After releasing this video last night I bought the extended cut of the film and watched it. I can't believe how much more footage there is that add even more context and meaning to the scenes. There's even a scene at the restaurant where someone unleashes a fire extiguisher on the crowd and a "riot" breaks out making it look like people are moshing to The Oneders.
Great video. Made me wish it was a reaction video of you watching the movie for the first time. Would have been cool to go down memory lane with you, as opposed to hearing about it later. Again, great vid.
@@TheArtofGuitar ya, man. I've seen it all. Such a good movie. I feel like it's super lame to say you like Sandlot, or Stand by Me, or That thing you do. But you know what? Fuck em. That thing you do is a great film, and a great song. Also, the one they play in "the land of Lincoln " was sick. It's kinda like Come Together but faster and more swingin. Amazerful.
lmao. My old band had a female married singer. Her husband came to EVERY practice...EVERY gig... EVERY event. We didn't mind at first, until he started making "suggestions". I finally had to tell him..."Listen, you're not IN the band, so shut up ." Of course it was super uncomfortable afterwards...and we broke up a few weeks later. Couples never work in a band setting. Never.
That movie was my band in 79-82. We made it to California in the summer of 1980. It was such a twilight zone experience for us. The competition between bands. The record companies, the pay to play gigs. The dudes looking more like chicks than the chicks did. It was like being on another planet. And everybody was somebody, meaning, they all had business cards. One scam after another. We came back home to Massachusetts and got so called real jobs, got married, had kids. But to this day we still play music. And enjoy it so much more. Loved the movie. Spinal tap also, had quite a few of those moments. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@Reed5016California can be a great place, depending on where you live and why you’re there. I think the biggest thing is having the right balance of cynicism. Act like a starry eyed person straight off the bus and you’re going to get scammed. But become cynical and you’ll piss off the one person who legitimately wanted to give you a break. And there’s nothing wrong with deciding to go back home and play/act/etc on the side nor are you foolish if you legitimately want to take a stab at making a living at it.
I LOVE this movie! The title track was written by Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne (RIP), so of COURSE it's great! Always happy to see this film get some love, and I enjoyed your stories too. Great job!
The movie "The Commitments" is another classic that show how a band forms, and how they all rehears their parts, and how different personalities can clash within a band, then the band gets that one cherished gig that they think is going to catapult them to the next level, but the personalities in the band wind up tearing everything apart. Its a great band movie
I watch this movie a couple times a year. My pet peeve in music-related movies is when the actors clearly have no idea how to play instruments. Much like the actors in Spinal Tap, the actors in That Thing You Do learned to play as a band before filming began. It shows. I was in a band that covered the theme song, and even though people looked at us like, WTF, we didn’t care. Those harmonies, those songs…just amazing. Thanks for covering this!
This is Spinal Tap - a clarification on musicianship - www.google.com/search?q=this+is+spinal+tap+actors+really+playing&rlz=1CALCRH_enUS1054US1054&oq=this+is+spinal+tap+actors+really+playing&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRigATIHCAYQIRiPAtIBCTEwMjM0ajFqN6gCCLACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
We called our high school band "Ourselves!" Yes with the exclamation point. Sometimes it was written wrong posters. 'Our Elves' and people called us The Arse Elves too. First gig talent show. 1 song. We lasted 3 years. Played Alot!! Wrote some songs, won some contests, went on TV, studio etc...then college split us up.
Love this movie, it's always great for a rewatch cause it holds up so well. Fun fact the title song "that thing you do" was written and composed by Adam Schlesinger the bassist from Fountains of Wayne
Dude, nice work you're doing here. You're a great player with a great attitude, I can tell you've paid your dues. I've been playing guitar in bands for decades, somehow I'm 60 years old now and still playing in a band. Been through all the same stuff as you, all while working full time jobs my whole life. Most people that don't play could never imagine what it takes to do that, you obviously lived it and get it. It's exactly how you said it, be in school all day just dreaming about when I can get home to sit in my room and listen to albums and jam along. In my day it was Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Nugent, Deep Purple, Styx, Rush, etc.. then came EDDIE! There's no describing what it was like in 1978 when that first Van Halen album came out, I remember like it was yesterday, blew everyone's mind. Anywho, sorry for the novel, oh, That Thing You Do.. yes it is fantastic. I've been with my wife for 40 years now and she is like Fay in the movie, she's always been supportive of my musical 'career' if you will. We didn't have this fancy internet thing back in the day, but we got by. Rock on man!
Guy didn't start off 2x the speed out of excitement. He knew exactly what he was doing. You can see how relaxed he was right before they played and also right after the song started.
I heard that one of the original Dave Clark Five members was a consultant on this movie. And I agree this was an excellent look into the real exerances of many musicians in that time period. . Was a really enjoyable movie for me.
Funnily enough, in that same year (1996) there was an independent movie called "Bandwagon" that I think perfectly epitomizes the garage band experience. I strongly recommend that one.
