Celluloid history.”įusco recalled, “I ran into Jimmy Page in a bar in the West Indies years later. I told him no at first, but then I read the script again and felt that a certain side of my personality could relate to the character of Jack Butler.
“After the director had met me and heard the recording, he asked me if I’d be interested in being in the film. I read the script, built a duel concept and we recorded it," he explains. "They needed a hot rod guitar player for this guitar-duel scene. The film's music composer Ry Cooder was the one to initially reach out to him, but as Vai recalls, he initially shot it down. So how did Vai end up in the film? Well, it almost didn't happen. Up to that point, Vai was mostly known for his work with Frank Zappa and in Alcatrazz, but eventually wowed music fans further playing alongside David Lee Roth in the former Van Halen singer's solo band. But this would be no easy chore, especially when we find out the Devil's axeman is none other than Jack Butler, played by the very much up-and-coming guitarist at the time, Steve Vai.
And while their journey takes them through some juke joints and involves a few scrapes along the way, it does eventually land the duo right at the legendary crossroads where Johnson sold his soul to the devil, and apparently Willie had a debt to pay as well.Įventually agreeing to a guitar battle with the Devil's ringer guitarist, Eugene is ready to put his lessons learned to the test, fighting not only for Willie's soul, but his own as well. Screenwriter John Fusco revealed to American Blues Scene that Macchio was chosen over Sean Penn and Tom Cruise, who had both shown interest and that the actor had passed on Back to the Future to take the role of young Eugene, who seeks out Willie Brown, an elderly musician (Joe Seneca) who had allegedly played with legendary bluesman Robert Johnson being held at a minimum security hospital.īrokering a deal for a lost Robert Johnson song in return for breaking him out and helping him settle some business in Mississippi, Eugene and Willie hit the road.
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