Queen's Brian May speaks to Planet Rock as 'Planet Rock' video premieres
The legend spoke to Wyatt about his Andy and the Odd Socks song
Last updated 18th Feb 2022
Queen’s Brian May and fictional TV band Andy and the Odd Socks have premiered their collaborative song ‘Planet Rock.’
Available to watch on CBBC and iPlayer right now, Brian May makes his acting debut as The Godfather of Rock in an episode of the Andy and the Odd Socks children’s show called Planet Rock.
It sees him join forces with Andy and his band the Odd Socks for the ‘best jam ever’ while also helping them overcome a global ‘rocktastrophe.’
Brian May spoke exclusively to Wyatt on Planet Rock this morning (18th February) to celebrate the release of the ‘Planet Rock’ single and its accompanying video, and he explained that he was initially hesitant to get involved.
“Well to be honest, I was surprised about the whole thing,” Brian told Wyatt. “I get a lot of requests for things.
“Actually, this came from my wife Anita (Dobson), because she'd worked with them before – Andy and the Odd Socks. And she said ‘look, they've asked you if you'll be the Godfather of Rock in this episode.’ I went, ‘you know what, I'm really busy.’ And like you, I thought ‘it’s going to be kids programme, it’s going to be naff and why would I want to do this?’ She said, ‘read the script and see what you think then.’
“I read the script and I was quite tearful at the end of it. I felt very emotionally affected because what they're doing is dealing with the insecurities of kids and when they lose their self-confidence and when they get bullied and all that stuff, and their stories are just great I thought. Fantastic for kids who feel left out. So I said, ‘ok, I've got to do this.’
“But I did a little stuff to it - I can't really enter a project without putting my mark on it. So yeah, I got into it.”
Brian continued: “I loved working with them and I really liked what they do. The whole idea of odd socks is that they are odd socks because it's odd and they're different from everyone else.
“So, it means all these kids who feel like there's something weird about them and they're getting bullied, they all feel that they're not actually odd anymore. They're okay. It's okay to be what you are. And I love that.”
Asked by Wyatt if the show and song was named after a certain radio station called Planet Rock, Brian laughed: “It is (a big coincidence) and I'm not responsible for it. I don't know what the truth of it is!”
Watch Andy and the Odd Socks feat. Brian May’s ‘Planet Rock’ video:
Queen + Adam Lambert’s twice postponed Rhapsody Tour is due to hit UK arenas in May and June 2022.
30 music facts about Wayne's World, including Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody':
Freddie Mercury loved the Wayne's World ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ scene
The movie hit cinemas three months after Freddie's untimely death, however, Brian May explains he showed a "really sick" Freddie a preview tape. "Mike (Myers) gave me a tape which I took 'round to Freddie and played to him," Brian told Rolling Stone. "Freddie loved it. He just laughed and thought it was great, this little video. The funny thing was, we always regarded the song as tongue in cheek ourselves. If it would come on the radio, we would all be headbanging when it came to the heavy bit as well, us as a group. It was very close to our sense of humour."
Guns N’ Roses were considered for the headbanging scene
Director Penelope Spheeris and producer Lorne Michaels originally wanted Guns N' Roses – one of the biggest bands in the world in 1992 - for the iconic headbanging scene in Garth Algar's AMC Pacer. Mike Myers snubbed the idea in favour of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' claiming there wasn't anything comedic about Axl Rose and co.'s music.
Alice Cooper shunned Mike Myers’ song choices
Alice Cooper didn't want to sing Mike Myers' suggestions of 'Schools Out' or 'I'm Eighteen' in the movie, instead opting for brand new song 'Feed My Frankenstein.' "It was the right song for that generation, very heavy. 'School's Out' would have taken it back to the '70s, whereas this was early '90s, so I thought something more current was better," Alice told Billboard.
Mike Myers was embarrassed by the new ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ video
Mike Myers was mortified when a new version of the 'Bohemian Rhapsody' video was released interspersing clips of Wayne's World with the original promo, saying "they just whizzed on a Picasso." He sent an apology to Queen but in typically gracious style they responded saying "Thank you for using our song."
The headbanging scene was actually painful
Dana Carvey (Garth Algar) and Mike Myers had to imbibe Advil painkillers while filming the Bohemian Rhapsody scene as they had to headbang for several hours. "I was 36 at the time, so doing that for four hours, it was brutal!," Carvey told Rolling Stone.
Aerosmith stupidly snubbed Wayne’s World
Aerosmith were Mike Myers' first choice for the performance band in the movie. However, in a very poor move from Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and co. they refused the opportunity. Unsurprisingly, they jumped at the chance to appear in Wayne's World 2 the following year (pictured)!
