Watch Adam Sandler perform with nu-metal greats Deftones and Incubus
Adam Sandler and nu-metal are not two subjects typically conflated. However, scratch below the surface, and you will find that they have more in common than you might think. The 1990s and run-up to the turn of the millennium is primarily characterised as a compelling time, with the promise of a new epoch and technological advances fuelling a cultural explosion. This tidal wave offered contemporary culture numerous new aspects, and somehow, by the end of the decade, both Adam Sandler and nu-metal had joined forces.
After starring in the 1989 comedy Going Overboard, Sandler became a presence on the long-running bastion of American comedy, Saturday Night Live, between 1990 and 1995. Running concurrently with SNL, the comedian featured in Coneheads and Airheads in 1993 and 1994, respectively, expanding his audience further. His performances set the scene for Sandler to become a bonafide star in his own right after the release of 1995’s Billy Madison. Notably, in the movie, the actor plays the hapless heir to a hotel chain who is forced to return to school to prove his business competence.
A string of commercially successful features followed in the form of Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy and Big Daddy, and by the end of the century, Sandler was one of the most famous comedy actors on the planet. With his new-found fame, Sandler was set to embark on a varied and ambitious career, a journey which him starring in modern classics such as Punch-Drunk Love and Uncut Gems, as well as a host of widely derided titles such as Grown Ups 2, The Cobbler and the problematic, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.
Despite the oscillating trajectory of his career, Sandler is still loved by his fans, with his highlights unquestionable. Following the release of 2019’s Uncut Gems, he is enjoying something of a resurgence in the view of the collective consciousness, with him set to star in a new Safdie brothers romp.
In 2000, he released another of his classic comedies, Little Nicky, which brought the curtain down on the most fruitful chapter of his career. A surreal tale about the kindly son of Satan, despite some elements ageing badly, the film remains one of his most coveted. This is partly thanks to it featuring a host of memorable cameos ranging from Ozzy Osbourne and Quentin Tarantino to Henry Winkler.
So where does Sandler’s connection to nu-metal come in? As he was one of the most prominent actors of the time – and nu-metal was one of the most popular genres of the day with the likes of Korn, Slipknot, Deftones and others enormous – it made sense that they would converge. The best example arrived as part of the soundtrack of Little Nicky, which featured cuts from Deftones, Incubus, P.O.D., Linkin Park and even Disturbed.
As if this coming together of forces wasn’t enough for fans, when Sandler performed with some of the bands featured on the soundtrack, they went into meltdown. This happened on a special promotion for Little Nicky on MTV in 2000, which saw Sandler join Deftones, Incubus and P.O.D. to perform an acoustic cover of ‘Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)’ as well as The Steve Miller Band’s 1973 classic, ‘The Joker’. Augmenting the surprise, he even demonstrated that he’s rather handy on the six-string.
Watch the footage below.
