It’s practically Eddie Vedder week at the Playlist. This is non-intentional though, it just happens that Pearl Jam singer is involved in a number of related movie projects.
According to this week’s Rolling Stone (not online yet, but a scan of the article is out here) Vedder will appear in an upcoming Judd Apatow-produced fake biopic, “Walk Hard – The Dewey Cox Story.” He’ll appear as himself, presenting a lifetime achievement award to the main character, Dewey Cox (a Johnny Cash-like figure) played by John C. Reilly, who’s apparently been perfecting his performing chops for a potential tour. Another rocker, White Stripesman Jack White also has a cameo as Elvis.
Paul Rudd has already confirmed that he will play John Lennon and Jewel and Ghostface Killah will also play themselves. Jack Black apparently plays an “unlikely” Paul McCartney-esque figure. The film is directed by Jake Kasdan, a former Apatow player who helmed many episodes of “Freaks & Geeks.”
Ed’s quote from the award presentation: “I don’t know what God sounds like, but I know when I get to the Pearly Gates, He might just sound a little bit like Dewey Cox.”
The movie’s co-writer Judd Apatow is also quoted in the article: “We wrote this really bombastic, over-the-top speech, and Eddie Vedder was hysterical reading it. He nailed it on the first take.”
Songwriters Dan Bern and Candy Butchers frontman Mike Viola apparently wrote much of the film’s songs and even the renowned producer/musician/lyricist Van Dyke Parks was enlisted to help with some of the fake protest songs. Apparently “Superbad”‘s Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman and Justin Long also have cameos in the film.
Apatow told MTV in May about some of the film’s fake songs, “The main song in the movie is called ‘Walk Hard,’ because he does walk hard,” Apatow said. “But [Cox] also wrote a lot of protest songs. One is about the problems of the mulatto; he stood up for mulatto rights in the ’60s. He has another song called ‘Ladies First,’ about ladies’ rights, that I enjoyed. And then during the 70’s he had a hit disco song called ‘Hey, Hey, Who Wants to Party?,’ so there’s a lot of good music in the movie.” RS notes other song titles as the aformentioned “Mulatto,” “There’s a Change A Happenin’ ” and “There’s a Hole In My Pants.” Marshall Crenshaw wrote the title track.
The movie is due in theaters December 14th according to Box Office Mojo. The ‘Walk Hard’ trailer is expected to debut before “Superbad” when it opens on August 17.
