If you were old enough to appreciate music videos in 2001, then you likely came across actor Christopher Walken jumping, sliding, and flying his way through the Marriott in Los Angeles in Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice.” Little did Walken know how this song would connect to his latest cinematic outing 23 years after the music video was released.
The lore of Dune, written by Frank Herbert, has infiltrated popular culture over the years. David Lynch adapted the book into an unsuccessful film in 1984 before Dennis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part One premiered in 2021. The sequel, Dune: Part Two, is currently in theatres. Film is not the only medium that has taken inspiration from the epic sci-fi series, with videogames, television, and music all making reference to Herbert’s sand-filled world.
One such song was Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice.” Though the words are not the main focus of the piece (the song’s rhythm and beat dominate the lyrics), if you listen closely, you’ll find a small reference to one of Dune‘s famous beasts in the lyric, “Walk without rhythm/and it won’t attract the worm.” That’s right, the sandworms of Arrakis make an appearance in the song.
In an interview with GQ Magazine, interviewer Gabriella Paiella pointed out the connection to Walken, asking him if he had made it himself at any point. Walken responded,
“No, you know, that’s the first I’ve heard of that. You telling me right now is the first time I’ve heard that. You mean the lyrics of the Fatboy Slim song refer to … yeah, in the movie they kind of do that slide and dance, when they walk in the desert, they do that kind of ice skating thing.”
In the novel, the sandworms live under the vast sands of Arrakis and are attracted to vibrations they feel as anything, human or otherwise, steps on the sand, making them lethal predators. To combat this, the desert people, the Fremen, walk in a way that has no rhythm taking erratic steps so as not to attract the beasts, much like how Walken dances his way through the hotel lobby. The sandworms play a vital part in the novel and that will be shown in Dune: Part Two which has utilized them heavily for marketing, even for a very questionable-looking popcorn bucket.
They aren’t the only dangerous creatures in the universe. In the sequel, Walken plays the overarching villain, Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, who calls for the extermination of the House of Atreides and is determined to see it through. Walken plays a sinister and chilling Emperor, with no cackling or lightning bolts here. Though it does appear this Emperor originated from Queens, given that Walken does nothing to change his accent for the role.
You can catch Walken and the sandworms in Dune: Part Two, now playing in theatres.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
