Me reliving my favorite movie music moment…

If you’re like me I need music on for everything. You know, just in case… You never know when you’re going to have that dramatic cinematic moment during the course of your day, where, whether planned or unplanned, you’re going to do something absolutely breathtaking. And, when that moment arrives, you want the perfect song playing in the background that makes the scene that much more unforgettable.

We’ve all seen those moments on film. Those moments that make you feel invincible like in the opening sequence in Rocky III where Rocky is winning match after match accompanied by Survivor’s “Eye Of The Tiger”. No inbox, meeting or workout is any match for you when you have that song playing in the background. Look out world! I have a tiger inside and you can tell by the look in my eye. Oh and no printer is a match for you, (Cough) Rich, when you are listening to “Still” by the Ghetto Boys like in the death to printer scene in Office Space.

And c’mon I’m pretty sure we’ve all thrown on some “Old Time Rock And Roll” by Bob Seger and danced around in our underpants while we have the house to ourselves like Tom Cruise does in Risky Business. No, just me and Tom Cruise, huh… I really doubt that.  Oh And I cant forget one of my favorite “I’m about to do something crazy” moments in film, like the moment in Goodfellas where Robert De Niro decides to whack everybody in order to keep all the money to himself and Cream’s “Sunshine Of Your Love” plays in the background. Now now, I’m not condoning it, but that’s a perfect song to get that crazy look to don’t you think?

My favorite movie music moments though are those that send chills up and down your body as if you’re actually living through what’s happening in the scene. Those moments that truly inspire you and make you feel. Like the end seen in Breakfast Club where Simple Mind’s “Don’t You (Forget about Me)” plays in the background. Or the “I’m a fool in love and I’m going to get you back girl” moments like in Cruel Intentions when Ryan Phillippe’s character rushes to Penn Station to make sure he stops her from leaving, as Counting Crow’s “Colorblind” serenades the moment.

But my absolute all time favorite music movie moment, which I wish I could have actually lived through before I saw it in the movies, is in Say Anything where John Cusack is blasting Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” from his raised boombox. What a perfect song for that scene. I wouldn’t have changed anything myself. By the way, it’s impossible to find those nowadays… Believe me, I’ve checked. You can never be too ready for any scene when being the one responsible for the soundtrack to your life.

What are some of your favorite movie music moments? What songs are featured in your life’s soundtrack? I’d love to know.

–Nelson

@nelson_shurear

There are so many stories of things that happen on tour buses that would make a great book if anyone chose to cover it.  For this blog, I was able to tap into a good friend who I’ve known for over 15 years.   Mark Harmon (not the actor) is currently on the road with Country artist/singer/songwriter Jerrod Niemann as his Production Manager and Front of House engineer.  In the past, Mark has toured with Hal Ketchum, Delbert McClinton, Joe Nichols, Trace Adkins, Sara Evans, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, and Blake Shelton. Mark has spent a good part of his life on tour buses.

I wanted to get a picture of what happens from the moment of bus call to the time when they might arrive at their destination as well as some things that can happen after the gig.

Depending on the length of the drive to their destination, bus call is usually at midnight.  If there’s a 14 hour drive ahead, call time would be 6 pm.  When they get on the bus, some of the group will go to sleep right away and some will stay up.  Playing video games, watching TV or videos, and gear “geek” talk are some of the activities they do while on the road initially.    Once they arrive in the morning at their destination, they will grab breakfast and get the day going.

Sometimes, the artist will spend time songwriting on the bus, occasionally with another songwriter.  They will lock themselves in the back lounge and hammer out ideas.  Management may tag along on any particular weekend just to keep tabs on how everything is going.

“Every day is interesting because you get to see the country.  You get to see other cities, other people, and other lifestyles. Pranks – big time pranks. We’ve had moth balls (on the bus), we’ve had over 4,000 ping pong balls on our bus at the end of a tour.  We’ve had our bus filled with packing peanuts before. We’ve had water balloon fights and played soccer on the bus. One time, we had up to 30 people on the bus. We tried Wii bowling that night.  People had to stand on the couches, tables and chairs to get out of the way of the bowlers.  Pretty funny.”

Some famous actors Mark has met on the bus included, Robert De Niro, Andy Griffith, and Clint Eastwood. He’s also met some Indian chiefs while traveling.

“It’s fun” Mark comments. “I do like it or I wouldn’t be there. If it wasn’t fun, nobody would be there.  The comradery of being able to put a show together with different people and to pull the show off, walk away going “That was a great show,” I guess it’s a fix. It gets agonizing leaving the family, especially with kids when they are younger.  When they get into their teens, it’s almost like they want to throw you out (on the road). “

Dangerous situations:

“We once had a barn owl smash through the front window of the bus.  We were once in Calgary coming down out of the mountains and the bus was sliding sideways on black ice. The bus trailer was once hit by a semi truck, while we were sleeping, and it pushed the trailer into the engine compartment.  It rocked the bus from side to side off its wheels. Once we were in Ohio and a tornado picked up the stage, moved it 10 feet and pushed against the side of the bus, lifting it off its wheels.  Scary.”

It does take a special person to load up every week and leave their home to go on the road.  Most Country tours are great in that they head out mid-week and come back home on a Sunday or Monday to their families.

___________

I would love for more people to chime in and share some bus stories from the road. What pranks do you play (or have been played on you), songwriting experiences, and movies you like to watch during your trips? Please keep it clean and thanks for sharing!

Ryan