He stands up and succeeds on his own termsįine. The pacing and honesty of the film, how relatable it all was. I finally saw the film a few months later on DVD and I was floored. Maybe this guy, this Eminem…maybe he was trying to put out a good film?
EMINEM 8MILE FINAL RAP MOVIE
I observed that the studios were marketing it as the “Rocky” movie of rap music. This wasn’t a goofy sloppy movie, this was a drama…and it had class from what I could see. He was giving us him, not Slim Shady, not Eminem, but Himself…Marshall Mathers. The look of the film, the look in Eminem or Marshall’s eyes in each clip in this trailer…the fact that his hair was brown, not his trademark platinum blond.
I slowly walked into the bar everybody was staring at me probably good 20 people Sunthar says:Īnyway…that’s what the poster made me think of for some reason. “Listen man, no more going on the roof, you could hurt yourself up there.”
EMINEM 8MILE FINAL RAP LICENSE
The cops come out, give me back my license and say: They confirmed they knew me and I was ok. They showed Sunthar my ID…he’s like a big brother to me. He walks up to the Sunthar, who is standing behind the bar in front of most of our friends and says… The male officer goes into the bar with my ID in his hands. I have no idea what because I’m horribly embarrassed and I know I’m going to look like a freak to my friends in 2.5 seconds. I know this will sound crazy, but would you mind if one of you waited out here with me while you ask them? They are going to tear me to shreds when they find out that you guys found me up on the roof singing.” But it’s quiet, and I can get my aggression out up here.”īut they need to make sure I work there like I’m saying I do, and to make sure in not crazy.Īs they began to walk me into the bar. I explain that I work downstairs in the bar. I was singing a particularly loud A cappella rendition of Pearl Jams “Release” when all of a sudden I turn around and see 2 police officers standing behind on the roof. I’m on the roof singing while my buddy Sunthar is working and all our friends are inside. I would sing at the top of my lungs while all my friends were raging in the bar below, oblivious to where I was. Some nights while I was down there hanging with my friends…I would slip away, sneak out of the bar, go to the back patio, scale the back wall of the bar and climb up onto the roof. I had a deep baritone singing voice that I molded after Mr Edward Vedder. We did a ton of Pearl Jam, Janes Addiction, Floyd…and I knew some Beatles (“Don’t Let Me Down” was my jam). I began sitting in with Timmy after a while as I used to sing with my friend Eric at a bar, but Eric and I were a bit louder than Timmy and Frank. Then he and his friend Frank would jam, a lot of Counting Crows and beautiful renditions of Beatles songs, Cat Stevens, Simon & Garfunkel. He would set up in the back of the bar and we would all come to watch him and his sister Megan play. I would sing most Wednesdays at the bar I worked at…Timmy came those nights with his acoustic guitar and gear. It reminded me of when I used to sing and write lyrics. One man, black and white…sitting and writing lyrics on the palm of his hand.
The simplicity of this one sheet has stayed with me since I first saw it. His involvement in “8 Mile” made me take note of it. It was the type of film I wanted to jump inside and live in for a while, and I knew that energy was due in large part to the talent of Curtis Hanson. I had a deep love for “Wonder Boys”…it stuck a deep nerve within me. I put in my blind spot until I hear that the director of “The Wonder Boys“, Curtis Hanson, had directed it. It comes out 2 days before my 27th birthday. Then Eminem makes and prepares to release the film “ 8 Mile“. I was aware of Eminem when he was coming up, but because he was too popular I stayed away from him, from his music. I didn’t expect to when I first heard of it I remember. “Everybody in the 3-1-3…put your mother-fucking hands up and follow me…”