A Taste:

Queen, City Wolf, Observe and Report Soundtrack

Filmmaker Jody Hill is something of a comedy scholar. Viewing the genre in “classical” terms, he understands that the best comedy comes from tragedy. His heroes have all fallen from grace but somehow steadfastly maintain the illusion of who they think they should be. That’s where the laughs come in for his breakthrough debut, The Foot Fist Way and, of course, his brutally hilarious HBO show, Eastbound and Down. However, Jody’s most delusional and hysterical hero is Observe and Report’s Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen). Ronnie’s a maniacal mall security guard with an itchy trigger figure and an itchier yearning for acceptance.

In order to fuel Ronnie’s quest for justice, Jody chose some great tunes for Observe and Report’s soundtrack. He decided to share some of those with us in this exclusive playlist feature.

Jody Hill’s Playlist:

1. Queen — “It’s Late” & “The Hero”

“Flash Gordon is my favorite movie all time. So I definitely wanted to use Queen’s music in Observe and Report. Also, we tried to find the most obscure music that would be everybody’s favorite song if they knew it and put it into the movie. That was a fun challenge.”

2. City Wolf — “Where Is My Mind” (Pixies Cover)

“That’s my buddy Joey Stephens, who’s actually the composer on this. It was great. He wrote the music for our first film, The Foot Fist Way. I keep my friends close. I went to film school with Ben Best, Danny McBride and David Gordon Green, and we all still collaborate. It’s a great way to work.”

—Rick Florino
04.10.09