Stranger Things is arguably one of the best shows to ever hit television. Not only is it well written, perfectly cast, superbly acted and beautifully shot, it is the perfect show for Gen X kids like myself. I watch that show and I remember every single pop culture reference, the clothes, the freak outs people were having over D&D and the music. Man, the MUSIC!
This latest season was an emotional rollercoaster, like all the feels possible were crammed in there. The soundtrack has opened up a new world to a younger generation and artists like Kate Bush are not only being played on Top 40 radio, but for the first time, Metallica has an official video for “Master of Puppets” and it has been charting. It’s crazy. And awesome.
By now I’m hoping I’m not throwing any spoiler alerts out there and you are all caught up. If not, get on it. But in the season finale, there is a pivotal scene with Eddie Munson absolutely shredding “Master of Puppets” in the Upside Down trying to distract these giant demonic bats so the rest of the crew can get to the villain, Vecna. This scene is so powerful, so epic that new fans are running out and buying their first Metallica records, that old schoolers like myself were yelling “Hell yeah!” at the screen.
I was also thrilled to learn that Joseph Quinn, the actor that plays Eddie Munson, didn’t fake his way thru it either. He actually took the time to learn it and play it for real. Impressive to say the least. Impressive enough that Metallica took notice. They posted a photo of all four of them wearing Hellfire Club tshirts and they invited Quinn backstage to Lollapalooza.
The look on Quinn’s face was right on par with his character: stunned to be in their presence. The whole band was so awesome and praised his performance. James Hetfield telling Quinn “thank you for doing it justice”. High praise from Papa Het. High praise indeed. They then revealed Eddie’s guitar and signed it for him.
Quinn’s real life reaction was so pure and emulated what Eddie most likely would have done too. Too cool.
Check out their meeting and footage from Metallica on stage at Lollapalooza.
In case you missed this when I posted it before, this is Joseph Quinn learning how to shred it properly!
And my story wouldn’t be complete without Eddie in the Upside Down
