Bill Murray joined 6,500 of his closest friends for his first-ever Comic-Con appearance today. The surprise came during the Open Road panel, which featured the upcoming musical comedy Rock the Kasbah. Murray stars in the Barry Levinson-directed picture that’s due out this October 23rd. All that and more from the Open Road panel follows below.

Panel Highlights

  • Murray made a grand entrance by walking down the central walkway of Hall H while singing “Smoke on the Water” to thunderous applause.
  • Taking to the stage, Murray steps into the shoes of music producer/movie character Richie Lanz and fields questions from Josh Horowitz in character.
  • Horowitz asks Murray why this is his first Comic-Con appearance, at which point he revisits some of his memorable roles in films along with the audience.
  • Screenwriter Mitch Glazer shares the story of Murray singing every verse of “Brandy” at his wedding.
  • Glazer reveals that the story of Rock the Kasbah came in part from Murray’s SNL character, Jerry Aldini
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    Murray talks about his own experiences with sleazy managers, including the gentleman who manages Van Morrison. Murray, in his own words, goes and cheers the “moody musician” up when he flies in to do a U.S. show.
  • Murray talks about his experience filming in Morocco vs living in L.A. He’s got a lot of great things to say about Morocco and its people, even if it’s with his own particular brand of dry humor.
  • Murray says he goes to work with a knife strapped to his leg in order to intimidate his co-stars into knowing their lines, and his delivery is so good that you almost believe it. He goes on to praise his co-stars and their collaborative work behind-the-scenes.
  • When Murray was on SNL, Bruce Willis was a page whose job it was to refill the snack bowls in the actors’ dressing rooms; only Murray and Gilda Radner were nice to him, apparently.
  • On screenwriting, Murray suggests that screenwriters focus on telling their story and not writing parts specifically for actors they have in mind.
  • As Glazer says, the movie centers around Richie’s last musical tour in Afghanistan surrounded by armed bandits on horseback; quite a way to go out.
  • Murray gets the audience to sing whatever song is in their hearts for 30 seconds, and he’s about the only person who could get away with such a cacophonous stunt.
  • Rock the Kasbah is, in part, based on a version of American Idol that takes place in Afghanistan and actually provides a source of entertainment and enjoyment in a war-torn country. The show featured the first Pashtun woman who performed singing and dancing despite death threats, and though she didn’t win, she achieved quite a few personal goals.
  • Murray shares some of his current musical favorites, which includes XX.
  • Murray: “I’m gonna say this officially. Miley Cyrus is good.” Murray is a staunch defender of Cyrus so let that be known.
  • Horowitz asks if Murray was ever up for the role of Han Solo and if he is still up for it today. He says he’s not sure if he was ever up for the role in the past, but he’s been doing “a lot of swimming and pilates” to get a shot at the new role.

Footage

Here's a look at Murray's first-ever Comic-Con appearance. What a crowd-pleaser! The guy certainly has style!

Audience Q&A

  • Do Murray and Deschanel sing together? Murray sings in the shower, but touts Deschanel as a serious singer. During a karaoke run, she chose to sing “We Are the World” in all their various voices.
  • Would Richie Lanz ever consider managing a juggler or possibly a unicorn? Murray: “It’s all contractual, but everyone in the management business is looking for a unicorn.” When asking if there’s anything she’d like to sing, the Unicorn Lady breaks into a rendition of “It’s a Small World” at which point Murray says he could do this Q&A forever.
  • Button Lady invites Murray to sleep with her outside Hall H tonight, but her actual question is for Glazer. Was it difficult to get Murray to stick to the script? Glazer says that there’s a myth that Murray doesn’t follow the script, but that he’s very respectful of writers and doesn’t change a word.
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    Image via HBO
    A young Two-Face cosplayer and Murray fan asks him for his favorite memory from filming the movie. He shares experiences about the way the wind over the Sahara desert affects the weather, and a dinner in Marakesh where they ate on the roof of an industrial building while a two-man band played exotic music and they looked out on the city and a dark sky full of stars. It was a touching moment in an otherwise very comical panel.
  • What was Murray’s favorite role to play ever, asks a Ghostbusters fan? Murray: “Well, once upon a time I did save the city of New York and I had the coolest damn car to drive around.”
  • What’s the soundtrack to Rock the Kasbah like? A lot of classic rock, with tracks from Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Eric Clapton, Steve Wynwood, Steve Stills, Neil Young, and, jokingly, Kid Rock. The girl he discovers on his journey only sings Cat Stephens songs.
  • Does Murray feel a responsibility to educate the masses through his roles? Murray: “You could take it that way, but you don’t have an obligation to educate through your work. You do it when you do it correctly, but if you set out with that intention, you’re not aiming at the stars.” He talks about aspiring to live up to principles that most people don’t attain, but we have the ability to comport ourselves to being alive here and now. He seems to have a very spiritual attitude that keeps him positive and energized throughout his work and his life.
  • Is Bruce Willis a “jackass” or does he have a “soft heart”? Murray: “He’s a movie star. You hear stories about people, but when you’re a real movie star, you have to sometimes take matters into your hands, in the name of entertainment and the name of respecting the crew. There are people who want to take over and dominate … I don’t want to say producer slime, specifically, but a movie star can say, ‘That’s not gonna happen, boss.’ The movie star, they’re a noble race, they really are.” Glazer: “They’re an endangered species, they really are.”
  • Murray’s own experience with Bruce on this film and Moonrise Kingdom was living next to him in a tiny “two-banger” trailer and filming in harsh conditions, so there was nothing pretentious about him then.
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    Image via Fox Searchlight
    What does Murray think about empowering minorities through social media? Murray admits that the world is changing, just very slowly, and that justice doesn’t come when we want it. The conversation quickly turns to slavery in all of its evils, on a social level and a personal level. Again the mood dips into the spiritual and dramatic.
  • What’s the funniest part of the movie? Glazer reveals a spoiler where, after an explosion, Murray’s character is deafened and starts to react in “30 seconds of pure physical comedy.”
  • Is there any truth to the “No one will ever believe you” stories about Bill Murray? Murray, coyly, “I don’t know what he was talking about. Sounds like fun though, doesn’t it?” Glazer attests to one of the stories in which Murray (or all of his brothers) would call him every time Roadhouse was on to say, “Your wife is banging Patrick Swayze.”
  • What is Murray’s nerdy niche? Murray: “I have a taser with me, I didn’t know what to expect. I must say, it feels wonderful to be in this room. I have a lot of dress-up outfits at home – I won’t tell you, I want to surprise you, but I like when people get excited about something.” Murray talks about a nerdy party at the Skywalker Ranch after wrapping a project.

Here’s the official synopsis for Rock the Kasbah:

“Rock The Kasbah” is the story of Richie Lanz, a rock manager with a golden ear and a taste for talent, who has seen better times. When he takes his last remaining client on a USO tour of Afghanistan, she gets cold feet and leaves him penniless and without his passport in Kabul. While trying to find his way home, Richie befriends a band of misfits and discovers a young girl with an extraordinary voice.

Against all odds, Richie will take his last shot at creating an unlikely superstar.

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