The Barbusters were a fictional band consisting of Joan Jett, Michael J. Fox, AND the legendary David St. Hubbins from Spinal Tap. They appeared in the movie Light Of Day as a struggling, small-time group based out of Cleveland, Ohio. While the film is not exactly a masterpiece, it’s certainly enjoyable enough, and brings an added thrill to those of us from northeast Ohio — for example, hearing them rattle off what cities they’re playing, and Fox mentioning Mansfield as one of the gigs.
This song cracked the top 40, albeit with Joan Jett and her usual backing band The Blackhearts. Today I felt like showcasing this clip instead, though, from the end of the movie, where Michael sings the first verse. This movie’s greatest contribution to pop culture, though, might be its original title, “Born In The USA.” Director Paul Schrader asked Bruce Springsteen to contribute a song for the soundtrack, but instead he stole the title, for an album name and song idea. Then felt bad and donated an unreleased cut, “Light Of Day,” to make up for it. So there’s no actual Bruce to be found here, although the Fabulous Thunderbirds do perform in the movie, as does a young Trent Reznor. Even clear back then, he was already a Hollywood scenester.