Thanks so much for this video. That movie brought exactly the same emotions and touched the same strings in me-we ve also been there. First gigs, first radio, first “huge” show-and than a “normal descent jobs”.. oh my, that was a time
Oh my goodness. Here in Alberta we have a provincial radio station that plays local talent. And I’ve been lucky enough to be played there. Makes you feel amazing
I love your stories!!! I can relate to them a lot!!! My situation was slightly different!!! LOL 😂😂😂 I joined this band because they needed a bass player!!! Well , I was a guitar player wanting to play in a professional Rock N Roll band!!! (I was an Eddie Van Halen " wanna be", but not very good lead guitar player LOL 😂) As fate and good luck would have it , I hooked up with this band that I was a big fan of!!!! The lead singer worked at the same grocery store as me!!! The singer sold me a copy of a demo CD EP of their music that they had recorded!!! Their music was a blend of pop rock, alternative, new wave and heavy metal , progressive rock with punk rock elements!!! The important thing was that their songs had catchy hooks!!! 😊 So I became friends with the lead singer and guitar player!!!! I hit it off with the guitar player so much that he had me become his guitar tech!!!! (I went to see them perform live so many times, I would often help the band carry their gear on and off the stage) Their bass player unexpectedly quit, with no logical explanation!!! He just quit to join some other local band!!! But the band had obligations and gigs that they didn't want to cancel, plus the guitarist didn't want to get in that extensive audition process of finding another bass player!!! So I volunteered and said that I could stand in and play bass for them!!! I bought a cheap used bass guitar and used Peavey bass amp head and cabinet and learned all the bands songs very fast!!!! What an adventure and hard chore 😮 that was!!! Luckily, I had a guitar playing background cause that helped me learn the songs easier. LOL 😂😂😂 My first gig with this band was a baptism of fire for me!!! Sink or swim!!!! I was so nervous, I had to throw up in the restroom!!! I messed up on a couple of songs !!!! But I recovered quickly and showed a lot of poise on stage!!! 😂😊 I ended up being their permanent Bass player because the band thought I was a natural at playing bass and that I had natural stage presence and high energy flamboyant perfomer!!! 😂😂😂😂 Well, this was my first professional band back in 1991!!! I was barely 21 years old!!! I was playing with band members who were much older than me with more live performance and recording experience!!! Thanks for posting!!! And sharing !!! Im happy that I shared my experience!!! I miss 😢 those band playing days!!!! 😊 P.S. We ended up with a record deal with an Indie label owned by a local wealthy, rich family with a lot of money to spend, but they had no clue what the music business was about!!! Our first professional album CD went no where!!! 😮😢 But we did play alot of gigs in the local Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Glendale, of Arizona!!! It was a great experience!!! We even played a show on Sunset Blvd in LA at the ROXY !!!! 😂😂😂😂
I was in a band in then 80's and the movie reminded me of that time. We were writing songs and playing gigs and a producer from new york saw us and became are producer and worked with us writing and recording songs. The first song we recorded was in an old 8 track tape studio, it was so cool. Then the rest of the songs were recorded in nyc in avenue b studio, which was really fun. Just like your band we played tons of gigs but never really got bigger then local scene. We did do a music video that got on a college tv station and had articles in local music magazines.. And then everyone went there on was an the band fell apart. Fun video thanks for posting.
Bro, this song was a milestone for me in my early bass playing journey. To this day, its one of the first riffs I rip when I pick up a new bass, or someone else's bass. I was totally smitten with the movie and learning that bass line was huge for me. It's not hard, but back then, it may as well have been Rachmaninoff to me. Going from Green Day to this...man. Good times. Good stuff, homie. Much love. Be well.
We love this movie! When my wife and I met, I owned an auto repair shop with my brother. We had unused office space that four friends and I were able to utilize as a fantastic practice space. We were fine-tuning to play a battle of the bands when my hot new girlfriend and I were in a car crash. By the time I was ready to get back to playing, two of the guys had had changes to their work schedules and could no longer play. Sadly, it just fell apart. My favorite piece that were did was a grunge version of “Brandy” that broke into Peter Gunn in the middle. Thanks for what you do!
I had a former band mate and still close friend who had gone to high school and eventually toured with one of the songwriters and singers on the soundtrack. The late Rick Elias has writing and performance credits on quite a few songs. He also played one of the musicians in the Playtone orchestra for the character Freddie Fredrickson (Mr. Downtown). Tom Hanks also has a surprising amount of songwriting credits in the film. Another acquaintance of mine, Bob Sale, played drums on some of the tracks. My all time favorite music movie.
On a side note, Tom Hanks had chosen Rick Elias to be the musical director of an upcoming Broadway production of TTYD. This was right before Rick became terminally ill and the project never materialized. Rick came home to San Diego to spend time with our mutual friend Steve not long before he died. Rick and Steve both went to Clairemont HS, which was the inspiration for Cameron Crowes “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” at the time Crowe was attending there undercover, posing as a student to obtain writing material. Another great band movie is “Almost Famous”, loosely based on Cameron Crowes high school years as a budding writer for Rolling Stone magazine.
My dad played in a band in the late 50's and early 60's opening for some big names like The Lettermen, and he was friends with Chris Montez who had a big hit with "Let's Dance." When he watched That Thing You Do! for the first time he said it was scarily accurate to everything he saw and experienced of the band experience of that era. So I've known for quite a long time that there isn't very much 'hollywood license' in this movie...
I am in a band that we started almost a year ago and learning about the life of being a band when you start to make it big is a hard life for sure from what I have read and seen. I'm not sure how far my band is going to go but if we do make it far like The Wonders, at least I am aware of what may happen at their point as a famous to semi-famous band. Wow, what an interesting life that a band becomes when they get there. The band manager seems to have all the control. Crazy.
I ❤❤❤ this movie! So many funny and quotable lines. I've always thought this seemed likely to be modestly accurate for an up and coming band's experience, particularly back in this era. The soundtrack is great! I sang "That Thing You Do!" for karaoke (just at a small party, not in public). It's a bit challenging, but not too bad on the high parts for me as a female. I enjoyed singing it, even if no one else there knew the song. Great video!
For anyone who likes listening to people's stories, you're great at telling them. You have a great sense of exactly how much to go off to the side a little while keeping on track, the context and emotions come through crystal clear, and you're really focused on the narrative, seamlessly conveying what it all means to you. I think you might have a pretty natural aptitude for storytelling. If you wanted, you could probably write your own movie or novel (about whatever), or maybe a concept album (maybe in the spirit of a 21st century answer to Operation Mindcrime?) ... Or just keep making videos like this. I believe story is an art form that we need more people under 70 keeping alive 😅 Anyway thanks always for the great stuff you make. I feel like on paper your content would sound like it's all over the place and incoherent, but the diversity of topic and style works perfectly for people who are invested in all things music. You might be something like a Gen X Rick Beato 😎
Thanks man, it's good to hear this because when I'm in my 90's I'm not sure how much shredding I'll be doing but I can always put out stories both fiction and non. :)
Same story, back in the late 80s was in a band called PARIS, won a battle of the bands and the prize was 40 hrs in the studio, did a demo, got air play, but because we weren’t signed with a label they couldn’t put the song on rotation. But like you said great memories you never forget!
Great insight Mike. I remember seeing this years ago. Something else about the movie is the gear they used. I remember that Tom Hanks said they wanted to use vintage equipment for realism, Notice a lot of Silvertone amps & guitars at the beginning before they move up to "professional type" equipment. Back in the day, most of us high school rockers were playing Silvertone, Airline, Tiesco and Kingston. I recall hearing some of the stuff they used was loaned by Norm's.
