MGMT Swing By Letterman With "Time To Pretend"
It's really nice to have these late night live performances to post again, and in the case of Worldwide Pants wearing Letterman, it can be done without an ounce of Writers Guild guilt. After watching Dave make Lucy Liu speak on behalf of China a couple too many times for comfort ("I'll just get on the Red phone and call them, Dave"), the boys of Brooklyn's MGMT (that's "the Management" to you oral communicators, not M-G-M-T as Dave'd have you believe nevermind!) hit the Ed Sullivan Theater in their finest capes (we assume) and with their finest tune (we know). If you're keeping tabs on the vowel-phobic caps-lock kids, it's Kevin Barnes, Rolling Stone, and lots of Brit critics in one corner, and folks with knee-jerk aversions to major label bands in the other.
MGMT's Oracular Spectacular is out on Columbia. (UPDATE: We realize most of you already have the full record (going by the comments, especially), but for those just getting into MGMT, "Time To Pretend" is the free download of the week at iTunes.)
On another note: We miss you, Dave's strike beard! R.I.P. After the jump, The Shaving.
Don't even think about it, Conan.
Posted at 12:46 PM in Video
Tags: David Letterman | MGMT
i know "kids" and "electric feel" are better tunes.
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as is weekend wars, but still, good to see a band this good and this young getting recognized.
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Considering their BFFs of Montreal called them M-G-M-T at their shows, I'd say it's accepted.
And it was a boring performance.
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Dave's laugh made that girl so uncomfortable. Hell, it made me uncomfortable.
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I don't have an aversion to major label bands, just boring, nondescript ones like these guys. It's a pleasant enough song, but kind of flat. I guarantee this band is destined for the bargain bin like so many before them.
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Looks like you're wrong pal.
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Didn't Dave once get shaved on the show before? Like twenty years ago? Or did I dream that? (And if so, isn't that a weird dream?!)
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It seems every band is from Brooklyn these days. The song ain't bad... thanks for the turn-on.
But what is with the cape thing?
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their band manager told me their name as M-G-M-T. So I think you can say what you want. Also I think 2 of the members were signed to Columbia before they formed the band. based on song writing, so that's pretty cool.
p.s. gum, thanks for the Dave posts, since i never think to watch at home.
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I know these guys quite well. Their name is now officially M G M T. Just the letters, not Management, as many blogs and press stories have alleged. They had to drop Management because there's another band that has that name. The capes were just for fun, a goof. P.S. They fuckin' rule!
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love MGMT's album. performance was pretty great although i could do without the capes.
also, sorry, but you're wrong, it IS pronounced M-G-M-T.
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fans and friends of M-G-M-T, i have heard your call for change. and i believe you! i am an agent of change, i've made changes in the past, and i will change this to reflect your suggested change.
M-G-M-T it is. thanks all. change.
p.s. shasta, you are very welcome. i'm so glad dave and conan are back. jon stewart's having a rough go though, no?
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Dave didn't shake their hands after the song was over, does that mean he hates them?
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That barber dude and chick probably shitted their pants when they saw the closeup of the blood from the cuts they left on Dave's lip and chin. LAWSUIT!
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Conan has an edge in entertainment without writers because he is allowed to just do random shit until the guest comes on whereas someone like Jon Stewart has to continue trying to make actual jokes about actual events. He can't sit there like Conan and goof off for 30 minutes. Taking this into consideration, he is not doing a bad job but it has only been two days..
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I am amazed by this lame band.
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It's my album of the year (2007 that is). I love 10 out of the 10 songs.
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What a snooze of a performance. It's sad to see the quality of musical acts go downhill accordantly with the writers' strike. Then again, it's also the post Best-of-2007, no-great-albums-to-speak-of time of year, too.
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You are a fool.
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this is one of the few new bands that I really like. I was losing hope for a while. The fact that they are on a big label is a beacon of hope I think.
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"Dave didn't shake their hands after the song was over, does that mean he hates them?"
Yes, it's well known that when Dave doesn't shake the band's hand or, even worse, doesn't get up from his desk (it happened to Ben Lee years ago), it means he wasn't pleased with or impressed with the performance.
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I think the show just ran right out of time - so Dave had to cut away quick. And while it's great the Letterman show features new bands like this, who really cares whether Dave (or Paul Schaefer) gives it the kiss of approval?
Love this song, love their haircuts and dig the capes.
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cool enough of a song for national tv. i particularly like the final "light my fire" bit.
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I like how the band plays "Cuts Like a Knife" coming out of the commercial break. And I find it even cooler that I can identify Bryan Adams songs with ease.
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It's wierd how people either venomously hate MGMT or love them so much it makes me uncomfy. I think guys hate the band because girls all wanna do it with the cute young singer. I think it's fine and almost refreshing to see a cute young guy making pretty rad music and not that boy bandish baloney that those guys usually get into. And furthermore, I think it's damn refreshing not to have to look at the raggedy, crooked face of most genius musician men for a change.
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