The Energon Pub

1986 was a bright, jolly year for movies, reveling in the height of the decade’s notorious frolicking attitude. Tom Cruise got “goosed” in TOP GUN, Paul Hogan took us Down Under in CROCODILE DUNDEE, Molly Ringwold was PRETTY IN PINK, Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock played with whales in STAR TREK IV, Kurt Russell dealt with some BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, Rodney Dangerfield went BACK TO SCHOOL, and Matthew Broderick played hooky in FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF.

And yet, amid all that fun in the sun, the sparkle-eyed, carefree joy of children took a slightly darker turn, as the concept of death punctured one of the most popular toy and cartoon franchises of the decade when THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE (TF:TM) was unleashed upon an unsuspecting summer audience. Probably for the first time in their lives, kids across the country sat jaw-dropped as their beloved heroes of the past two years began dropping like flies, culminating in the gut-wrenching horror of the death of the most popular character in the series, the Autobot leader Optimus Prime.

Although the summer of 1986 left many an adolescent scarred, THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE ultimately became a cult classic among animated film junkies and 1980s retro-fans. 2011 marks the 25th Anniversary of the film’s original release, and we felt it only appropriate to commemorate the occasion by tracking down the man responsible for the explosive music that contributed greatly to the film’s memorability.

Read on, as Examiner spends time with soundtrack composer (and rock musician) Vince DiCola, as we discuss the past and the present of his life among god-sized robots – THE TRANSFORMERS!