‘Airheads’: The comedy movie heavily influenced by Howard Stern
Back in the 1990s, Hollywood comedies were flourishing. Stars like Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey, and Robin Williams were leading hilarious movies like The Nutty Professor, The Mask and Mrs. Doubtfire, all whilst the next generation of comedy talent was flourishing in the background thanks to a more diverse range of independent cinema that allowed filmmakers to push the boundaries of the genre.
One such movie was the 1994 flick Airheads, a bizarre comedy starring Adam Sandler, Brendan Fraser and Steve Buscemi, which told the story of three musicians who hold up a radio station with plastic guns after they refuse to play their music. A curious flick helmed by Michael Lehmann, Airheads is an excellent example of the eccentricity of ‘90s comedy, featuring some of the industry’s most exciting talents.
In February 2023, Fraser sat down with Howard Stern, shortly before he would go on to receive an Academy Award for his performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, where the pair both discussed their love of 1994’s Airheads.
“You were a big influence for that movie…none of that was lost on us,” Fraser exclaimed to the iconic radio host who shot to fame in the late 1980s and 1990s, with Stern being used as a template for many of the industry characters.
Later in the conversation, the pair shared fond memories of the great comedian Chris Farley, Fraser’s co-star in the movie, who passed away shortly after its release. Describing his performance style as “fucking brilliant,” Stern questions whether Farley was so great due to his pure commitment to his character, with Fraser replying, “He and Sandler always had, not a rivalry, but a competition going on to see who could crack each other up the best”.
Continuing, he added: “When they became writing partners in SNL, they had a pact going on which was, ‘I’m not going to be afraid. You don’t be afraid. I won’t be afraid. We’ll go forward together with courage, and that’s really what they did”.
Sandler helped to get Fraser a role in the 1994 movie despite director Michael Lehmann being “very against” casting the latter.
“I eventually went to his house at like 4 in the morning, woke him up, and I said, ‘Just know Adam Sandler ain’t going to be in Airheads unless old Fraser is in it.’ So he changed his little tune,” Sandler later stated in an interview. Later in the conversation, Sandler reflected fondly on the production, exclaiming, “That was one of the best shoots of my life, without a doubt. We would drive to the Fox lot and just get there at around 4:30. Sun’s going down. We’d have our snacks, get into our clothes, do our scenes. And, man, the best party of all time”.
Take a look at the trailer for the 1994 movie, for which Howard Stern was a massive influence on, below.
