The influence of Blade Runner on future science
fiction is inarguable. Fingerprints of
the 1982 dystopian sci-fi drama are evident not only in films like Total
Recall (Mémoires Programmées), which was similarly based on a
novel by Philip K. Dick, but also in popular works such as 12 Monkeys (L'armée des 12 singes), Minority Report (Rapport Minoritaire) or the Matrix. Even Spike Jones’ 2014 film Her continued
Blade Runner’s theme by exploring the
intertwining of humanity and technology. The stark imagery of a not so distant
future world which has both advanced and declined has long captured the
imaginations of movie goers. Blade Runner’s impact on popular culture, however, extends well beyond the cinema.
The films imagery, script and wardrobe have made an enduring mark which can can
be heard and seen in the works of today’s rock artists.
To today’s viewer the
dialogue of Hampton Facher and David People’s screenplay may feel forced but when Axl Rose, frontman and primary
songwriter on Guns N’ Roses, opens their live performance of Welcome to the Jungle by
howling “Wake Up! Time to Die!” while the band erupts, it’s anything
but. Just as Blade Runner did, Welcome to the Jungle describes a
future world, a future Los Angeles, plunged into darkness where even the mighty
Captain America has been “torn apart”. Check out the
album Live Era ’87-’93 or their epic Use Your Illusion filmed in Tokyo to hear for yourself.
Rob Zombie and his metal band White Zombie also
borrowed from the Blade Runner script to pen their 1995 hit single More
Human Than Human. The songs refrain is in fact the tagline of the film’s Tyrell Corporation who uses the phrase to describe
their new Nexus 6 model of humanoid robots called replicants. The final verse of the song also stems
directly from the film when Zombie proclaims “I am the nexus one, I want more life fucker, I ain't done, yeah”. White Zombie are no strangers to envying dark images
and themes in their music. Their album Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and
Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head saw the band’s sound evolve towards an industrial metal sound. Blade Runner’s futuristic spin on traditional macabre proved to be an apt muse.
Blade Runner’s makeup and
wardrobe have become and emblem of today’s artists looking to link their music with the avant garde and an
uncertain future. Annie Lennox sought to
capture Darryl Hannah’s character Pris’ post modern look when she took the stage with David Bowie during the
Wembley Stadium Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert to perform Under Pressure.
Montreal’s Arcade Fire are unabashed lovers of Film Noir. Win
Butler and Régine Chassagne have also
adopted Pris’ look for their stage performance of the band’s 2013 album Reflektor. In
the film, Pris applies the raccoon like makeup to her eyes, perhaps in a vain
attempt to cover her body’s decline
towards its predefined expiration date.
As in Blade Runner, themes of isolation, loss and death feature heavily
in the lyrics of Reflektor. The album’s title track of incidentally also includes a vocal contribution from
the legendary David Bowie, himself no stranger to the use of makeup for visual
effect.
Beyond the imagery, Blade Runner’s influence on the modern soundscape must not be
overlooked. Vangelis took home
the 1982 Academy Award for Best Motion Picture Soundtrack. His mix of analogue
and digital synthesizers along with traditional instruments created a auditory
experience that goes beyond could be accomplished with a standard sound
palette. The soundtrack marks one of the
earliest uses of digital equipment to create sound that was musical and not
simply machinelike. Today we hear echoes
of Vangelis in the works of Owen Pallet who masterfully paints a
soundscape using loops, synths and traditional stringed instruments in his solo
act as well as his work with Arcade Fire. Chvrches, electropop sweethearts from
Glasgow, Scotland (try they songThe Mother We Share) and Austin, Texas’ up and coming Migrant Kids (try their track Salida) both
employ synthetic layers in their work to add texture to their work. Vangelis created a new standard and style for
music production. UK Producer Danger Mouse has offered that his work on Martina
Topley Bird’s 2008 album Baby Blue was
directly inspired and influenced by the Blade Runner soundtrack. As we approach 2019, the year in which the film is set, it is its
soundtrack that will undoubtedly have most accurately predicted the future. Of course, in doing so it also altered the
outcome.
Brad McLean, August 2014.
Annie Lennox and David Bowie
Arcade Fire in concert
