lanky bastards

Question !

Why is it… that every time an amazing band goes on mainstream TV they are forced to lip-sync over their own music?… FUNK DAT !

Mind blowing riffs, ambiances, and unique sound aside, there’s a reason MUSE became -maybe- my favorite band for some years and got me to like them so much… and that for is their audacity / crazyness / low amount of fucks given.

It amazes me to this day that you can get one of the best live bands in the world to fake playing on live TV.. as if people wouldn’t notice. Well it turns out that, at the time, MUSE didn’t bother trying to look like they were really playing, which quickly becomes hilarious.

I could point to specific times in the video, but i seriously recommend watching the whole clip. It think its a piece of comedy from start to finish. Whether its their lack of effort to fake it, their smirks when other members quit playing, Matthew’s epic solo moves, or just the cringy crowd that was probably asked to clap along to make it seem like real ‘live music’, it’s a circus. Seriously wtf.

Similarly in this one (sorry for the bad quality), Matthew’s hands surfing over the keyboard, the cameramen avoiding close ups to avoid making the show look like fools, and the band not giving a single fook, is simply a delight.

But the best of all remains their performance in an italian TV show. They were apparently asked to, again, play unplugged over their own song with none other than an unpopular host that didn’t know who they were (this is during their Resistance tour in 2009… pretty late in their career). They decided to step up their game and really exaggerate the fake playing. Everyone in the band swapped places. Singer on drums, drummer on vocals and bass, and bassist on the keys and guitar. There is no way you can not appreciate Matthew’s power moves, all their superstar attitude, or Dominic Howard (drummer) giving an interview at the end, pretending to be the lead singer of the band in the face of the confused host. It never gets old.

Bonus Round !

Apart from being asked to pretend to play, there is that one time they were asked not to swear on BBC Radio 3. Now while some say that the band was drunk (it is known that Matthew had drinking problems at the time), it is unclear why it unfolded like this, but the theory i get behind is simply that it is ridiculous to ask a band that has no cuss word in their lyrics not to cuss. In any case, the band started the song normally, until the 2nd verse… (1:30 if you’re a lazy bastard)

I don’t know which i like the most, Matthew’s twist on the lyrics, or Dominic having a hard time not to burst into laughter. It reminds me of Rage Against the Machine being invited on BBC Radio 5 and being asked not to swear, when their most popular song’s main line is ”Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me”. That’s right, you already know how it went : As it should.

Both bands were banned from Radio 3 / Radio 5.