- The title of the film was based on a B-52's song.
- Many members of the cast (including River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, Flea, and Michael Parker) moved into director Gus Van Sant's large old house in Portland, Oregon during filming. They apparently caused such a disturbance (staying up late, getting drunk, partying, and playing music) and overtook the house to such an extent that Van Sant eventually had to move out of his own house and stay with a friend in order to get some sleep.
- The reason the lead characters were named Mike and Scott is that when Gus Van Sant was writing the script, he met two actual street hustlers with those names and the lead characters were fictionalized versions of them. One of those hustlers appears in the cafe scene.
- Director Cameo: [Gus Van Sant] as hotel porter.
- For its initial American video release, this gay themed movie was packaged as a straight film, with both of its stars Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix in clinches with women on the video jacket.
- The campfire scene was not filmed on location but on a sound stage.
- Udo Kier's yellow motorcycle is a British 750cc Norton Commando.
- On the rooftop when Mike is waking up and Bob is returning to the city with Budd, 'Matt Dillon''s voice can be heard on a television in the distance. The scene which can be heard is from Drugstore Cowboy (1989), an earlier film by Gus Van Sant.
- The first feature film role of James Caviezel.
- William Richert who plays Bob Pigeon was not the original choice for the role. He was recommended by River Phoenix to Gus Van Sant as he had directed Phoenix in a previous film 'A Night In The Life Of Jimmy Reardon' (1988).
- In the first café scene, the song that can be heard playing in the background is 'Too Many Colors' by River Phoenix's band, Aleka's Attic.
- Because River Phoenix's agent refused to show him the film treatment for 'My Own Private Idaho', in late 1990 Keanu Reeves rode his motorcycle from Canada to Phoenix's hometown of Gainesville in Florida to hand deliver it himself.
- River Phoenix was absent from the New York premier of the film. He disliked flying and traveled mostly everywhere by car or train. Attempting to drive from his home town in Florida to New York, he didn't leave himself enough time and was still making the journey as the premier took place without him.
>>> WARNING: Here Be Spoilers <<<
Trivia items below here contain information that may give away important plot points. You may not want to read any further if you've not already seen this title.
- SPOILER: Elements of Scott's storyline were taken from William Shakespeare's plays "Henry IV Part 1" and "Henry IV Part 2" (a young man tries to avoid following in his father's footsteps as a governmental leader by keeping disreputable company) and "Henry V" (after the father's death, the young man abandons his carousing friends, becomes respectable, goes to a European country where he doesn't speak the language and brings back a wife, and starts a political career). In several scenes the characters' dialogue is taken straight from these plays. For instance, at one point, Bob tells his companion that "We have heard the chimes at midnight." This line was spoken by the character Falstaff in "Henry IV Part II". The very next shot shows Keanu Reeves character drinking a Falstaff beer.
- SPOILER: The campfire speech when River Phoenix's character declares that he is in love with Keanu Reeves' character was written by Phoenix.
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