Schwing!
1. Mike Myers wanted Wayne’s World to be about a local cable access show because hosting one was a lifelong dream of his.
In 1992, he explained that he never had one in real life because he “couldn’t get around to filling out the forms and stuff.”
2. Though the film is set in suburban Aurora, Illinois, no parts of the film were actually shot there.
In 1992, the year of the film’s release, Myers said he had never been to Aurora, but “liked the sound of the word.” After some research, he also thought Aurora’s demographics were similar to his hometown of Scarborough, Ontario.
However, the city of Aurora’s official website has a hunch that some scenes were actually filmed there.
3. Stan Mikita’s Donuts doesn’t actually exist, either.
Mikita, a former Chicago Blackhawks hockey player, told Blackhawks Magazine in 2009 that when Lorne Michaels realized Aurora was right outside of Chicago, they thought it was the perfect opportunity to give their local fictional hangout a more relatable theme.
4. Mike Myers originally intended for the character of Wayne Campbell to be introduced on Canadian TV.
After joining the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1989, he presented the character to American audiences. The sketch was a hit.
5. Paramount Pictures was initially on the fence about backing the film.
The sketch did well on SNL and the film grossed over $180 million on opening weekend, but Myers has said the first reaction was a note from the studio saying they didn’t fully understand the concept.
6. Mike Myers has said on several occasions that he would have left the film entirely had “Bohemian Rhapsody” not been included.
Producers wanted a Guns N’ Roses song, but Myers insisted that the public needed to be re-introduced to Queen’s masterpiece.
7. While filming, Myers didn’t think the headbanging scene was funny at all.
Director Penelope Spheeris has said she had to “negotiate” with the actor, and after making him do it over and over again, he was apparently very upset with her.
8. Myers and director Penelope Spheeris did not get along.
They have reportedly made up since then. Spheeris has said, “We’re all getting too old to be pissed.”
9. Thanks to the iconic headbanging scene, Queen experienced a mainstream comeback.
According to Vanity Fair, “Bohemian Rhapsody” shot back up to No. 2 on the charts following the release of the film.
10. Myers wasn’t too keen on Robert Patrick’s cameo, either.
Myers said in 2013 that he didn’t think including the Terminator 2 reference would be funny, but that “people went shithouse over it.”
11. Gary Wright re-recorded his hit “Dreamweaver” specifically for the film’s soundtrack.
It plays every time Wayne sees Cassandra from afar.
12. During the famous car hood scene, Mike Myers is really laughing, but it’s from exhaustion.
Director Spheeris revealed the scene was filmed on the last day of the shoot, and the two were in a “laughing fit.”
13. Dana Carvey based the character of Garth Algar on his real brother, Brad.
Brad Carvey has been described as having the same “shy smile and soft, occasionally squeaky voice” as Garth, and he loves the drums.
14. And Carvey can actually play the drums.
He really played them while shooting the film.
15. After a rights dispute, the original “Stairway To Heaven” guitar riff in the music store scene had to be changed following theatrical release.
As a result, Led Zeppelin “refused to allow those notes to appear in any versions of the film after its theatrical release, from VHS to cable airings.”
16. Rob Lowe has said he discovered his “hitherto untapped gift for comedy” after meeting Mike Myers.
After his comedic success in Wayne’s World, Myers also brought him on to be a part of two Austin Powers films.
17. Robin Ruzan, who played a waitress at Stan Mikita’s Donuts, was married to Myers from 1993 until 2006.
He has rarely spoken of their split and he remarried in 2011.
18. Paramount Pictures created a trailer for the film that only appeared before showings of 1991’s The Addams Family.
In a 1992 interview, the president of Paramount said he saw potential for a crossover trailer since both films had been inspired by TV shows. Myers said the preview “got people talking” about the film.
19. Mike Meyers says filming was “a blur,” because his father’s health was dwindling at the same time.
“I remember finishing the film, then I remember my dad dying,” he said in an interview in 2013.
20. After directing the film, Spheeris had a difficult time getting hired to direct anything that wasn’t a comedy film.
She directed Little Rascals and The Beverly Hillbillies following the success of Wayne’s World.
21. Dana Carvey and Mike Myers had a falling-out after Carvey believed Myers stole his Dr. Evil impression for Austin Powers.
Apparently, the Dr. Evil impression was originally Carvey imitating Lorne Michaels. In 2013, director Penelope Spheeris said the two have since made up.
Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/annakopsky/party-time-excellent
