Michael J. Fox and Gibson guitars are searching for the cherry red ES-345 guitar that the actor famously played in Back to the Future, which has been missing since the late 1980s.
Fox played the guitar during the film’s pivotal scene at the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance, as his character Marty McFly tried to make sure his high school-aged parents fell in love. Filling in for injured bandleader Marvin Berry (Harry Waters Jr.), Marty rips a rendition of “Johnny B. Goode” (with some hair metal-style solos for good measure) that’s several years too early for the 1955 audience — though Marvin famously calls his cousin Chuck to tip him off to this “new sound.”
While the scene instantly became one of the most iconic moments from the smash 1985 movie, by the time Fox and the Back to the Future creative team reunited for the 1989 sequel, the guitar was missing. “It’s somewhere lost in the spacetime continuum, or it’s in some teamsters garage,” Fox quipped in a short promo video announcing the search.
The clip also features several other Back to the Future actors, including Waters, Christopher Lloyd, and Lea Thompson, as well as the film’s writer, Bob Gale. Huey Lewis, who provided music for the original film and had a small cameo as a high school talent show judge, even makes an appearance.
As for the actual search, fans who might have information pertaining to the whereabouts of the cherry red ES-345 can contact Gibson via the website LostToTheFuture.com, or by calling or texting 1-855-345-1955.
In a statement, Fox spoke about his long love of music and called the “Enchantment Under the Sea” scene “an expression of my love for guitar and all the great players,” from Jimi Hendrix to Eddie Van Halen. He also noted the significant influence the scene has had on other musicians, recalling, “John Mayer said, ‘I play guitar because of you,’ and Chris Martin said the same thing.”
Fox continued: “I am glad they took it further than I did, they went to the trouble of being really good players. I just love the guitar, and I love the movie.”
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Mark Agnesi, a guitar aficionado and director of brand experience at Gibson, said he’s been looking for the Gibson for years. He started his search way back in 2009 when he began working at the hallowed shop Norman’s Rare Guitars in Los Angeles, adding, “After 16 years of searching, I’m so excited to get the entire guitar community together to help find the guitar that made me, and so many other guitarists of my generation, want to learn to play.”
The hunt for the guitar notably coincides with the 40th anniversary of the release of Back to the Future. Gibson Films is also helping to produce Doc Crotzer’s upcoming documentary, Lost to the Future, which will chronicle the search for the guitar while also looking at the legacy and making of the film.
From Rolling Stone US
