Freaky Friday: "Big Trouble in Little China" - John Carpenter

This week's Freaky Friday video most likely earns the nod as "Worst Song Ever from a composer who's capable of great things." John Carpenter is not only an excellent director (among others, see The Thing, Halloween, Escape from New York, They Live and, naturally, Big Trouble in Little China), he's...

By Cory Casciato

January 8, 2010

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

This week's Freaky Friday video most likely earns the nod as "Worst Song Ever from a composer who's capable of great things." John Carpenter is not only an excellent director (among others, see The Thing, Halloween, Escape from New York, They Live and, naturally, Big Trouble in Little China), he's also composed the music for many of his films and done a fine job of it. The iconic theme from Halloween alone earns him a spot in the hall of fame.

But when it comes to the rock and roll ... not so much. This song is exhibit A (and B and C...) in the argument that Carpenter should stick to film music and leave the songwriting to others. It's cliched, leaden and ridiculous and it plays out like a serious of '80s cliches strung together by a drunken monkey let loose in a recording studio.

And the video? The same. Cheesy effects, bad "band in the studio" setting and a series of clips that manage to make Big Trouble in Little China, one of the finest movies of all time, look positively silly. Boo on that. Have a look for yourself after the jump.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Westword has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.