Alice Cooper reflects on his iconic ‘Wayne’s World’ cameo
The 1990s was a vibrant time for moviemaking in Hollywood, with action movies such as Speed and The Matrix taking the genre into the 21st century, whilst blockbuster epics like James Cameron’s Titanic would change the box office forever. Among all this innovation was the ‘90s comedy, a genre of filmmaking that reflected the zany nature of the 20th century’s final decade, with movies like American Pie, Happy Gilmore and Wayne’s World turning into beloved favourites.
Whilst many of these flicks may have dated, 1992s Wayne’s World has done remarkably well to stay relevant, with the endlessly quotable movie lasting the test of time thanks to its frenetic attitude and bafflingly silly sense of humour. Starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, the cult classic followed two slackers and music fanatics, Wayne and Garth, who try to promote their public-access cable show.
As a result of the central characters’ love for rock ‘n’ roll, the film itself is packed full of music references, be it the inclusion of cameos from Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper or the soundtrack that included the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Black Sabbath and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Of all the musicians involved, no one gets the same reception as the iconic American rock singer Alice Cooper.
“We’re not worthy, we’re not worthy, we’re scum, we suck,” Garth and Wayne cry, getting down on their knees to hail the king of rock after Cooper eloquently revealed a number of secrets about the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It’s a short, snappy scene in a wild ‘90s comedy that would become the movie’s most memorable moment.
Reflecting on the strange piece of movie magic, Cooper told Billboard, “I think we did it in two takes,” with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey underestimating the musician’s impressive ability not to break out in laughter. “Of course, Dana and Mike, on the floor with the “We’re not worthy!” thing, were doing everything they could to get me to break up,” the musician recalled, “But they didn’t realise my iron will, so I went right through that dialogue and I think I surprised them”.
Continuing, he hilariously explained: “But if you would have seen the outtakes of ‘We’re not worthy, we’re scum,’ it goes on for like five or six minutes. And it just gets vile. Whoever owns those outtakes owns a little treasure”.
Despite being released 25 years ago, at the time of the interview, Cooper revealed that he still gets fans approaching him in public to re-enact the iconic scene from the comedy. “Airports is when everybody does, ‘We’re not worthy!’ I always try to let them think it’s the first time anybody’s ever done that. And they’re so clever,” he stated, “After about the fourth time a day I put my hand out like, ‘Kiss my ring,’ like I do in the movie, and they all love to do that”.
Appearing in a variety of movies, including the 1978 Michael Schultz comedy Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the John Carpenter horror Prince of Darkness and the franchise thriller Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, no Cooper cameo has ever bettered Wayne’s World.
