Music
MGMT were really bad on Letterman
by Tyler Munro
August 23, 2013
There’s bad and then there’s this. From the novelty cowbell and goofy costumes to singer Andrew VanWyngarden’s nonchalance, what made MGMT’s performance on Late Show with David Letterman so ruthlessly terrible was a combination of all factors. That the song, “Your Life is a Lie” is dazzlingly bland certainly didn’t help.
This is an opportunity wasted for MGMT, who haven’t had a hit on their hands since 2007’s “Kids.” Rather than recapture the gaze of an audience that’s likely ignored them for the past five years, they chose to confuse them with shitty visual gimmicks and a total lack of charisma. Why is the one backing guitarist wearing a neck-pillow? It’s nonsense.
Maybe “Your Life is a Lie” works in the context of their upcoming self-titled album, but more likely it’s a last ditch effort at being weird for the sake of it. Last night’s performance wasn’t a testament to post-modernism; it was Walk Hard meets Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and that isn’t a compliment.
