There were moments in Stranger Things Season 4 where fans simply gasped with raw wonder and disbelief. The battle against Vecna’s tendrils had them hanging off their seats. But another pivotal scene, Eddie Munson’s electrifying performance in the Upside Down, transcended pure shock value and achieved a profound artistic success due largely to Joseph Quinn’s unexpected gift: incredible guitar skills.
Sure, audiences saw Munson headbanging with Hellfire club buddies back at Hawkins but watching him tear up Van Halen mid-Creel Manor basement made clear that there was more than costume makeup and a metalhead accent involved here.
Quinn dove headfirst into the role, studying and practicing his riffs meticulously to deliver an entirely authentically monstrous performance. It wasn’t lip synched shredding; each note came from genuine, palpable skill honed outside the realm of acting school rehearsals. His command of the instrument breathed life into Eddie Munson, giving him more vulnerability and soul than could have been simply channeled by charisma alone. We saw that raw talent, a flicker in his rebellious young eyes and heard it ring out with unadulterated power – a genuine rocker performing a defiant cry from oblivion deep beneath suburban America.
This dedication went beyond the purely tangible though. Learning to play was never just about memorization, Joe Quinn absorbed Metallica by internalizing, experiencing it on an individual level. This deeply informs munson’s stage persona – it feels lived in because he literally lived it for months before set lighting ever touched his axe. That authenticity resonates far louder with the audience, making the scene one of emotional impact as much as adrenaline-pumped spectacle.
Quinn’s talent was a masterstroke by the Stranger Things writing and production squad. It subverted expectations and created something truly unique in modern geek culture: an iconic character who’s both culturally engaging through his music, and grounded firmly through actual skilled performance. Eddie Munson isn’t just a great “metal guy” because of good writing – it’s because we believe Joseph Quinn is actually living what Munson represents through dedication beyond acting norms.
His Upside Down gig wasn’t merely playing guitar over some soundstage, Joe performed Eddie Munson with the heart, soul and frankly rock ‘n‘roll audacity it demands. And in doing so, he etched a legacy that might be as remembered for its pure musical magic long alongside season plot beats and visual special effects.