April 8, 2018

‘Empire Records’: Ethan Embry Reveals the Sad, Poignant Reason Why Rex Manning Day Is April 8

It’s April 8, which holds special significance for fans of “Empire Records”: Today is Rex Manning Day. That exciting anniversary, which comes shortly after the news that the 1995 cult classic is being revived as a Broadway musical, is being celebrated online with the usual barrage of gifs and memes; courtesy of one of the film’s stars, it’s also being marked with some sad, poignant trivia.

“The reason we picked April 8th as the day to have the powdered/coifed Rex Manning visit Empire is because Kurt was found on the 8th of April, the day the music of the 90s lost its mascot,” Ethan Embry tweeted. He’s referring to the fact that Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was found dead on April 8, 1994, less than a year and a half before “Empire Records” was released.

Set in the eponymous record store (remember those?), the film was a critical and commercial failure upon release. Its reputation has grown over the years, largely thanks to children of the ’90s claiming it as a vital part of their youth.

“We musn’t dwell. No, not today. We can’t! Not on Rex Manning Day!” Embry’s character says at one point. Let us all take that lesson to heart on this most sacred of days.

The reason we picked April 8th as the day to have the powdered/coifed Rex Manning visit Empire is because Kurt was found on the 8th of April, the day the music of the 90s lost its mascot.#RexManningDay

— Ethan Embry (@EmbryEthan) April 8, 2018

Source: IndieWire film