When I got the script for the first Bill & Ted movie, I was, like, ‘I can’t really tell if this is a straight-up sex comedy or something else.’ But the thing that struck me was that you had these two guys in high school who were more like elementary schoolers, with this affinity for music and language. It reminded me of being 11 or 12, having that friend’s older brother who turned you on to Rush. Listening to 2112 in someone’s attic and thinking, ‘Wow!’
I very much identified with the character, especially the way I was in elementary and middle school. I was obsessed with Kiss when I was 10, 11, 12 years old – my entry point was the Destroyer, Alive, Love Gun-era. Sure, I was a member of the Kiss Army. They were so larger than life – they were like superheroes. I had my room festooned with Kiss posters and other paraphernaliao. And all my friends had the same – we kind of entered that world together.
The first time I saw them was in 1977 at the St Louis Chequerdome, which no longer exists. It was the first giant rock concert I ever saw. It was absolutely ferocious, a monster of a show. I was deaf for three days afterwards, cos the decibel level was so high in those days. But I was jazzed, cos it was, like, “It’s awesome that I can’t hear!”
I think the Bill & Ted movies showed that metal fans aren’t necessarily doped-out or super-decadent. I was close to Lemmy for years, and he was the sweetest, most down-to-earth guy. Then a few years later, I remember being backstage at an AC/DC concert and they were knitting! Then they went out and blew the lid off the place.