My favorite story of a new bands song coming on the radio is Night Ranger. At the time there were 4 rock stations in the LA area. They were driving around and one of their songs came on. They switched to a different station and they were playing a different song of theirs. Third station, third song and the last station was playing a fourth song of theirs. For that moment every rock station in LA was playing their music. It wasn't the first time they heard one of their songs on the radio but it was a wake up moment that made them realize that something big was happening.
I had similar experiences In the band I was in. There's no better feeling than someone asking for an original song what you wrote. The trick is to not let it get in your head that every place you play, they want the same thing. Some places said "Play something we know!!" If we heard that, that's when we stopped the originals. We always sold CD's, so we figured they could check us out on their own. You can't force yourself on a crowd that isn't open to it. That's one of the fastest ways to not get asked back.
I love and watch this movie religiously, one of my all time favorites. And the songs are spectacular! Mike Viola did a great job with these compositions, Dance With Me Tonight is one of my favorites. Anyways I did not expect this video from you, a pleasant surprise!
The best years of my life were being in a band and although we never made the big time we did the whole package everything you talk about on your channel is so damn relatable to me. I read a lot of biographies on famous musicians and I’m constantly amazed by the parallels I come across.
the song "That Thing You Do" is one of the sweetest pop songs ever. It has a chord progression that sounds fresh and familiar at the same time. Its lyrics are clever and emotionally effective. It calls out to the Beatles, especially in its ending, without being slavishly imitative. It walks all the tightropes with perfect balance. I have it on my personal playlist.
Dude, how do you bring up topics that are in my head? 🤘🏼 My first band in high school was hilarious. I was the only one who knew how to tune the guitars. Our drummer had a kick, hi-hat, and snare, and no cymbals. The first song we played was You’ve got another thing comin by Judas Priest. Good times…..
Considering Tom Hanks wrote it and was never in a band, it’s even more impressive. One of my all-time faves, from the music to the comedy and the production design. Saw it in the theater when it opened (still have the stub in my cd jewel case, which we went and bought immediately after the showing), bought the sheet music for the title song, owned it on VHS, DVD, extended cut BD, watched the COVID Zoom actor commentary, and most recently bought the vinyl when it finally arrived.
I was almost always the creative lead in my bands. Yep, I'm that guy. Back around 2005 or so, after I said "hard pass" the rest of my band went off and met some sketchy "label" guy behind my back at a restaurant in a city about an hour and a half away from our base, they all paid this guy an equal amount of cash, I believe around $100 per person, to be on this guys label and some comp CD. Of course ABSOLUTELY nothing became of it and it just became one of those "I told you so" moments I never used, but should have. They just wanted to be able to say they were a "signed band" so bad, they fell for this guys scam. To this day two of those guys are still in small bands together, never progressed at all, and they still think the way bands "make it" is by playing every little show offered and some day, just maybe, some day, a label will be there and offer them a million dollar deal. This isn't the 80's on sunset strip, guys!
Just for clarification, the drummer doesn’t start fast because he can’t keep tempo. He does it intentionally because he thinks it should be a fast song. He even telegraphs his intentions at the rehearsal when he makes sure it’s only one song. He does it on purpose, and he was right. Man, as a guitarist, I can’t believe I just said a drummer was right! ;)
Really enjoyed the film when first watching it years back, and the relationship to your own band experience was so interesting, did you know theirs an extended cut of the movie that cane out a few years back
I've never seen this movie, and will have to watch it. Thoughts: 93x Loud and Local- yep. Bass player without a name - way, waaaaaayy too real. Hearing your song on the radio for the first time while waiting for a table at a Country Kitchen. Priceless, especially since it was with a bandmate. Losing a battle of the bands (to your band?), but knowing we were playing CBGBs in three weeks. Yeah. Having the guitar player mouth "Holy Shit!" cross-stage at you at a packed house where all you see from the stage is bouncing heads. Also priceless. Amp fire during a set. Ouch. At least nobody was hurt... except my wallet. Cease and desist letter from another band based ~2000 miles away with the same name... Uh oh. At least we were pre-google. While playing a song, noticing Grant Hart and Ed Ackerson watching your show instead of you watching theirs like you think it's supposed to be. I'm still in contact with most of my former bandmates, my brothers and sisters in music. My current ones (and their spouses) are are like siblings. Being in a band is life changing. Foo Fighters Back and Forth is another good band movie.
I honestly still really like this movie, it’s definitely up there with one of the best music films and the songs are absolute bangers, plus the guitars are all absolutely gorgeous as well (Especially that Rickenbacker 360/12, Gibson Les Paul Junior and Fender Jaguar)
The girl band at the talent show had Jennifer York playing the standup bass. She was a helicopter traffic reporter in Southern California for many years and also played bass in the all-girl Christian band, "Rachel Rachel", who did a killer cover of Kansas' "Carry On Wayward Son". Just a bit of trivia.
A band my son was in had a horrible start. A smoky, dark club with just parents there to see them. And they were awful. A year later they are on Sirius Octane Bigguns. Hearing them on the radio that first time was unforgettable for us.
One of the nice touches to me for those that have had an original band with at least a bit of fame, or even just plodding along on the local scene .. how OFTEN you are going to hear your songs, over and over again. You start by writing them, then they get tighter and then on stage, they hit their peak. Then it becomes old hat, and you get sick of it. But people WANT to hear it! I mean, how many times did Aerosmith play Dream On?
Loved this movie and agree that it is one of the best at showing the band experience. Got me thinking about some others that were also good although maybe as much "music biz" as "band": Grace of My Heart, Eddie and the Cruisers, Rock Star, Almost Famous, The Fabulous Stains...
Its interesting. As a veteran and a musician, its interesting seeing that this is basically like Generation Kill but for musicians. In a way, of course, theres obviously massive differences, no shit, but theres definitely a comparison to be made
My band opened up for ourselves. We wore disguises and called ourselves "Incognito". Good times. And i just remembered, Incognito played "that thing you do"
That was easily the best Tom Hanks movie ever! He probably wouldn't mind that distinction since he wrote and directed it as well as starred in it. I haven't seen that many of your movies but I did enjoy "Jerry Maguire". I should probably check out "Almost Famous" too as I hear it's pretty good. I have to say you look pretty good for 67.
