Strive to get stuck in the listener's head. #realtalk

My dad showed me both Eddie and The Cruisers movies when I starting getting into guitar. He also showed me Crossroads. A must watch for all inspiring guitar players.

This is the most undervalued lesson a musician will ever learn

What Eddie played connects you to the emotion of the song; to it's melody. I could immediately feel what he was playing. What the young guy plays has no connection, no core emotion; it doesn't draw you in. IMHO, connecting on an emotional level is the 'earworm' of music. Emotions draw you into the song's melody, which get stuck in your head, because it made you feel something. To me, that's the key lesson here. Driving home, hearing that melody in your head recreates the emotion that you felt the first time you heard it. Repeating it reaffirms and strengthens the emotional connection.

I'm not a musician and I don't pretend to be. But this movie touched my heart and my soul. It is by far my favorite movie. It was about reaching for perfection and above and never stop striving. Just reaching can be applied to any other thing that you encounter in life whether or not you are a plumber , brick mason and even a janitor.

I remember my dad watching this movie endlessly. I remember car trips where my family would listen to this whole soundtrack. This movie was such a huge part of my childhood.

It’s not rushed the emotionally hints of the notes linger and are able to be interpreted on a deeper level.

I use that line every chance I get "Music's Gotta Live Man, It's gotta breathe" and from the first movie about "I want to make songs that people wrap themselves up forever"

My dad and I watched this when I was a kid too. Now I'm a guitar player and singer too! So is my dad! This is still one of my favorite movies of all time, along with the first one!

Agreed, very good movie. For all around enjoyment, I recommend "The Last Waltz of The Band".

as a musician i was taught that the simpler ideas can access a wider audience. many musicians forget what matters to a non-musician vs a technically proficient musician. as long as you're telling a story your notes matter, no matter how many or how few you play.

Music can be taught & it can be emotional but.. once you learn how to play it or sing, then you make it your own, an original, which I believe comes from the heart & soul! THAT you can't teach someone & next thing you know it becomes a whole nother ball park, that which becomes memorable & unforgettable! It sounded so good & you were able to connect & relate to it so much that you'll NEVER forget it/them!!!

Beaver Brown Band. The movie that made me WANT to be a musician. Saw it 30 times over one summer in Ocean City, MD.

I thought for sure Eddie would tell the young shredder dude, "It needs a caesura". Opportunity missed by the movie writers to connect the two movies a little more.

In the first Eddie and the Cruisers, Eddie is talkiing to the Word Man and he tells him what music is all about and what he wants the Word Man to write. At the end of the conversation he says, "that's the most you'll ever get out of me, ever". So that explain what Eddie is trying to tell this kid.

Genuinely love your videos. Please keep making so many!!

Later in the movie, Eddie and the kid Rick were having another such discussion. This time about "intensity." Rick did this same flashy, loud style, and Eddie told him, "Louder isn't more intense." So Rick asked what he meant by "more intense." Eddie told a story about how he was in the desert once, all alone: just him, the sand, and silence. "But if you know what to listen for, it's not silent out there. I heard a music in that silence that I've never heard before. That's intense. If you dig down deep and find something like that, then people will listen to you: not because you have something to show, but because you have something to say." (I just watched the scene, which is why I can quote it.) So, what he's taking about, i.e., what makes non-musicians love music, is because certain songs dig down deep and touch something primal in us. Music is the sound of life. Everything in the natural world is musical, even the "silence" of the desert. And we are a part of that natural world. We come from nature. We are nature. That means the music that is born of the primal heartbeat of life speaks to us, and calls us home--like our mother's voice when we were young.

Definitely one of the most underrated movies of all time & a must-watch for any artist/creative.

Haaaaaaaaa! That's my video clip! I had noticed that there were no decent clips of this scene out there. So I uploaded it because it's my favorite scene from the movie, and I whole heartedly agree with what Eddie says! Great lesson too brother!

