History Main / AMFMCharacterization

** ''Film/IronMan'': Tony's EstablishingCharacterMoment involves rolling in a Humvee as part of a military convoy, listening to "Back In Black" by Music/{{ACDC}}.
** ''Film/IronMan2''. After Tony Stark's birthday party is ruined by an Iron Man suit-wearing James Rhodes, Tony requests for the DJ to play Music/{{Queen}}'s "Another One Bites The Dust" as a way to show he doesn't take Rhodes' threat even remotely seriously.

** ''Film/TheAvengers''. Tony Stark hacks the PA system to blare AC/DC as he arrives in Germany, showing his need to create a spectacle wherever he goes. Needless to say, Tony likes his 80's rock.

** In an episode where Dean is dead, we get insight into Sam by his choice of music when Dean isn't around to exercise his veto power. In "Lazarus Rising", Dean discovers that the tapes have been replaced by an [=iPod=] and the classic rock by Jason Manns. Whjen Dean comes back, he's not pleased.

In an episode of ''Series/TheMentalist'' Jane inducts that the victim did not drive himself out into the woods and commit suicide but rather someone killed him and drove him out to dump the body, because the radio in the vic's pickup truck was tuned to a Hard Rock station and the victim was only interested in the classics.

* George Carlin did a dissemination of the AM radio dial, wondering why it ends at "the hopelessness of 54? What kind of good stuff are we missing on 310?"

{{AC:Recorded Comedy}}

And sometimes you can figure out everything you need to know about someone as soon as they get into their car. Taste in music, especially when it's out of the ordinary, can tell you more about a character than a monologue or flashback ever could. A little well-placed Mozart or Chopin lends an outwardly simple-minded individual a bit of mystery and depth. Someone listening to the Beatles, even though it's 2237, and he's on Mars? Safe to say he's a bit old-fashioned. And if they listen to 80s rock, they may become a victim of Music/{{ACDC}} Characterization...

Music can convey a lot more than just what's in the lyrics, so matching this song with that character, while a bit of a cheat, is a fantastic way to convey a lot about a character in not a lot of time. This also does wonders to convey a deeper side to a character that can easily be considered one-dimensional. A mousy librarian suddenly takes on a wilder angle when her iPod is blaring Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

* Funnily subverted in the opening of ''Film/OfficeSpace'', where a character listens to bad-ass rap music on his way to work, but then is shown to get nervous about a harmless street vendor [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKlDBi0cyIA approaching his car]].

** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'': At the beginning of the movie, Peter Quill's on a dead world and enters a ruin that wouldn't seem out of place for an AdventurerArchaeologist... and he pops a cassette tape into an old Walkman and starts dancing through the place to "Come and Get Your Love" without a care in the world, even kicking away some of the local vermin. The movie's trailer used "Hooked on a Feeling" to give the same sense of irreverence. Later in the film he explains that his Walkman and tape of classic pop songs are reminders of his homeworld and specifically his mother, who had died from cancer the day he was abducted.

** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'': One of Peter Quill's prized possessions is an old Walkman with 80's music, as one of his few links to Earth since he was abducted. In a meta sense, the trailer is set to one of those songs, "Hooked on a Feeling," to show that it's going to be kind of irreverent for a SpaceOpera.

* ''Film/StarTrek''. In the Creator/JJAbrams reboot, our first encounter with a young James T. Kirk is him hanging up on his step-father in favor of blasting the Music/BeastieBoys ovet the radio, establishing his disregard for authority even before the character says a single word.

* The movie ''Film/IRobot'' starts with Stevie Wonder singing "Superstition" to wake up Detective Spooner. This certifies Spooner as retro, showing at least one reason for him to dislike robots.

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'': While Mike takes the guys to Monsters Inc., Squish's mom - a sweet and cheery person - stays in the car to "listen to my tunes", after which the first couple of split seconds of {{Mastodon}}'s "Island" can be heard.

--->'''Tony Stark:''' Give me phat beat to beat my buddy's ass to.

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'': While Mike takes the guys to Monsters Inc., Squish's mom stays in the car to "listen to my tunes", which are evidently SpeedMetal.

** ''Film/IronMan'': Tony's EstablishingCharacterMoment involves rolling in a Humvee as part of a military convoy, listening to "Back In Black" by Music/ACDC.

* ''Film/ReservoirDogs''. The pairing of Mr. Blonde's TorturePorn with 'Stuck in the Middle With You' by Settler's Wheel helps to showcase how seriously he doesn't take the situation.

** ''Film/TheAvengers''. Tony Stark hacks the PA system to blare AC/DC as he arrives in Germany, showing his need to create a spectacle wherever he goes.

* ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie''. Early on, Max and Goofy have a Dueling Banjos moment over the radio between Goofy's 'High Hopes' and Max's latest hit from Powerline. Not only does this show a lot about each character, it highlights the generation gap between them, all without saying an actual word.

* ''Film/StarTrek''. In the J.J. Abrams reboot, our first encounter with a young James T. Kirk is him hanging up on his step-father in favor of blasting the Beastie Boys ovet the radio, establishing his disregard for authority even before the character says a single word.

** ''Film/IronMan2''. After Tony Stark's birthday party is ruined by an Iron Man suit-wearing James Rhodes, Tony requests for the DJ to play Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust" as a way to show he doesn't take Rhodes' threat even remotely seriously.

* ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie''. Early on, Max and Goofy have a Dueling Banjos moment over the radio between Goofy's 'High Hopes' and Max's latest hit from Powerline. Not only does this show a lot about each character, it highlights the generation gap between them, all without saying an actual word.

** ''Film/IronMan2''. After Tony Stark's birthday party is ruined by an Iron Man suit-wearing James Rhodes, Tony requests for the DJ to play Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust" as a way to show he doesn't takes Rhodes' threat even remotely seriously.

* ''LiveActionTV/{{Jekyll}}'' establishes Hyde's personality through his fondness for Disney songs.

Compare {{Leitmotif}} where a specific tune is used to signify a character.

* ''Film/ReservoirDogs''. The pairing of Mr. Blonde's TorturePorn with 'Stuck In The Middle With You' by Settler's Wheel helps to showcase how seriously he doesn't take the situation.

--->Tony Stark: Give me phat beat to beat my buddy's ass to.

** In an episode where Dean is dead we get insight into Sam by his choice of music when Dean isn't around to exercise his veto power. In "Lazarus Rising" Dean discovers that the tapes have been replaced by an [=iPod=] and the classic rock by JasonManns. Whjen Dean comes back he's not pleased.
--->Dean: I told you to take care of her, not douche her up.

** Commander Will Riker's love of jazz shows a softer, easier going side than his military bearing belies.
** At one point in "Suddenly Human" Picard walks past the guest quarters where the Talarian-raised human teenager Jono is staying, and hears [[http://images.wikia.com/memoryalpha/en/images/b/bb/Alba_Ra.ogg this]] blasting in the room. Jono's enjoyment of "alba ra" seems to signify he's a typical teenager.

* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'': While Mike takes the guys to Monsters Inc., Squish's mom stays in the car and "listen to my tunes", which are evidently SpeedMetal.