OHH the parallels. Mom and Dad let us practice in their house in HS too. I'm a drummer, it made sense anyway. Plus I had something of a P.A as I was part time D.J then. But Props to them for putting up with how bad we were LOL. Love this movie and the music. @Mike Next talk about Hard Core Logo! ;)
I haven't seen this movie yet. It's on the list now. I never got past the working with just one other person only so far. I've played a few times with more people, but I was never really that great back then. I'm learning the drums now. I live in an apartment, so it's an electronic kit. I'm learning with Drumeo. It's pretty good so far. It's fun playing with the sound effects. I've been thinking about getting a double kick pedal. Now I'm a one man show, lol.
I know the lines to this movie by heart… GREAT MOVIE and it takes place in my hometown (not filmed there) Erie, PA. It is what got me to take drum lessons as a kid. I second that about the bass falling off. I dropped my bass on my toe as a teenager (yes I know bass too). There is a Villario’s in Erie but it is not by the airport. Yes, they serve Italian food 😂. Chris Isaak played Guy’s Uncle Bob. WJET was and is AM 1400 in Erie.
I love this video, and I love this movie! This movie and Almost Famous are two of my all-time favorites. I wonder if you draw any parallels to Almost Famous 🙂
I need to watch this. I remember thinking This is Spinal Tap was terrible because of how close some of those scenes hit. "Why would I want to watch a movie that presents my experiences as a joke?" Luckily I grew out of that attitude and can enjoy it now.
I love this movie. I saw it at the movie theater when it was originally released. And I've seen it 500 times. If you can find it, there is a directors (tom hanks) cut, which is about 25, 30 minutes later. And I love your review. Very observant.
I was a part of 2 bands in middle and highschool, none of which lasted long but yeah the movie captures it spot on. The worst is when you have a drummer with girlfriend issues; we were 12 dude
If you haven't seen the "The Commitments" from the early 1990's, check it out, similar story taking place in Ireland, funny and accurate -you won't be disappointed.
Another band related movie you might want to check out is Light of Day that stars Michael J Fox and Joan Jett along with Michael McKean (Spinal Tap). While there's a lot of mediocre family drama story in it, the band trying to tour on a non-existent budget brought back some memories for me.
During the scene at 10:10, they were already playing originals, just not "That Thing You Do!" That's an important piece of the film not discussed here; the audiences only wanted the song they knew.
16:30 Could have been an instrument cable... When I bought my first amp-head, the seller specifically told me not to use an instrument cable to connect it to the speaker. They work, but they are not designed to transmit that much power. Since then, I have only used speaker cables and have never had any problems with them.
Band movies... "That Thing You Do" is definitely a top 5! "Eddie and the Cruisers" 1 & 2 are, as well. I've seen "Bandslam", "School of Rock" and a few others. There's a few good band movies and a few not good ones, too.😁
I own a couple stores and i have a guitar and rig setup at each. Soon as i lock up i go and piss the neighbors off a bit and go home to feed the kids. Gotta squeeze it in where you can sometimes😅 do some scales and practice in downtime haha
When I was a kid, this movie seemed a little lame to me. But my younger cousin would watch it all the time, and I think it inspired him to be a drummer for awhile! But eventually I rewatched it a few years ago, and I was blown away by how well made it is. And probably the chief musical lesson it nailed was that tempo is everything! A bunch of high school buddies started bands, and some are still going...the chief criticism I still have of their music is that many of the songs are slightly too slow or too fast...even a few bpm makes a huge difference. I feel like if you have a song thats just alright, try it in various tempos until it has peak energy. When the right song meets the right tempo, it's magic and the audience cant help but respond
We love that movie but like you are metal heads and there's a metal comedy movie you should check out if you haven't yet. Heavy Trip and it's sequel Heavier Trip. I was a bass player in a cover bar band briefly but now I'm going to start on guitar. Great synopsis of the movie! 🤘😀🤘
as a bass player of nearly 50 years i can confirm the accuracy of this movie. i developed a philosophy decades ago that has served me well. NWCWTBPT no one cares what the bass player thinks. guitar players and singers want to emulate their heroes. bass players are a necessary evil. they will trudge through songs they don't like making it not fun. if you adopt NWCWTBPT things go much easier. they are enjoying playing more which makes me enjoy playing more
After releasing this video last night I bought the extended cut of the film and watched it. I can't believe how much more footage there is that add even more context and meaning to the scenes. There's even a scene at the restaurant where someone unleashes a fire extiguisher on the crowd and a "riot" breaks out making it look like people are moshing to The Oneders.
Great video. Made me wish it was a reaction video of you watching the movie for the first time. Would have been cool to go down memory lane with you, as opposed to hearing about it later. Again, great vid.
I ALWAYS watch the extended cut now. It’s a MUST!
@@TheArtofGuitar ya, man. I've seen it all. Such a good movie. I feel like it's super lame to say you like Sandlot, or Stand by Me, or That thing you do. But you know what? Fuck em. That thing you do is a great film, and a great song. Also, the one they play in "the land of Lincoln " was sick. It's kinda like Come Together but faster and more swingin. Amazerful.
"That Thing You Do" (the song) was written by Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, one of the greatest writers of the last 100 years.
😢 He died of complications from COVID-19 at age 52 in 2020
His death was a disaster to music
lmao. My old band had a female married singer. Her husband came to EVERY practice...EVERY gig... EVERY event. We didn't mind at first, until he started making "suggestions". I finally had to tell him..."Listen, you're not IN the band, so shut up ." Of course it was super uncomfortable afterwards...and we broke up a few weeks later. Couples never work in a band setting. Never.
That movie was my band in 79-82. We made it to California in the summer of 1980. It was such a twilight zone experience for us. The competition between bands. The record companies, the pay to play gigs. The dudes looking more like chicks than the chicks did. It was like being on another planet. And everybody was somebody, meaning, they all had business cards. One scam after another. We came back home to Massachusetts and got so called real jobs, got married, had kids. But to this day we still play music. And enjoy it so much more.
Loved the movie. Spinal tap also, had quite a few of those moments. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Going to California sounds like a nightmare to me, ngl. No amount of money could convince me to move there.