I'm really pleased to have you in my subscribed list, you are so engaging and enthused that regardless of whether or not it's a style of music that I personally am not invested in I always enjoy it and in a very general way feel better about myself. Best wishes to you and yours, keep well and safe.🙂🎸✅

Thanks for a great video. I love both of the movies and still watch then from time to time. John Cafferty's lead guitarist is Gary Gramolini, and is an exceptionally gifted guitarist. he does his own thing and you might find some videos of him playing in "Gary and the Grinders". I know and have been friends with Gary's younger brother, Joel, since about '96. After seeing / listening to him in a bar one night after a class I was taking, I couldn't get the music and guitar work out of my head. Exactly what a musician wants. The rest is history !! Joel played for " Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes " for about four years back from around 77 to 81 or so. Joel is a monster in his own right on the guitar and currently plays out on a 1936 Gibson L30 in black with a big pick wear through hole through the front ( top ) above low E. Joel describes Gary as the consummate professional player or tactician, where as he says of himself he kinda hammers his way through things. ( Joel is extremely humble ) So much talent in that family and I feel blessed to have had Joel as a buddy for these many years. He watched my son grow up and met him when he was 1 week old at a gig he was playing. I walked in, sat my son in his car seat on the table where Joel was setting up and said " Joel, meet Alex. Alex, meet your "uncle " Joel " and again, the rest is history. Both of these gentlemen are excellent song writers, and Joel even has four Grammy nominations for his songs. Gary wrote a song and the music for it, called " Tailspin " . Check out his little brother Joel killing it on KZfaq. Joel's stage name is "Cage" so look for Joel Cage and "Tailspin " to find it. As a PS. -- I heard Joel playing the "New York City " song from E and the C's 2 one night and a gig and ever since I always tease him by asking him when he is going to teach Gary how to play that song. ---den

Such a wonderful movie, has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid and my daughter has watched it with me multiple times.

Loved this movie too, especially the bar scene where the kid challenges Eddie to play with his band gives him his guitar and says "here take it. this ought to be funny, hilarious", then Eddie gets up on stage and blows them away. The topic here is air not flair. Playing leads that sick in the mind. When many talk of the top 10 rock-pop-blues guitarists often Harrison is left out. Yet, he is a prime example of creating leads that stick in your head... Example is "Something". Young people need to work on quality leads and let speed and flair be secondary. Eddy VanHalen was a master at both.

I loved absolutely loved Eddie and the Cruisers one and I really love Eddie and the Cruisers 2 and I love your reaction and your poignant point which I agree with and relate you. And when you say their nuggets of wisdom in this movie you're right on and when you said this my thoughts segue into what I felt Elvis Presley knew a s a n artist

to this day my favorite guitar lick is nothing more then the guitar player mimicking the vocal melody

John Mutt Lange made an entire career out of this same outlook on music. He once said to Def Leppard while making Pyromania... "listen, you guys can either be The Knack or The Stones...it's up you" Just listen to any song Mutt recorded...its a simple beat with simple chord patterns....its beats and chords like that that make stadium anthems. And he's right. Make a tight rocking simple song with a great beat, and people will dance and have fun and remember you for YEARS. AC/DC-Def Leppard-Shania Twain- Foreigner-The Cars and even Lady Gaga all had massive success under Mutt Lange. And they all have lots of simple tunes that STILL hold up to this day.

Marty Mcfly was a SICK guitar player, too!!!!!!!!

He's right. they asked Chuck Berry why he didn't play more complicated music since he could and he said... I'm making music for people to sing along to. 👍😁✌

I love Eddie and the Cruisers 1 and 2 but this is one of the rare occasions where the sequel is better than the first, nearly a perfect movie all they needed to take from the first to the 2nd to make it perfect would have been the 1957 Bel Air convertible! And this jam session is the best part of the movie.

