Milo (Michael McKean) overhears them and intervenes. After Milo calls Rex "Hollywood Boulevard trash", Chazz and Rex shove water pistols (that look like Uzis) loaded with hot pepper sauce in Milo's face and demand airplay. After setting up a reel-to-reel for the demo, the tape starts...and is destroyed when the reel runs out and catches fire in an ashtray. The guys try to run, but Doug Beech (Michael Richards), a station employee calls police and the building is surrounded. They soon realize that they are armed hostage takers, and begin negotiations with the police. During the crisis, it is learned that Milo had signed a deal to change radio formats, which includes having to downsize Ian and most of the other employees. Ian and the rest of the employees take the side of Chazz and turn against Milo. Eventually, the record executive who rejects Chazz in the beginning of the movie comes to the radio station. The band signs a record contract and goes out on stage to play, only to realize that they are supposed to lip sync the song and fake playing the instruments. They refuse to lip sync while the music is playing and get a round of cheers from the audience, who rush the stage. Afterwards, Ian becomes the band's manager and we learn that the three were sent to prison, but served only a short time and had their album (which was recorded while the trio was imprisoned) go triple platinum.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Cameos

  • White Zombie makes an appearance in the film with their song "Feed the Gods".
  • Stuttering John from the Howard Stern show makes a cameo when he admits to "... masturbating... constantly".
  • Lemmy of Motörhead also has a cameo in the movie. He is the rocker who admits to being editor of his school magazine during the scene when people admit to doing uncool things as kids. He is credited as Lemmy von Motörhead.
  • The band Galactic Cowboys perform in the movie under the name Sons of Thunder.
  • Mike Judge makes a voice-only appearance as his characters Beavis and Butt-head, in which they call the KPPX radio station to tell The Lone Rangers that they sucked.

[edit] Production notes

  • The KPPX building used in the film is also featured in the movie Die Hard. It is visible in the plaza across from the Fox Plaza, "Nakatomi building" at the beginning of the movie.
Airheads (Soundtrack)
Airheads (Soundtrack) cover
Studio album by Various
Released 1994
Recorded 1994
Genre Rock music
Length 49:43
Label Arista Records
Producer Lonn Friend
Professional reviews

[edit] Soundtrack

  1. "Born to Raise Hell" - Motörhead with Ice-T and Whitfield Crane – 4:57
  2. "I'm The One" - 4 Non Blondes – 3:58
  3. "Feed the Gods" - White Zombie – 4:05
  4. "No Way Out" - DGeneration – 4:26
  5. "Bastardizing Jellikit" - Primus – 4:11
  6. "London" - Anthrax – 2:54
  7. "Can't Give In" - Candlebox – 3:15
  8. "Curious George Blues" - Dig – 4:03
  9. "Inheritance" - Prong – 2:11
  10. "Degenerated" - Lone Rangers – 3:53
  11. "I'll Talk My Way Out Of It" - Stuttering John – 3:40
  12. "Fuel" - Stick – 4:57
  13. "We Want the Airwaves" - Ramones – 3:21

* "Degenerated" was originally a song by Reagan Youth.

[edit] External links