@@Reed5016California can be a great place, depending on where you live and why you’re there. I think the biggest thing is having the right balance of cynicism. Act like a starry eyed person straight off the bus and you’re going to get scammed. But become cynical and you’ll piss off the one person who legitimately wanted to give you a break. And there’s nothing wrong with deciding to go back home and play/act/etc on the side nor are you foolish if you legitimately want to take a stab at making a living at it.
I LOVE this movie! The title track was written by Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne (RIP), so of COURSE it's great! Always happy to see this film get some love, and I enjoyed your stories too. Great job!
I was in a band before I could play an instrument. I became a bass player. We never reached a level above bar band, but it was fun.
The part at the end where the drummer gets to jam with one of his idols is one of the best parts of the music.
The movie "The Commitments" is another classic that show how a band forms, and how they all rehears their parts, and how different personalities can clash within a band, then the band gets that one cherished gig that they think is going to catapult them to the next level, but the personalities in the band wind up tearing everything apart. Its a great band movie
I watch this movie a couple times a year. My pet peeve in music-related movies is when the actors clearly have no idea how to play instruments. Much like the actors in Spinal Tap, the actors in That Thing You Do learned to play as a band before filming began. It shows. I was in a band that covered the theme song, and even though people looked at us like, WTF, we didn’t care. Those harmonies, those songs…just amazing. Thanks for covering this!
They put so much effort into the musical details for sure. Musicians will notice. :)
This is Spinal Tap - a clarification on musicianship - www.google.com/search?q=this+is+spinal+tap+actors+really+playing&rlz=1CALCRH_enUS1054US1054&oq=this+is+spinal+tap+actors+really+playing&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRigATIHCAYQIRiPAtIBCTEwMjM0ajFqN6gCCLACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Spinal tap were talented before the movie.
T.B. Player as the bass players name is still the best joke of the movie.
Barry Toan would be a nice alternativ
Adam Schlesinger R.I.P. from Fountains of Wayne wrote the theme song of the movie.
We called our high school band "Ourselves!" Yes with the exclamation point. Sometimes it was written wrong posters. 'Our Elves' and people called us The Arse Elves too. First gig talent show. 1 song. We lasted 3 years. Played Alot!! Wrote some songs, won some contests, went on TV, studio etc...then college split us up.
arse elves has a ring to it. 🤣
Love this movie, it's always great for a rewatch cause it holds up so well. Fun fact the title song "that thing you do" was written and composed by Adam Schlesinger the bassist from Fountains of Wayne
Loved that their instruments leveled up as they did. Starting out with low end gear, and graduating to Fenders and Rickenbackers. Very accurate.
Dude, nice work you're doing here. You're a great player with a great attitude, I can tell you've paid your dues. I've been playing guitar in bands for decades, somehow I'm 60 years old now and still playing in a band. Been through all the same stuff as you, all while working full time jobs my whole life. Most people that don't play could never imagine what it takes to do that, you obviously lived it and get it. It's exactly how you said it, be in school all day just dreaming about when I can get home to sit in my room and listen to albums and jam along. In my day it was Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Nugent, Deep Purple, Styx, Rush, etc.. then came EDDIE! There's no describing what it was like in 1978 when that first Van Halen album came out, I remember like it was yesterday, blew everyone's mind. Anywho, sorry for the novel, oh, That Thing You Do.. yes it is fantastic. I've been with my wife for 40 years now and she is like Fay in the movie, she's always been supportive of my musical 'career' if you will. We didn't have this fancy internet thing back in the day, but we got by.
Rock on man!
Guy didn't start off 2x the speed out of excitement. He knew exactly what he was doing. You can see how relaxed he was right before they played and also right after the song started.
I heard that one of the original Dave Clark Five members was a consultant on this movie. And I agree this was an excellent look into the real exerances of many musicians in that time period. . Was a really enjoyable movie for me.
Funnily enough, in that same year (1996) there was an independent movie called "Bandwagon" that I think perfectly epitomizes the garage band experience. I strongly recommend that one.
Thanks so much for this video. That movie brought exactly the same emotions and touched the same strings in me-we ve also been there. First gigs, first radio, first “huge” show-and than a “normal descent jobs”.. oh my, that was a time
The new bass player scene was ultimate. "I think I can handle it, Junior."
Oh my goodness. Here in Alberta we have a provincial radio station that plays local talent. And I’ve been lucky enough to be played there. Makes you feel amazing
love that film! watched it so many times as a teenager.
I love your stories!!! I can relate to them a lot!!! My situation was slightly different!!! LOL 😂😂😂 I joined this band because they needed a bass player!!! Well , I was a guitar player wanting to play in a professional Rock N Roll band!!! (I was an Eddie Van Halen " wanna be", but not very good lead guitar player LOL 😂) As fate and good luck would have it , I hooked up with this band that I was a big fan of!!!! The lead singer worked at the same grocery store as me!!! The singer sold me a copy of a demo CD EP of their music that they had recorded!!! Their music was a blend of pop rock, alternative, new wave and heavy metal , progressive rock with punk rock elements!!! The important thing was that their songs had catchy hooks!!! 😊 So I became friends with the lead singer and guitar player!!!! I hit it off with the guitar player so much that he had me become his guitar tech!!!! (I went to see them perform live so many times, I would often help the band carry their gear on and off the stage) Their bass player unexpectedly quit, with no logical explanation!!! He just quit to join some other local band!!! But the band had obligations and gigs that they didn't want to cancel, plus the guitarist didn't want to get in that extensive audition process of finding another bass player!!! So I volunteered and said that I could stand in and play bass for them!!! I bought a cheap used bass guitar and used Peavey bass amp head and cabinet and learned all the bands songs very fast!!!! What an adventure and hard chore 😮 that was!!! Luckily, I had a guitar playing background cause that helped me learn the songs easier. LOL 😂😂😂 My first gig with this band was a baptism of fire for me!!! Sink or swim!!!! I was so nervous, I had to throw up in the restroom!!! I messed up on a couple of songs !!!! But I recovered quickly and showed a lot of poise on stage!!! 😂😊 I ended up being their permanent Bass player because the band thought I was a natural at playing bass and that I had natural stage presence and high energy flamboyant perfomer!!! 😂😂😂😂 Well, this was my first professional band back in 1991!!! I was barely 21 years old!!! I was playing with band members who were much older than me with more live performance and recording experience!!! Thanks for posting!!! And sharing !!! Im happy that I shared my experience!!! I miss 😢 those band playing days!!!! 😊 P.S. We ended up with a record deal with an Indie label owned by a local wealthy, rich family with a lot of money to spend, but they had no clue what the music business was about!!! Our first professional album CD went no where!!! 😮😢 But we did play alot of gigs in the local Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Glendale, of Arizona!!! It was a great experience!!! We even played a show on Sunset Blvd in LA at the ROXY !!!! 😂😂😂😂
I was in a band in then 80's and the movie reminded me of that time. We were writing songs and playing gigs and a producer from new york saw us and became are producer and worked with us writing and recording songs. The first song we recorded was in an old 8 track tape studio, it was so cool. Then the rest of the songs were recorded in nyc in avenue b studio, which was really fun. Just like your band we played tons of gigs but never really got bigger then local scene. We did do a music video that got on a college tv station and had articles in local music magazines.. And then everyone went there on was an the band fell apart. Fun video thanks for posting.
