By Melissa Antoinette Garza
Being a child of the 90s, I often romanticize the decade in my head. I like to convince myself what came out of the 90s was better than anything before or after. Maybe that’s because, if not for Nirvana, Live, Soul Asylum, Rage Against the Machine, Weezer, etc. my existence would have been intolerable. When I think back to the insanity of my teenage years, I often see myself in my room with my door closed and headphones blaring the sound of understanding sympathy that was not found anywhere else.
I frequently go to Northampton MA with my husband Steve and best friend Meghan because the 90s are still alive there. Whether it’s used record stores, local bands, or vintage clothing my youth feels so much closer there than any other place.
My adoration for the decade declared, I feel so cheated that I haven’t heard of this movie before. The only reason I know of it now is a combination of my good taste and OCD. I was watching Grounded For Life on Netflix and remembered how fond I was of the character Eddie. My mind working the way it does, I began looking up his filmography and going through the movies I hadn’t seen. I saw a picture for Bandwagon online and Mr. Kevin Corrigan was nice enough to let me know the name of the film. Thankfully, Amazon had it for purchase.
The movie begins with Charlie (Matthew Hennessey) who works at a music store having the desire to be in his own band. He befriends Tony (Lee Holmes) who loves to write, sing and play music, but is so shy that he has to go into another room to even play in front of Charlie. The duo decide to make a band and enlist the help of the very subdued Wynn (Kevin Corrigan) and the unhinged Eric (Steve Parlavecchio). Together, they become Circus Monkey.
There is a small rivalry of sorts with a hardcore metal band named Spittle. Spittle gets a contract with Rival Records and one of the members throws it in the face of Circus Monkey. Charlie too wants a contract and knowing that his band is superior to Spittle, keeps his eye on the prize with the desire to seek out fame.
Soon, a big and mysterious name in the music business Linus Tate (Doug MacMillan) shows up and acts as Circus Monkey’s manager. He warns the group right away that Rival Records aim in signing them would be to alter their image and ultimately their music to fit into the mainstream. Still the group is un-detoured and though staying with Tate, still desire to make it big.
They start a tour and for the most part things go smoothly, until a girl Tony likes and the object of many of his songs has a thing for Charlie. The band almost breaks up over it, which pushes Eric over the edge. As he’s trying to “reason” with Tony and Charlie, he sees a guy going in his van. Thinking that it may be Chester (Doug McCallie) a man he screwed over in town, he takes out a gun he stole and shoots. Thankfully, no one was hurt but Wynn’s beer bottle was the recipient and it shot as Wynn himself was holding it. When he finds out he was almost killed, he passes out and then after waking up decides he’s taking off. He grabs his fishing line and goes to the water where Tony runs after him and pleads for his return.
After some major discussions and a little bit of police trouble, the group finds its way to their meeting with Rival Records. In the end, the four guys need to decide if success is worth selling out or if the music holds more value than any contract can offer.
This was a fun movie that I’m sad I didn’t see when I was younger. This should definitely have a mainstream release and I wonder why it didn’t. It’s sad that Airheads (1994), a dumbed-down movie about a 90s band, is a far more recognized film. Don’t get me wrong, if Airheads was on TV right now, I’d watch it. It’s a fun flick, and I’ll watch anything with Steve Buscemi in it. It’s just Bandwagon had more heart and a higher level of genuine appreciation for the generation it’s connecting with. It was a wonderful hour and a half of nostalgia that I’ll be sure to relive again soon.
Spend the $15.00 and buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Bandwagon-Kevin-Corrigan/dp/B00BHO0P5S
Scared Stiff Rating: 8/10
