Bill Murray Compliments the Music Business Legends Who Inspired His New Movie, ‘Rock the Kasbah’

Bill Murray made another memorable talk show appearance Oct. 19, showing up in Shakespearean stage garb on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to discuss the real-life record industry vets whose outlandish exploits helped fuel his performance in the upcoming comedy Rock the Kasbah.

In the film, Murray plays Richie Lanz, a down-on-his-luck manager who sees a career opportunity in the form of a Pashtun teenager (Leem Lubany) whom he grooms to be a contestant on the singing competition series Afghan Star. Co-starring Bruce Willis as an unhinged mercenary and Scott Caan and Danny McBride as Herbalife salesmen turned arms dealers, Kasbah is an opportunity for Murray to revert to his classic '80s goofball persona while lampooning the cynical insanity of the music business.

In the clip above, Murray sits down across from Kimmel and insists his character was "not based on any real person" but instead inspired by "a lifestyle of sleaze." That being said, Murray then admitted he keyed his performance into two people in particular: promoters Ron Delsener and Bill Graham. "I saw the great Bill Graham and I saw Ron Delsener at the peak of their insanity," he explained. "They were fun to watch."

Saying Delsener's the "craziest," Murray added, "[He's] nutty as hell and says insane things that you think he would go to jail for — and he doesn't, cause he's so funny ... He's just the craziest promoter and has seen more weird stuff [than anybody]."

Screenwriter Mitch Glazer, who worked for Crawdaddy! and has collaborated with Murray often over the years, told Entertainment Weekly he wrote the script with Murray in mind — and specifically to try and nudge him into filming a comedy again. "I saw him as one of those western gunfighters who refuses to pull his guns out. I mean, he’s the best comic actor of our time, to me, and he decided for awhile not to use that skill or gift. And he knew it," said Glazer. "At one point, he said, 'I think it’s time for me to be funny again.' And I was the fortunate beneficiary of that change in career direction."

Rock the Kasbah arrives in theaters Oct. 23. Check out the trailer below.

Watch the Trailer for 'Rock the Kasbah'

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