It’s been three decades since the classic comedy Wayne’s World was released. Born out of a Saturday Night Live skit, the film marked the big screen debut of Mike Myers and became an instant hit both critically and commercially. While the classic comedy is blessed with plenty of hilarious scenes and one-liners, the “Bohemian Rhapsody” scene remains a favorite among fans.
Myers’ Wayne and his friends sing along and rock out to the iconic track, but for years the use of the song was dogged by a myth that the star and director Penelope Spheeris, specifically requested for the song, turning down an unnamed Guns N’ Roses song that was offered to them. In a recent chat with PopCulture.com, Spheeris sought to clear up the urban legend once and for all.
“There are urban legends running around about how certain people might have wanted a Guns N’ Roses song. Well, that wasn’t me. I did not want a Guns N’ Roses song instead of “Bohemian Rhapsody” — the Queen song — because Guns N’ Roses just refused to be in a movie I had done right before Wayne’s World. So, I was mad at them. I’m over it now.”
She continued, by adding that the characters could not have possibly been headbangers, and were instead posers who did not listen to heavy metal:
“The fact of the matter is when I got the original version of the script, “Bohemian Rhapsody” was written into that version so that was the song from the start. People like to say, ‘Oh, you argued over which song.’ We didn’t. That was the song. The thing about it that I think is weird is that Wayne and Garth thing about themselves as headbangers. Queen is not heavy metal. It’s something else.”
Wayne’s World, which was released on Valentine’s Day 30 years ago, is available to stream on Paramount Plus.