Bro, this song was a milestone for me in my early bass playing journey. To this day, its one of the first riffs I rip when I pick up a new bass, or someone else's bass. I was totally smitten with the movie and learning that bass line was huge for me. It's not hard, but back then, it may as well have been Rachmaninoff to me. Going from Green Day to this...man. Good times. Good stuff, homie. Much love. Be well.
We love this movie! When my wife and I met, I owned an auto repair shop with my brother. We had unused office space that four friends and I were able to utilize as a fantastic practice space. We were fine-tuning to play a battle of the bands when my hot new girlfriend and I were in a car crash. By the time I was ready to get back to playing, two of the guys had had changes to their work schedules and could no longer play. Sadly, it just fell apart.
My favorite piece that were did was a grunge version of “Brandy” that broke into Peter Gunn in the middle.
Thanks for what you do!
I had a former band mate and still close friend who had gone to high school and eventually toured with one of the songwriters and singers on the soundtrack. The late Rick Elias has writing and performance credits on quite a few songs. He also played one of the musicians in the Playtone orchestra for the character Freddie Fredrickson (Mr. Downtown). Tom Hanks also has a surprising amount of songwriting credits in the film. Another acquaintance of mine, Bob Sale, played drums on some of the tracks. My all time favorite music movie.
On a side note, Tom Hanks had chosen Rick Elias to be the musical director of an upcoming Broadway production of TTYD. This was right before Rick became terminally ill and the project never materialized. Rick came home to San Diego to spend time with our mutual friend Steve not long before he died. Rick and Steve both went to Clairemont HS, which was the inspiration for Cameron Crowes “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” at the time Crowe was attending there undercover, posing as a student to obtain writing material. Another great band movie is “Almost Famous”, loosely based on Cameron Crowes high school years as a budding writer for Rolling Stone magazine.
My dad played in a band in the late 50's and early 60's opening for some big names like The Lettermen, and he was friends with Chris Montez who had a big hit with "Let's Dance." When he watched That Thing You Do! for the first time he said it was scarily accurate to everything he saw and experienced of the band experience of that era. So I've known for quite a long time that there isn't very much 'hollywood license' in this movie...
Of all the gigs I have played in my life I miss those basement parties the most.
Thanks, that was a good movie to end the weekend.
I am in a band that we started almost a year ago and learning about the life of being a band when you start to make it big is a hard life for sure from what I have read and seen. I'm not sure how far my band is going to go but if we do make it far like The Wonders, at least I am aware of what may happen at their point as a famous to semi-famous band. Wow, what an interesting life that a band becomes when they get there. The band manager seems to have all the control. Crazy.
I ❤❤❤ this movie! So many funny and quotable lines. I've always thought this seemed likely to be modestly accurate for an up and coming band's experience, particularly back in this era. The soundtrack is great! I sang "That Thing You Do!" for karaoke (just at a small party, not in public). It's a bit challenging, but not too bad on the high parts for me as a female. I enjoyed singing it, even if no one else there knew the song. Great video!
For anyone who likes listening to people's stories, you're great at telling them. You have a great sense of exactly how much to go off to the side a little while keeping on track, the context and emotions come through crystal clear, and you're really focused on the narrative, seamlessly conveying what it all means to you. I think you might have a pretty natural aptitude for storytelling. If you wanted, you could probably write your own movie or novel (about whatever), or maybe a concept album (maybe in the spirit of a 21st century answer to Operation Mindcrime?) ... Or just keep making videos like this. I believe story is an art form that we need more people under 70 keeping alive 😅
Anyway thanks always for the great stuff you make. I feel like on paper your content would sound like it's all over the place and incoherent, but the diversity of topic and style works perfectly for people who are invested in all things music.
You might be something like a Gen X Rick Beato 😎
Thanks man, it's good to hear this because when I'm in my 90's I'm not sure how much shredding I'll be doing but I can always put out stories both fiction and non. :)
@@TheArtofGuitar btw I was totally serious about the concept album thing, if you dig the idea 😉
Same story, back in the late 80s was in a band called PARIS, won a battle of the bands and the prize was 40 hrs in the studio, did a demo, got air play, but because we weren’t signed with a label they couldn’t put the song on rotation. But like you said great memories you never forget!
I probably watched that thing you do 1000 times ...amazing movie...totally a style of its own and awesome tunes
DUDE! I saw this movie in high school and I never remembered what it was. This was awesome. Thanks!
Great insight Mike. I remember seeing this years ago. Something else about the movie is the gear they used. I remember that Tom Hanks said they wanted to use vintage equipment for realism, Notice a lot of Silvertone amps & guitars at the beginning before they move up to "professional type" equipment. Back in the day, most of us high school rockers were playing Silvertone, Airline, Tiesco and Kingston. I recall hearing some of the stuff they used was loaned by Norm's.
My favorite story of a new bands song coming on the radio is Night Ranger. At the time there were 4 rock stations in the LA area. They were driving around and one of their songs came on. They switched to a different station and they were playing a different song of theirs. Third station, third song and the last station was playing a fourth song of theirs. For that moment every rock station in LA was playing their music.
