It’s not uncommon for an underdog to upstage their well-known co-stars in a film, but I’ll bet the likes of Will Ferrell, Bradley Cooper, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson didn’t anticipate a wacky wedding band outshining them.
Then again, when they’re performing expletive-ridden renditions of smash hits such as Total Eclipse of the Heart, Feel Like Makin’ Love and Candy Shop, it’s a bit hard not to get distracted from the story at hand.
Although that may sound like the last thing you want on your big day, the frontman of this unusual music group has told how they are bombarded with requests from couples tying the knot who want them to recreate their infamous movie gigs.
Dan Finnerty is Hollywood’s resident foul-mouthed wedding singer (Brian To/FilmMagic)
Dan Finnerty, 54, has the extraordinary ability to make even the sweetest of love songs absolutely filthy, which is a talent which keeps him booked and busy as well being responsible for getting him a leg-up in Hollywood.
The actor-come-singer-come-comedian, who is the lead singer of ‘The Dan Band‘, has gained quite the kooky cult following after adding a bit of lewdness to soppy lyrics in a string of popular movies.
You might remember him from his foul-mouthed performance of Total Eclipse of the Heart at Will Ferrell‘s fictional nuptials in the 2003 comedy Old School, or possibly as the sleazy bat-mitzvah singer who belted out a dirty version of Feel Like Makin’ Love in 2004’s Starsky & Hutch.
Alternatively, it might be his erotic performance in The Hangover at Doug and Tracy’s wedding reception which made Finnerty stick in your mind – either way, his comedy genius had a lot to do with it.
The actor has somewhat created his own lane in Hollywood with his trio of talents, so although he’s often in the background at parties or only in a short scene, he still ends up being one of the most memorable characters.
His gigs include 2004’s Starsky & Hutch (Warner Bros)
This is despite the fact that the only ‘big goal’ he had in mind when he moved to Los Angeles from New York was to become ‘some frumpy guy on some sitcom that only had a couple lines every four pages’.
Finnerty stumbled into success by sheer chance, although his gifts on stage certainly come in handy.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight about how he got his big break, the star explained: “My friend wanted me to open for her band to make it look like she was headlining, so she was like, ‘Just sing anything, I don’t care what’.
“I was like, ‘Well, I just sang I Am Woman at karaoke, and it f***ing kicked ass.
“So I sang that, then some guy walked up to me and was like, ‘I book the Viper Room, and if you can make this a 20-minute set, I’ll book you at the Viper Room. I was like, ‘Are you serious?'”
One of his most memorable cameos was in The Hangover (Warner Bros)
Finnerty ended up securing a gig at the notorious nightclub and put together a 30-minute set consisting of ‘girl songs’ such as I Am Woman, You Light Up My Life, Flashdance and Fame ‘as a medley’.
He continued to pull bigger and bigger crowds in, only for legendary filmmaker Todd Phillips to rock up to one, while in desperate need of a wedding singer for Old School – and the rest, is history.
Finnerty admitted he was ‘freaking out’ in the presence of Will Ferrell, but by the time he was adlibbing over 50 Cent’s smutty lyrics to Candy Shop in The Hangover six years later, he was a seasoned pro.
Not bad for a bloke who’s band was ‘kind of a joke’, is it?
Finnerty said the ‘last thing’ he ever wanted to do was be in a wedding band, but ‘suddenly every day we were getting tons and tons of requests’, so he has leaned into his reputation as Hollywood’s go-to filthy mouthed wedding singer.
However, he isn’t exactly a fan of being booked for someone’s big day, as the host of ‘crotch references and f words’ he works into the songs don’t always amuse everyone.
Finnerty added: “Then the old ladies, the grandmas, are in the front row – who get their hair set at 7am and sit with their purse on their lap waiting to come to their grandson’s wedding – they’re the only ones in the front.
“Everyone else is off dancing, then the grandma’s looking at me and I’m looking at her. I swear and she looks horrified. It’s awful for both of us. So for that reason, I don’t like to do weddings.”
With a few albums up his sleeve, a series of high-profile comedy gigs, movie credits and a cameo in Drake’s video for his track Falling Back, Finnerty hasn’t done half bad for an eyebrow-raising wedding singer.
Featured Image Credit: Dreamworks/Warner Bros
Topics: Celebrity, TV and Film, US News, Entertainment, Will Ferrell, Bradley Cooper
