Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy, 2014.
Marvel
Director James Gunn promises to share the full mixtape with fans soon
Guardians of the Galaxy features a tree-like
creature named Groot, a talking raccoon and an electronic device just as
alien to children of the digital age: a Sony Walkman containing a
mixtape packed with '70s pop hits like 10cc's "I'm Not in Love," Rupert
Holmes' "Escape (The Pina Colada Song), The Runaways' "Cherry Bomb," and
David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream."
The archaic device belongs to Guardians lead, Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, played by Parks & Recreation
actor Chris Pratt. "It wasn't in the comics, and it wasn't in the
original script," explains James Gunn, 43, co-writer and director of the
hotly anticipated Marvel Comics adaptation.
Gunn added the plot device to establish Quill's attachment to earth
and an emotional connection to his late mother (who gave him the Walkman
and the tunes). Gunn simply chose songs he believed Quill's mother
would have liked, but he says, "There's also a sort of 'spacey-ness'
about the tracks that reminds me of the [Marvel] comic-book writer and
artist Jim Starlin."
Gunn chose songs for the movie by scouring Billboard's singles charts
"for every year in the '70s," compiling a master list of 500 songs. He
ultimately trimmed it down to 120 songs and then a 90-minute mixtape.
When Pratt was hired, Gunn says, "he asked if he could have the mixtape”
to prepare for the role. Gunn says he will likely release the full list
to fans in the future.
At the top of his list: Jackson 5's "I Want You Back," which Gunn
says "is the greatest pop song ever written." Gunn also enjoys Redbone's
"Come and Get Your Love." "I still love that song after probably
listening to it for 10 hours straight in the editing room and then also
on set. I think that's a testament to how great these songs are -- that I
still like them," he says.
With so many choices, some songs just didn't make the cut. According
to Gunn, he most regrets cutting a scene featuring Electric Light
Orchestra's "Livin' Thing" from the film. "If there was a house band for
Guardians…it would be ELO," he says.
Not only was the soundtrack written directly into the screenplay,
Gunn also played them on set alongside Tyler Bates' score, which was
also composed before filming. "We really baked the music into the
movie," says Gunn. "Having it be part of the initial filmmaking process
as opposed to something that you tack on at the end...it really made it a
much more holistic experience."
Despite the Walkman's importance, Gunn says he will likely take
another approach in the follow up. "To keep up the true tradition of the
movie…it may not have the music playing in the same exact way as the
first one," he says, also hoping other filmmakers will feel the same for
their films. "We did this from the heart, so if someone tries to copy
it, I'm not sure it would work."
creature named Groot, a talking raccoon and an electronic device just as
alien to children of the digital age: a Sony Walkman containing a
mixtape packed with '70s pop hits like 10cc's "I'm Not in Love," Rupert
Holmes' "Escape (The Pina Colada Song), The Runaways' "Cherry Bomb," and
David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream."
The archaic device belongs to Guardians lead, Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, played by Parks & Recreation
actor Chris Pratt. "It wasn't in the comics, and it wasn't in the
original script," explains James Gunn, 43, co-writer and director of the
hotly anticipated Marvel Comics adaptation.
Gunn added the plot device to establish Quill's attachment to earth
and an emotional connection to his late mother (who gave him the Walkman
and the tunes). Gunn simply chose songs he believed Quill's mother
would have liked, but he says, "There's also a sort of 'spacey-ness'
about the tracks that reminds me of the [Marvel] comic-book writer and
artist Jim Starlin."
Gunn chose songs for the movie by scouring Billboard's singles charts
"for every year in the '70s," compiling a master list of 500 songs. He
ultimately trimmed it down to 120 songs and then a 90-minute mixtape.
When Pratt was hired, Gunn says, "he asked if he could have the mixtape”
to prepare for the role. Gunn says he will likely release the full list
to fans in the future.
At the top of his list: Jackson 5's "I Want You Back," which Gunn
says "is the greatest pop song ever written." Gunn also enjoys Redbone's
"Come and Get Your Love." "I still love that song after probably
listening to it for 10 hours straight in the editing room and then also
on set. I think that's a testament to how great these songs are -- that I
still like them," he says.
With so many choices, some songs just didn't make the cut. According
to Gunn, he most regrets cutting a scene featuring Electric Light
Orchestra's "Livin' Thing" from the film. "If there was a house band for
Guardians…it would be ELO," he says.
Not only was the soundtrack written directly into the screenplay,
Gunn also played them on set alongside Tyler Bates' score, which was
also composed before filming. "We really baked the music into the
movie," says Gunn. "Having it be part of the initial filmmaking process
as opposed to something that you tack on at the end...it really made it a
much more holistic experience."
Despite the Walkman's importance, Gunn says he will likely take
another approach in the follow up. "To keep up the true tradition of the
movie…it may not have the music playing in the same exact way as the
first one," he says, also hoping other filmmakers will feel the same for
their films. "We did this from the heart, so if someone tries to copy
it, I'm not sure it would work."
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