The ‘Foxy Lady’ scene was improvised
The classic scene where Garth dances to The Jimi Hendrix Experience's 'Foxy Lady' in the diner was improvised. Director Penelope Spheeris says: "They (Myers and Carvey) were always trying to one-up each other. Well, that dance was not in the script. It was just: He sat on the stool, he looked over at Donna Dixon — she's doing what she's doing — and then we zoom in on his face. He goes, 'How about if I do this?' And it got goofier and goofier. He's so bad at being sexy that it's hilarious."
Queen scooped an MTV Video Music Award thanks to Wayne’s World
The Wayne's World reworking of the Bohemian Rhapsody video won Queen their one and only MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film in September 1992. Highly emotional while accepting the gong at the Pauley Pavilion ceremony in Los Angeles, Brian May told the audience "Freddie would be tickled." Pictured are Brian May and Roger Taylor on the red carpet.
The 'No Stairway to Heaven’ scene was amended for home release
No Stairway, denied. Fans will remember that Wayne picks up his dream guitar in a music shop and starts to play the opening notes of Led Zeppelin's signature anthem, but gets stopped by the sales assistant who points out a sign which says 'No Stairway to Heaven' – implying the staff are sick of hearing the track being butchered daily by every aspiring guitar player who pops in. The scene was altered to a generic riff for the home release as using the song came with exorbitant fees.
Led Zeppelin’s music was extremely pricey to use
According to director Penelope Spheeris, the studios were told they would have to stump up $100,000 (£80,000) to play more than two notes of 'Stairway To Heaven'. Spheeris says: "To sell that (Wayne is) gonna play "Stairway to Heaven" in two notes is pretty difficult."
Alice Cooper wowed with his acting skills
Drafted in at short notice, Alice Cooper's extremely articulate lines about the history of Milwaukee in the movie were thrown to him on the day of filming. Director Penelope Spheeris tells Billboard: "I do remember thinking how amazed I was that he could spit out those lines so effortlessly. It was so unexpected for the rocker, who you'd think would know nothing historically about geography, to have so much quirky information. It got a great reaction."
Alice Cooper can’t escape “We’re not worthy!” chants
Alice Cooper says shouts of "We're not worthy!" follow him around to this very day in homage to Wayne's World – especially, for some reason, in airports. "I always try to let them think it's the first time anybody's ever done that. And they're so clever," Alice tells Billboard. "After about the fourth time a day I put my hand out like, "Kiss my ring," like I do in the movie, and they all love to do that. I give them the credit for getting down on their knees and doing the whole thing, because it is a bit embarrassing on their part, so if they wanna go through with it, I say fine."
Mike Myers issued an ultimatum over ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
Mike Myers threatened to quit the movie if 'Bohemian Rhapsody' wasn't included. "At one point I said to everybody, 'I'm out. I don't want to make this movie if it's not Bohemian Rhapsody'," Mike told Rolling Stone. "I just love the song. It's ballsy that it's that long. It's ballsy that it's two songs in one, that's it's opera. Then when it kicks in, it's just such a fantastic release. I didn't think of another possibility."
The ‘We’re Not Worthy’ chants lasted for six minutes
Mike Myers and Dana Carvey's "We're not worthy!" chants went on for "five or six minutes" as they futilely attempted to make Alice Cooper laugh. Alice tells Billboard: "If you would have seen the outtakes of "We're not worthy, we're scum," it goes on for like five or six minutes. And it just gets vile. Whoever owns those outtakes owns a little treasure."
Tia Carrere is more successful than Alice Cooper and Queen at The Grammys
Tia Carrere, who plays Cassandra Wong, has won more Grammy Awards than Alice Cooper and Queen combined. Tia has won the Best Hawaiian Music Album twice in 2009 and 2011, while Queen and Alice Cooper incredibly haven't won any. The only nods from the Recording Academy for Queen are two Hall of Fame inductions for 'We Will Rock You' and 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in 2009 and 2004 respectively.
Garth's band T-shirts have taken on a life of their own
Although Wayne wears his trademark black top throughout, Garth wears a variety of band t-shirts. They include two Van Halen t-shirts including their 1988 album 'OU812', a Mötley Crüe 'Dr Feelgood' top and, most famously, a white Aerosmith 'Aero Force One' fanclub t-shirt, which is now often listed for sale as "Garth's shirt" online.
Alice Cooper was flanked by an all-star band
Alice Cooper's band in Wayne's World consists of Jimmy DeGrasso, guitarist Stef Burns, guitarist Pete Friesen (who asks the "In fact, isn't Milwaukee an Indian name?" question), bassist Greg Smith and Black Country Communion's Derek Sherinian.