Look at it this way. One of the all time greatest guitar riffs ever, Rumble, is the epitome of simple

I'm stunned I found your post. I've been a guitarist for sixty years, starting at eight years old. ( I take requests and then play anyway) My 17 year-old son was given a Fender Squire Strat beat to crap and I set it up for him. He showed me a video of his buddy shredding a guitar (badly) and I immediately ordered the double feature DVD of Eddie and the Cruisers, specifically for this very scene.

Ok another to file in “my best guitar playing advise ever”👍 The Original Movie Eddie & the Cruisers brings home The Caesura Effect too, which is huge! All about the dramatic pause🤙 Bottom line less is more Awesome

OMG! My friend's younger brother asked me to come over and talk guitar. He was more technical and played way faster than I could. I played a few memorable riffs and chord progressions. He stared at me. I remembered the scene from this movie and asked, "What sticks in your head? What would serve the song? I think I told him to listen to Gilmour.

Great video Mike. I too love both of those movies.

Words and music...and heart.

"We need each other. Words and music."

Its very easy: In simplicity theres beauty, and its as ageless as it is timeless.

I watched these movies with my dad when I was a little kid, he was in a band for years and played with some of the guys with Chicago for little while. I found the old VHS tapes in a box and holy shit, the smile that came over me

the analogy is cooking. there is something to be said for simple recipes and techniques that reveal the best of the ingredients. anything more complicated and you're dealing with boredom, competitiveness, justifying an astronomical markup over cost, etc.

Love this ❤️❤️ great movie and lesson

The heart and emotions get involved.

I saw Code of Silence the other day with Chuck Norris. I consider it the one film of his that I can watch repeatedly. For years I didn't really ponder why. Now I know. Very little dialogue...from him. Less is more? Favorite line: "He says you got diarrhea of the mouth baby!"

Theres a lot of wisdom in this clip.

I've stated that play from the heart, but your right in that flash and glamour is only for that night and soulful play can leave a better impression for a longer time. Maybe that is why a tune from the 50s or even before still impacts the brain compared to flashy speed playing of complex notes and a tune that has no direction. Maybe these flash lead players are trying to reproduce artist like buddy rich in his tune Whip Lash. I personally luv the tune but it had a story of an artist that was striving to be the best but with a fortitude of respect for the music and artist. The difference in being flashy, one must really earn it by being known first for being able to play a great tune with soul before that mind blown speed thrashing with accuracy. Now in my lifetime I've seen individuals who learnt at an astonishing ability, but the truth learning once and then putting down the instrument because one learns does not mean anyone can quit because someone else does not approve. It is what is in your heart that really matters even at a more slower speed by letting it all "breath."

I watched the 2nd movie the night before trying out for a heavy metal band in the late '90s. The drummer and I played together for years after. I watched it for motivation, even though I was a heavy metal guitarist. Generally watch each one every year. I remember the first time I ever watched the first one- at a friend's whose father loved music, but was not a musician (as far as I knew).

Would love to see a Garden of Eden or Season in Hell Lesson. You just gained a new sub.

John Coltrane gets in my head like this... whole albums (My Favorite Things) I can hum along with and continue to hum convuluted melodies all day long. In my head of course ;)

"live" with your music, feel it, embrace it .. and others will hear you talking... speak with your song, don't talk' feel your song with emotion or its just blank talk, and it will resonate with anyone listening, musicians and non-musicians...

Bassist Steve Bailey tells this story about playing with Dizzy Gillespe. He said one night he got a solo on stage and played everything he knew in this one solo. Just wall to wall notes. On the bus later Dizzy sat him down and said "We got to talk about that solo." Bailey was expecting a bunch of praise. Diz then tells him, "That was a bunch of bullshit. If you leave some holes some music might fall out." Kind of the same point.

Such a great movie!! Classic

This is one of the best lessons of all. Heavy-handed technique can kill emotion. It is too easy to get wrapped up in playing styles rather than trying to touch an audience. I am in social distancing today. I will keep this lesson in mind. Great job! And more like this one: more for the mind and soul and less for the fingers.