It wasn't the first time they heard one of their songs on the radio but it was a wake up moment that made them realize that something big was happening.
I love this movie. And I really enjoyed hearing about your relatable band experiences
One of the best music movies ever, at least among the fictionalized ones. Tom Hanks wrote and directed, and his attention to detail was awe-inspiring.
My favorite movie. It’s classic, feel good, funny, well done, great characters, etc.
I had similar experiences In the band I was in. There's no better feeling than someone asking for an original song what you wrote. The trick is to not let it get in your head that every place you play, they want the same thing. Some places said "Play something we know!!" If we heard that, that's when we stopped the originals. We always sold CD's, so we figured they could check us out on their own. You can't force yourself on a crowd that isn't open to it. That's one of the fastest ways to not get asked back.
I love and watch this movie religiously, one of my all time favorites. And the songs are spectacular!
Mike Viola did a great job with these compositions, Dance With Me Tonight is one of my favorites. Anyways I did not expect this video from you, a pleasant surprise!
The best years of my life were being in a band and although we never made the big time we did the whole package everything you talk about on your channel is so damn relatable to me.
I read a lot of biographies on famous musicians and I’m constantly amazed by the parallels I come across.
I’ve got it memorized! The first time one of my songs got on the radio I about lost my mind!
the song "That Thing You Do" is one of the sweetest pop songs ever. It has a chord progression that sounds fresh and familiar at the same time. Its lyrics are clever and emotionally effective. It calls out to the Beatles, especially in its ending, without being slavishly imitative. It walks all the tightropes with perfect balance. I have it on my personal playlist.
I loved how they started out playing Mosrite and then after more popularity, they had Fender.
Dude, how do you bring up topics that are in my head? 🤘🏼
My first band in high school was hilarious. I was the only one who knew how to tune the guitars. Our drummer had a kick, hi-hat, and snare, and no cymbals. The first song we played was You’ve got another thing comin by Judas Priest. Good times…..
Considering Tom Hanks wrote it and was never in a band, it’s even more impressive. One of my all-time faves, from the music to the comedy and the production design. Saw it in the theater when it opened (still have the stub in my cd jewel case, which we went and bought immediately after the showing), bought the sheet music for the title song, owned it on VHS, DVD, extended cut BD, watched the COVID Zoom actor commentary, and most recently bought the vinyl when it finally arrived.
I was almost always the creative lead in my bands. Yep, I'm that guy. Back around 2005 or so, after I said "hard pass" the rest of my band went off and met some sketchy "label" guy behind my back at a restaurant in a city about an hour and a half away from our base, they all paid this guy an equal amount of cash, I believe around $100 per person, to be on this guys label and some comp CD. Of course ABSOLUTELY nothing became of it and it just became one of those "I told you so" moments I never used, but should have. They just wanted to be able to say they were a "signed band" so bad, they fell for this guys scam. To this day two of those guys are still in small bands together, never progressed at all, and they still think the way bands "make it" is by playing every little show offered and some day, just maybe, some day, a label will be there and offer them a million dollar deal. This isn't the 80's on sunset strip, guys!
Just for clarification, the drummer doesn’t start fast because he can’t keep tempo. He does it intentionally because he thinks it should be a fast song. He even telegraphs his intentions at the rehearsal when he makes sure it’s only one song. He does it on purpose, and he was right.
Man, as a guitarist, I can’t believe I just said a drummer was right! ;)
Really enjoyed the film when first watching it years back, and the relationship to your own band experience was so interesting, did you know theirs an extended cut of the movie that cane out a few years back
I've never seen this movie, and will have to watch it. Thoughts:
93x Loud and Local- yep.
Bass player without a name - way, waaaaaayy too real.
Hearing your song on the radio for the first time while waiting for a table at a Country Kitchen. Priceless, especially since it was with a bandmate.
Losing a battle of the bands (to your band?), but knowing we were playing CBGBs in three weeks. Yeah.
Having the guitar player mouth "Holy Shit!" cross-stage at you at a packed house where all you see from the stage is bouncing heads. Also priceless.
Amp fire during a set. Ouch. At least nobody was hurt... except my wallet.
Cease and desist letter from another band based ~2000 miles away with the same name... Uh oh. At least we were pre-google.
While playing a song, noticing Grant Hart and Ed Ackerson watching your show instead of you watching theirs like you think it's supposed to be.
I'm still in contact with most of my former bandmates, my brothers and sisters in music. My current ones (and their spouses) are are like siblings. Being in a band is life changing.
Foo Fighters Back and Forth is another good band movie.
This is my favorite Tom Hanks movie, and my favorite song that came from a movie.
Forgot all about this movie. Wow! Great video Mike.
I honestly still really like this movie, it’s definitely up there with one of the best music films and the songs are absolute bangers, plus the guitars are all absolutely gorgeous as well (Especially that Rickenbacker 360/12, Gibson Les Paul Junior and Fender Jaguar)
The girl band at the talent show had Jennifer York playing the standup bass. She was a helicopter traffic reporter in Southern California for many years and also played bass in the all-girl Christian band, "Rachel Rachel", who did a killer cover of Kansas' "Carry On Wayward Son". Just a bit of trivia.
That's awesome. I love how real it was when they fixed the mic on the bass and suddenly it sounded huge. This film really did the details justice.
Required viewing for musicians along with Spinal Tap and of course, WALK HARD!!!
Walk Hard? The Dewey Cox documentary?🤣😜🤣! Very underrated movie. "You don't want none of this shit!" 😜
Nice name drop for 1stAve. That place is LEGEND.
A band my son was in had a horrible start. A smoky, dark club with just parents there to see them. And they were awful. A year later they are on Sirius Octane Bigguns. Hearing them on the radio that first time was unforgettable for us.
I used to watch this movie before going to band practices. I’d get so amped and ready to go
One of the nice touches to me for those that have had an original band with at least a bit of fame, or even just plodding along on the local scene .. how OFTEN you are going to hear your songs, over and over again. You start by writing them, then they get tighter and then on stage, they hit their peak. Then it becomes old hat, and you get sick of it. But people WANT to hear it! I mean, how many times did Aerosmith play Dream On?
