Eddie Wilson (fictional character)

Eddie Wilson is a fictional character created by author P. F. Kluge for the novel "Eddie and the Cruisers". In the feature film based on the book (and its sequel), he is portrayed by actor Michael Pare, with John Cafferty providing music vocals.

Biography

The first film depicts Eddie Wilson as being 24 years old by 1963. He and his band, the Cruisers, are a New Jersey-based group struggling to create "the perfect sound", as Eddie himself once described. The band's album "Tender Years" is released and becomes an instant hit, much due to its main song "On the Dark Side". However, Eddie is constantly trying to improve, and searches for perfection. Eddie is talented but arrogant and rebellious, which often results in confrontations with friend and bandmate Sal Amato. He is also close friends with Wendell Newton, the saxophone player for the Cruisers, who would later die of a heroin overdose, which has a lasting effect on Eddie and his moods. At the time of his death, it is announced that Wendell died of a heart attack to hide the heroin usage. At one point, following an argument with their manager Doc Robbins, Sal tells Eddie he doesn't understand what he wants. Eddie tells him "I want to be great", to which Sal responds "We're not great. We're just some kids from Jersey." But Eddie makes it clear that if the band cannot be great, then there is no reason to ever play music again.

One dark night, after the group's new album "A Season in Hell" is rejected by their label Satin Records, Eddie disappears without a trace. His car is found in the water, having apparently crashed through the rail of the Raritan Bridge plunging into the water, and he is presumed dead. The Cruisers disband soon after Eddie's disappearance, and move on with their lives. The recordings of "Season in Hell" disappeared mysteriously the day after his disappearance. Eddie's body is never found, and after several years, he becomes a modern-day Amelia Earhart, with legends and rumors about him told in every part of the world, leading to notoriety for Eddie, leaving the rest of the band in the shadows, known only as his supporting cast. However, two decades later Satin Records launches an "Eddie lives" campaign, simply as a publicity stunt, and re-releases "Tender Years", the band's first album, which becomes an even bigger hit than it was upon its original release.

The album release brings about a "where are they now" search for the former band members, with interviews and new found minor fame. Band member Frank Ridgeway fills in much of the gaps that for twenty years had been missing as to what led up to Eddie's disappearance. Doc Robbins sees this as his last opportunity for success in the music business, and hopes to find the long lost "Season in Hell" recordings. The new found notoriety also leads to memories long left behind coming back to the surface. Sal Amato, especially, resents Eddie for having died. Eventually, Eddie's former girlfriend Joann Carlino reveals that it was she who stole the second album recordings, hiding them in the Palace of Depression, a makeshift castle of garbage and junk where Eddie spent a lot of his time in his youth. The recordings of his lost album "Season in Hell" are finally released for the world to hear. At the end of the first film, Eddie is seen standing on the street, gazing into a television store at images of his younger self, a serene smile on his face. He is proud to know that his work, misunderstood all those years ago, is finally being heard, and disappears into the night.

Since his mysterious disappearance, Eddie had been wandering, eventually working as a construction worker in Canada, calling himself Joe West, and at first resented the spotlight being placed on him with the re-release of his band's first album. He becomes the leader of a new band in Canada dubbed "Rock Solid" with bandmates Rick Diesel and Hilton Overstreet, having noticed that the band had talent. He, at first, simply wants to help guide the band, and of course has no intentions of revealing his true identity. People notice there is something about him, and some within the band speculate the "what if's", and even compare his demeanor to that of Eddie Wilson. Satin Records, who twenty years earlier had rejected his album "Season in Hell", takes notice of this new band, which drudges up bad memories for Eddie. However, after a while, he decides it is time to come to make peace with his past. The band is selected to play in Montreal at a music festival, which will be the band's big concert debut. At the end of the band's opening song, he introduces the members of the band, then states, "and me... I'm Eddie Wilson".

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