Eddie and the cruisers first movie he explains this to wordman

I have always loved Eddie and the Cruisers. I love this scene and many other scenes from Eddie and the Cruisers 2 and like some from the first movie even though I think 2 is better. I like how you broke it down and told people that simple is good and can get stuck in peoples heads. I like the perspective you put on it. Like seeing through somebody who is not a musician. I was just watching some clips from the movie and decided to check you out. There’s actually 2 scenes that I can’t find on KZfaq from the movies. 1 is where Wordman plays the slow tune on the piano and everybody is laughing but then Eddie’s like hold on wait a minute and kicks it into high gear. They do have some of the clip but not the full. I guess I need to clip that myself. The other clip I can’t find is we’re just some guys from Jersey. If we can’t be great then there’s no reason to play. Something like that. I enjoyed your video man. I might be 2 years late but I left you a huge ass comment lol

A musician told me a long time ago less is more that always stuck with me.

Gary Gramolini is the guitar player in the band. You might want to give him a shout out.

Letting The Music Breathe is True. Fire Staits Got It Right with Brothers on Arms Causes Most yi Cry Even non vets

i am guessing your dad liked that scene because it represented the mentorship process...it is the music version seen between Rocky and his manager....or that guy Rudy who proved himself to all his Fightin Irish teammates....Eddie didnt bash the kid or demean him....Eddie taught the kid a lesson like a true leader.

As a musician myself I always loved both of these movies & this is my favorite scene from either movie. So many musicians really could learn a thing or two from this scene. It's why Hendrix, Santana, Clapton, Page, Beck, May, and Gilmour will always be the greats over people who play 150 notes in 10 seconds.

This movie is AMAZING and that scene is one of the best lessons ever. I'm a guitarist and it always stuck with me. That said i'm really loving that flashy solo too LOL But Eddie's solo you can take with you to the grave. Stunning. I have to get this movie on blu-ray :) Is it out on blu ray?

Thank you for mentioning crossroads. Now we have Cruisers. Music must breath.😎

I was @ Buddy Guys in Chicago a few years ago. It was an off night, probably less than 75 people in the place… And different guitar players would get up on stage and play for a while. Most of them younger, and flying all over the fretboard…1, ok maybe 2, really had people put their conversations on hold “Don’t be ChatGPT hooked up to a printer….be the real deal banging away on the typewriter with crumpled wads of drafts on the floor from practice” NTT

The beginning discussing how they were out of rye and you dealt with pumpernickel is a mood man. No rye for chicken salad is always a sad time

i've done work on about 14 albums, and for years, whenever i go to write with someone, i pull up this scene so we're on the same page.

Best lesson yet and something I've always struggled with having grown up during the shredding era. What's the phrase, "it's the space between the notes."

I hope you see my comment. Eddie and the Cruisers 1& 2 are also my FAVORITE movies growing up too. My mother and I would watch them over and over when I was a kid. I wish I could talk further with you about this subject

As a non musician and a brother to a virtuosa prodigy musician, and looking at this scene, this is my take.= The kid is playiing the notes well but slightly too fast. Eddie plays with that rare ability to translate human emotion into musical notes. Eddie is slower and emphasis is on emotion instead of adding-machine speed , to impress. My brother starts slow and can play Bach in all 8 voices on a piano, despite never taking a music lesson. Then he literally dissapears as if hypmotized, and you hear his true emotion in every note. It is weird and amazing at the same time. I wish i had 10% of that skill. Great vid, thank you , RH DSD KING DIO

Albert Collins told Tommy Bolin he didn’t have to blow his load in the First Bar….to cut it to a single note. In a documentary on Roy Orbison. Orbison talks about getting the perfect note.

Not sure if you have ever listened to Nightwish but this scene totally embodies their guitarist Emppu…when I first started listening to them I thought of this scene. He just lets the music breathe….every note, pick slide, pinch harmonic, bar dive has a purpose and just makes the song complete. He can shred and play fast but most of their songs call for a more melodic solo which he delivers so well and he (nor anyone else in the band ) tries to take over and show off with some showy solo or drum fills, etc. they play the music the way it is supposed to be played.

