It was announced today that legendary Grammy Award-winning guitarist and two-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Jeff Beck, has passed away at the age of 78. Known primarily for his work with the Yardbirds, Jeff Beck Group, and Beck, Bogert & Appice, Beck was named the fifth best guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone. To call Beck an influential musician would be a ridiculous understatement but there are few artists who have inspired quite like him. His music has been included in countless films, but only a handful have been bold enough to pop the British songster into cameo roles.

It makes sense for Beck to have appeared in a film like the rock mockumentary "A Spinal Tap Reunion: The 25th Anniversary London Sell-Out," but many would be surprised to learn that his first appearance in a narrative feature was in the Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy "Twins." Beck had been brought on to provide some music for the film's soundtrack ("The Train Kept A-Rollin'" and "I'd Die For This Dance"), but a 1988 interview saved by Wolfgangs Archives explains how Jeff Beck wound up in the film.

Beck had connected with Anne Dudley from The Art of Noise a few years prior, and she looped him into the world of film for soundtracking work. "We did a demo tape, just for fun, and somehow that leaked out, and then I got this phone call from the movie people saying that they wanted to use some of the stuff in the film," Beck said. "And they said, 'If you want to do it you can act in it.' I said, 'Great, I'll be on the next plane,' you know?"

A Twin-Sational Appearance

Jeff Beck appears in "Twins" during the scene at the music bar where the memorable "butt grabbing waltz" takes place, playing guitar as part of the venue's live music act. The band includes singer Nicolette Larson, Beck on guitar, and Terry Bozzio of Zappa fame on drums. According to Beck, the band was probably always supposed to be a part of the film, but it wasn't a guarantee who would play the roles. "We got a small part which is obviously intended for somebody else, but when I agreed to do it they sort of swapped things around a bit," he said. "You know, I don't know whether that was intentional or not on their part, but we had to be credible and play sort of twelve-bar blues-type stuff."

The scene took place in a real bar called the Cowboy Palace, and said that the band stood on stage for three days and "nearly died of the heat." If you watch the scene in "Twins," everyone on screen is noticeably sweaty, and the perspiration levels of the lead performers fluctuate between takes. Regardless of the circumstances, Beck said that he loved the experience, and especially loved getting the chance to be in a movie with Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Read this next: Horror Roles That Changed Actors Forever

The post How Legendary Guitarist Jeff Beck Wound Up Acting Alongside Danny DeVito And Arnold Schwarzenegger In Twins appeared first on /Film.