Griffin Walker has enormous balls. Actually, so does everyone that took the stage at last night’s unforgettable New York by New York Of Montreal karaoke jam. That above is Stereogum’s Sing Indie Rock Karaoke With Of Montreal contest winner G. Walker, backstage with Kevin Barnes just an hour after getting karaoke night’s second largest ovation, hamming it up on Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin.’” Top honors, though, go to Aquaman, who straight killed “Moonage Daydream” (but then, OM straight kills all Bowie tunes.) Or, maybe that prize goes to Paul Rudd and David Wain’s surprise rendition of “More Than A Feeling,” spiced with one of Mr. Rudd’s patented faux-smarmy adlibs between lines: “Sometimes, it’s just sooo easy.” Ex-Shudder To Think, now BABY man Craig Wedren was another familiar face to front The World’s Greatest Karaoke Band?. (Fun fact: He wrote theme music for three Showalter/Wain projects: The State, Stella, and Wet Hot American Summer — the latter of which featured Paul Rudd. Six degrees of Kevin Barnes.)
The amateurs represented in costume and theatrics, constantly keeping Kevin in giggle fits while on guitar. (Barnes, by the way, was note for note on Slash’s “Sweet Child O’ MIne” solos — ’til the outro shred. Impressive!) The funniest of the night, though, had to be the evening’s host Michael Showalter (in character as Camp Firewood MC Alan Shemper from Wet Hot American Summer), geriatrically goofing his way through a never-ending rendition of INXS’s “Need You Tonight” that had him befuddled by just how many times the ride-out repeated “So slide over here.” (He finished the tune saying, “Now I know why he killed himself. He couldn’t write any lyrics! Just kept repeating the same fucking verse! I’m just saying … now I know why he killed himself.”) Almost as good a Showalter performance as this.
Oh yeah, before all of that went down, opening band Of Montreal performed a campy, ebullient, prop-propelled set of their E6 electro-pop, delivering one of the best sets we’ve seen from the band in a long while. The set list was heavy on Hissing Fauna (name a song and they probably played it). Future Playgirl model Kevin Barnes kept his own hissing fauna in his trousers last night (confession: we wanted him to get naked), but a song-by-song costume-change/strip-tease had people panting plenty.
If you saw Conan this past Thursday, you saw some of the crustacean costumes in action, but after the jump we have a bevy of pics to help your mind’s eye grasp the goodness of the show of the year, featuring giant lobster claws, partial nudity, lots of glitter, and Paul Rudd.
OF MONTREAL
KARAOKE
STEREOGUM CONTEST WINNER GRIFFIN WALKER
MICHAEL SHOWALTER/ALAN SHEMPER
CRAIG WEDREN
PAUL RUDD
Stay tuned for video!
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of montreal and rudd AND showalter?! Insanely cool man.
Yes. My Best Of Montreal show too.
Ugh. I cannot fucking stand Of Montreal.
damn the man. i hate being 18.
i love you mike sho.
I never really bothered to check out Of Montreal – I’d see CDs in stores and read the song titles and just think, this doesn’t sound good at all. and then I saw them on Conan and was thoroughly bored and unamused. now, I’ll never write off a band completely if I can help it, especially when I’ve only heard a couple songs, but would someone please explain to me what the BFD is with this band? and where I should begin? or something?
p.s. under ‘KARAOKE’, third picture from the top, is that BJ Novak, aka Ryan Howard on The Office? looks a lot like him.
“p.s. under ‘KARAOKE’, third picture from the top, is that BJ Novak, aka Ryan Howard on The Office? looks a lot like him.”
No, it’s me.
fast answer! thanks.
paul rudd….mmmmm…..
Begin with Hissing Fauna & The Sunlandic Twins. That’s what they’ve done lately anyway.
i second what tanya said.
did anyone like… RECORD THIS!?!
OMG- Paul Rudd is so fucking hot. HA ha. And Craig Wedren is the shit.
I wish I was there, damn you tax day!
<3 Of Montreal.
Wish I was 3000 miles less far away to see.
I went to camp so long ago that fucking Jesus Christ was my counselah!
Oh to meet THE Alan Shemper. I am jealous.
that paul rudd is so hott right now
paul rudd. paul rudd. so hot right now. SO HOT FOREVER.
Paul Rudd? You mean Kevin Barnes. As a straight man I have no shame in saying I’d totally make out with him.
god damnit, I wish I could’ve been there.
Hey, i want a stereogum t-shirt!!!!
Why no photos or any mention of the fact that the great David Wain (Stella, WHAS director) performed with Paul Rudd on ‘More Than a Feeling’ as well? It’s as if you erased him completely from your memories. For shame, Stereogum! Wain’s the man!
What, no Aquaman pics?!
We want Aquaman
Aquaman!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSVGdEMJlCA
I seriously considered flying to ny for the weekend for this party. Wish I had. I had no idea Paul Rudd would be an of Montreal fan. Love him! but Id still rather make out with Kevin again. And ladies, yes, it was even better than you think it would be…
I feel like i suck at life for missing this
Original post by mattusximus