‘Dream Weaver’ was re-recorded for Wayne’s World
Gary Wright re-recorded his 1975 song 'Dream Weaver' especially for Wayne's World. The song - renamed 'Dreamweaver' in the film - is heard whenever Wayne lays his eyes on Cassandra.
Tia Carrere performed all her own vocals in Wayne’s World
Tia Carrere sang all her own vocals on the songs she performed in the film, including a cover of Sweet's 'The Ballroom Blitz'. Despite never playing bass guitar before, she had to learn four songs on the instrument in just three weeks. "I was dreadful, but at least my fingers moved in the right way. I never played bass again. I had much respect for Sting after that," she comments.
Yes, Dana Carvey can really play the drums
Dana Carvey really is an accomplished musician. In the music store scene Garth launches into a killer drum solo – and yes, that really was him playing the drums. He also exhibited his drumming skills in his short-lived TV sketch show The Dana Carvey Show in 1996.
There's a sneaky Cheap Trick and Ted Nugent reference
When Wayne is waxing lyrical about Cassandra's band Crucial Taunt, he describes them as Double Live Gonzo!, Intensities in Ten Cities, Live at Budokan – the titles of two Ted Nugent live records and a Cheap Trick live album.
Dana Carvey ‘failed to learn the Bohemian Rhapsody’ lyrics
Dana Carvey reportedly didn't learn the lyrics of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' ahead of the 10-hour shoot – hence why he seemingly randomly moves his mouth while 'singing' along. Others have suggested that this could just be part of Garth's awkward persona, however.
The ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ scene was based on Mike Myers’ childhood
The 'Bohemian Rhapsody' scene was directly influenced by Mike Myers' childhood. He tells Rolling Stone: "Me and my brother, our friends' car was a powder blue Dodge Dart Swinger that had a vomit stain on the side of it that someone chiselled in the shape of Elvis Presley. We'd drive down the Don Valley Parkway, listening to Bohemian Rhapsody. We would time it to enter the Toronto city limits when the rocking part would kick in. I was 'Galileo!' three of five. If I took somebody else's "Galileo!" or somebody took mine, a fight would ensue."
Alice Cooper and Tia Carrere never met
Despite starring in the movie and both performing music, Alice Cooper and Tia Carrere never met once on set.
Black Sabbath feature in Wayne’s World
Black Sabbath's 'Time Machine' from their 1992 album 'Dehumanizer' was used to soundtrack the Terminator 2: Judgment Day parody scene with Robert Patrick reprising his role as the T-1000. Somewhat aptly, 'Dehumanizer' features artwork of a Terminator Endoskeleton dressed like the grim reaper.
Wayne’s World revived Queen’s popularity in the US
Taking part in a virtual Wayne's World reunion in 2020 called Reunited Apart, Brian May credited Wayne's World with reviving Queen's popularity in the US. "You did it," Brian told Mike Myers. "You got us back to a new American public, and Freddie was very aware of that. He went to the next place knowing what had happened." A dumbfounded Mike Myers replied: "I didn't know that. My little Toronto head can't handle that. But that's fantastic."
Alice Cooper didn’t know he had a big speaking part
Alice Cooper didn't realise he was going to have such a big speaking part in Wayne's World until he turned up on set. He explained during the 2020 Wayne's World virtual reunion: "I was just supposed to talk and then when I got there Michael said 'Oh, by the way, here's like eight pages to learn.'" Making light of his casting, Alice joked: "I think they probably couldn't get The (Rolling) Stones or The Beatles. Scraping the barrel until I was the only one left."
The Sweet say Wayne’s World has helped preserve their legacy
The Sweet's Andy Scott has credited Wayne's World with helping preserve the band's legacy. Commenting on Tia Carrere performing 'The Ballroom Blitz', Scott said: "Our music is our legacy and I hope it's going to go on even when I'm not here. I think it helps that our songs keep being used in movies and TV shows."
The Wayne’s World soundtrack was a chart-topper
The Wayne's World soundtrack, Wayne's World: Music from the Motion Picture, shot straight in at Number 1 on the Billboard charts and it has gone on to achieve double-Platinum status Stateside with sales of over two million.
Seven songs didn’t make the Wayne’s World soundtrack album
Seven songs that featured in the Wayne's World movie didn't make the cut for the soundtrack album. They were Temple of the Dog's 'All Night Thing', Kix's 'Cold Chills', Ugly Kid Joe's 'Everything About You', Cyndi Grecco's 'Making Our Dreams Come True', Mike Myers' version of 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President, and Tia Carrere's covers of 'Fire' and 'Touch Me.'