Loved this movie and agree that it is one of the best at showing the band experience. Got me thinking about some others that were also good although maybe as much "music biz" as "band": Grace of My Heart, Eddie and the Cruisers, Rock Star, Almost Famous, The Fabulous Stains...
Its interesting. As a veteran and a musician, its interesting seeing that this is basically like Generation Kill but for musicians. In a way, of course, theres obviously massive differences, no shit, but theres definitely a comparison to be made
My band opened up for ourselves. We wore disguises and called ourselves "Incognito". Good times. And i just remembered, Incognito played "that thing you do"
I really can relate with this. BTW, there’s a mini series called “Roadies” from Showtime (not the MTV) that’s really “spot on” as well.
Good video Sir !
That point at 24:40 was excellent
That was easily the best Tom Hanks movie ever! He probably wouldn't mind that distinction since he wrote and directed it as well as starred in it. I haven't seen that many of your movies but I did enjoy "Jerry Maguire". I should probably check out "Almost Famous" too as I hear it's pretty good. I have to say you look pretty good for 67.
Great ep Mike! I went though this a little bit too in my 30s. Great memories!
15:27 Mirage! Whoa, that goes back! Good times!
Always loved this movie!
OHH the parallels. Mom and Dad let us practice in their house in HS too. I'm a drummer, it made sense anyway. Plus I had something of a P.A as I was part time D.J then. But Props to them for putting up with how bad we were LOL. Love this movie and the music. @Mike Next talk about Hard Core Logo! ;)
I love that movie. ❤️🔥🏆 "You're my biggest fan..." - Guy [drunk] to Del Paxton
Tom Hanks wife is the lady who intrudes Guy to Del Paxton.
I haven't seen this movie yet. It's on the list now. I never got past the working with just one other person only so far. I've played a few times with more people, but I was never really that great back then. I'm learning the drums now. I live in an apartment, so it's an electronic kit. I'm learning with Drumeo. It's pretty good so far. It's fun playing with the sound effects. I've been thinking about getting a double kick pedal. Now I'm a one man show, lol.
I know the lines to this movie by heart… GREAT MOVIE and it takes place in my hometown (not filmed there) Erie, PA. It is what got me to take drum lessons as a kid.
I second that about the bass falling off. I dropped my bass on my toe as a teenager (yes I know bass too).
There is a Villario’s in Erie but it is not by the airport. Yes, they serve Italian food 😂.
Chris Isaak played Guy’s Uncle Bob.
WJET was and is AM 1400 in Erie.
I love this video, and I love this movie! This movie and Almost Famous are two of my all-time favorites. I wonder if you draw any parallels to Almost Famous 🙂
I need to watch this. I remember thinking This is Spinal Tap was terrible because of how close some of those scenes hit. "Why would I want to watch a movie that presents my experiences as a joke?" Luckily I grew out of that attitude and can enjoy it now.
I love this movie. I saw it at the movie theater when it was originally released. And I've seen it 500 times. If you can find it, there is a directors (tom hanks) cut, which is about 25, 30 minutes later.
And I love your review. Very observant.
thanks a lot Mike, now i've gotta go watch the movie again lol
Great movie and greater soundtrack.
Another band movie you might like that hits home is “The Commitments” - great film & funny as hell
One of the best movies ever
great breakdown of an excellent movie!
I was a part of 2 bands in middle and highschool, none of which lasted long but yeah the movie captures it spot on. The worst is when you have a drummer with girlfriend issues; we were 12 dude
If you haven't seen the "The Commitments" from the early 1990's, check it out, similar story taking place in Ireland, funny and accurate -you won't be disappointed.
Another band related movie you might want to check out is Light of Day that stars Michael J Fox and Joan Jett along with Michael McKean (Spinal Tap). While there's a lot of mediocre family drama story in it, the band trying to tour on a non-existent budget brought back some memories for me.
During the scene at 10:10, they were already playing originals, just not "That Thing You Do!"
That's an important piece of the film not discussed here; the audiences only wanted the song they knew.
I love this movie so much
'The Commitments' is the best example of the Real Life Band experience!
Terrific content as ever, Mike! Love to get your take on the 1991 film 'The Commitments'.
16:30 Could have been an instrument cable... When I bought my first amp-head, the seller specifically told me not to use an instrument cable to connect it to the speaker. They work, but they are not designed to transmit that much power. Since then, I have only used speaker cables and have never had any problems with them.
Band movies... "That Thing You Do" is definitely a top 5! "Eddie and the Cruisers" 1 & 2 are, as well. I've seen "Bandslam", "School of Rock" and a few others. There's a few good band movies and a few not good ones, too.😁
I've heard of this movie but never watched it... I'm gonna have to check it now thanks to you Mike!
great intro!!!!!!!
I own a couple stores and i have a guitar and rig setup at each. Soon as i lock up i go and piss the neighbors off a bit and go home to feed the kids. Gotta squeeze it in where you can sometimes😅 do some scales and practice in downtime haha
When I was a kid, this movie seemed a little lame to me. But my younger cousin would watch it all the time, and I think it inspired him to be a drummer for awhile! But eventually I rewatched it a few years ago, and I was blown away by how well made it is.
And probably the chief musical lesson it nailed was that tempo is everything! A bunch of high school buddies started bands, and some are still going...the chief criticism I still have of their music is that many of the songs are slightly too slow or too fast...even a few bpm makes a huge difference. I feel like if you have a song thats just alright, try it in various tempos until it has peak energy. When the right song meets the right tempo, it's magic and the audience cant help but respond
The BP (Ethan Embry) was also in Empire Records, Vegas Vacation, and Sweet Home Alabama. 😛
We love that movie but like you are metal heads and there's a metal comedy movie you should check out if you haven't yet. Heavy Trip and it's sequel Heavier Trip. I was a bass player in a cover bar band briefly but now I'm going to start on guitar. Great synopsis of the movie! 🤘😀🤘
Such a good movie
as a bass player of nearly 50 years i can confirm the accuracy of this movie.
i developed a philosophy decades ago that has served me well.
NWCWTBPT
no one cares what the bass player thinks. guitar players and singers want to emulate their heroes. bass players are a necessary evil. they will trudge through songs they don't like making it not fun. if you adopt NWCWTBPT things go much easier. they are enjoying playing more which makes me enjoy playing more