That riff, yep ill never forget it.every hot shot guitar player should see this clip. Because they riff a very hard solo dosent mean its colorful. This riff is Colorful. Great Movie. Every musician needs to watch this movie and learn.

What is it? It's called music with a soul. Music is alive if you let it be.

Loved the movies and love your video.

Drummer here 59 years young still playing in a band the answer is because THE average person can follow along with the song. Remember this saying "KISS" KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID And you'll never go wrong

I think the problem with many guitar players, is that try to impress their peers with technique, speed, and flash, instead of connecting with an audience.

Great scene but my favorite is when he first plays in the bar.

It's all about the melody.

"You should kick it, not step on it" Genius🎯

I remember watching this movie several times while in high school back in '84. I immediately thought of some well known melodies in rock history; Satisfaction by the Stones, Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin, Can't Explain by the Who. These are all simple riffs yet melodic, catchy phrases that made millions.

On the dark side sounds like Springsteen so much, when it came out people thought it was. Brown Beaver Band!

A very good movie. Showed how a musician thinks.

They both are great movies.

I was just taking about this movie this morning and this pops up on my feed.

Landing on that E on the G chord gives the feeling of an Em instead of a G (or G6), which was a classic common sub, i.e., the IIm for the IV in that 50s I-VIm-IV-V progression.

I've never seen this. It's right on the money.

6:08 He definitely expected him to fall on his face during the Garden of Eden scene in the bar though. But that smile disappeared from his face pretty freaking quick.

This is from part 2! 🎸🎸👍👍👍👍

Yes they should !!!

Exactly correct!

Can you do something on King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. That band for me is full of little ear worms

Clarence’s simple phrasing on Jungleland.

If you listen to the Brown Beaver Band lead in other songs hes very good and plays like this on other songs.

I play guitar and I think that both styles of guitar have merit have merit soulful melodic and simple has its place but shredding also has its place in the Rock realm just two different types of music

So...how did Macchio beat Vai in 'Crossroads' with Dazzling? Because they weren't playing in 'some bar'. They were "cuttin heads".

Tom Petty was hugely successful and his approach and method never really changed over his career, his music was simple and effective.

This is so funny. A band I joined in 2001, gave my a video of this movie. It was required.

Listened to your history with this movie and I had to laugh. My Dad, who was not a musician, loved this movie. He liked the first Eddie and the Cruisers with On the Darkside being the anthem but he loved this movie and it's soundtrack more. The first film is more of a movie about the band, the 2nd is more about Eddie and there's more music in it than the 1st movie. And we're also South Jersey people and the first one was shot all over South Jersey and the shore areas moreso than North Jersey which always gets all the publicity and movies that are made in NJ. I've always loved this scene but my favorite scene is probably when he's in his apartment alone trying to write a song with his guitar and he just cant get it out because he's a wreck emotionally. Most music movies don't show anything about the writing, it's usually about the performance so that was really cool.

I love that you appreciate this move (very underrated) and excellent points, but I still love me some John Petrucci!

I have both movies on dvd of eddie and the cruisers and sound tracks great rock n roll

I have to admit, there are some lame scenes in Eddie and the Cruisers 2, but very good scenes as well. The part I like too, is when they are rehearsing in the middle of nowhere, and the hot shot guitar player is doing his antics on the guitar. Eddie stops him and tells him about being more intense. The lead guitarist asked Eddie, "What is more intense?" Eddie describes intensity like being in the desert in the middle of nowhere, and hearing a sound he's never heard before. He tells the kid that is what he is looking for. That to me, is the best scene in the whole movie.

great reaction..love to hear your opinion of Yngwie Malmsteen's techniques

Go listen to The Beaver Brown Band then you'll hear it for real