‘s unfortunate appearance on Saturday Night Live seems like it was forever ago in blog years, but it hasn’t even been two weeks yet! Anyway, singer/guitarist Kyp Malone talked to the Canadian Press about what exactly went down in studio 8H on that fateful night, and why he was really happy that his people had booked TVOTR a Colbert Report appearance a few days later.
“In the room, it sounded fine to us,” Malone says. “We had a really good time, and it felt really good. Then we came offstage and immediately started getting texts about how (terrible) the sound was.”
Malone says their sound engineer couldn’t work at the show because he’s non-union, so they put their faith in the SNL crew.
“I want to tell strangers on the street who keep talking to me about it that I’ll go back in time and be a union-working sound engineer, and also go into the future so I can duplicate myself and come back as two people and work the sound and do the performance,” he says.
The band performed on “The Colbert Report” the following week – host Stephen Colbert delighted in stroking Malone’s ample beard, comparing it to taking “a vacation in a faraway forest” – and the sound was much improved.
“Colbert seems to have saved us some humiliation,” Malone says.
Indeed, Colbert did. But what of those sound engineers at SNL? Given that week-in and week-out, the sound has been pretty much atrocious, can’t some move toward at least teaching them to mix better be made? Or should the show just start booking super-simple bands who the sound engineers can competently handle instead?
Thanks to Canadian tour manager, TV on the Radio seeing more of the country [Canadian Press]
Forgive my ignorance, but does anyone have any insight on why the sound people have to be “union”? Does have to do with labor contracts NBC has?
@2ironic4u: Everyone who sets foot on a network television series has to be union, basically. Just the rules of the game.
Dead Horse: Flogged.
I’m sure their looking for the Union Label on the close their peddling for Urban Outfitters. One of the trippiest moments of the past year was hearing the lyric “angry young mannequin/American apparently” from “Dancing Choose,” which I always took as a shot at American Apparel, playing in an Urban Outfitters. I guess you don’t need consistent ethical standards when your pomo.
@OokieDookie: *they’re, my sincerest apologies to the grammaristas.
My theory: NBC doesn’t want to pay publishing royalties to artists, and they’re probably not thrilled about how much they have to pay artists to perform on SNL. That coupled with the RIAA’s worries about bootlegs, NBC probably figures if they distort the sound so much that it no longer sounds like the song they’re supposed to play, they can avoid fees.
@VivaLaMainstream: bahahaha
@OokieDookie: you mean they have a deal with urban outfitters, or are you assuming that because they’re being played in an urban outfitters, that they also have a deal with them?
@borntohula:[blog.urbanoutfitters.com]
One of the many reasons why Carles was on to something with his TVOTR: Biggest Sham of 2008 post.
@OokieDookie: Um, have you heard of a lil corporation called INTERSCOPE? I’m sure they had far more to do with this than Kyp, Tunde and the gang.
And when people have to gang up on a genuine band like TVOTR as the “sham of 2008″ during a time when we’re assaulted with crap like Lady GaGa, Katy Perry and the rest, well, then I have to wonder what’s REALLY the ‘problem.’
Yes, Carles was onto something alright–his own dick.
@OokieDookie: Um, have you heard of a lil corporation called INTERSCOPE? I’m sure they had far more to do with this than Kyp, Tunde and the gang.
And when people have to gang up on a genuine band like TVOTR as the “sham of 2008″ during a time when we’re assaulted with crap like Lady GaGa, Katy Perry and the rest, well, then I have to wonder what’s REALLY the ‘problem.’
Yes, Carles was onto something alright–his own dick.
@T’Challa: Still doesn’t mean they aren’t responsible for how they’re music is used. They were the ones who signed to Interscope. Not saying that’s a problem, I’m just sayin’ it’s hard to consider TVOTR as genuinely pro-union, unless they think sound technician’s union are more legitimate than manufacturer’s unions, which would probably be an even worse accusation.
[www.youtube.com]
I’ve had bands do SNL twice. like almost any TV show on the planet, the key is to have your sound guy in the sound broadcast room/booth/truck with the Union guys. Go through it in soundcheck and fix the levels so they work later during broadcast. have your monitor guys check mic placement.
the union guys are usually pretty good, but they have no idea what all the bands sound like. it is up to the band’s representative to explain it to them. I’ve never seen a disagreement if you ask them to change levels etc. they’re usually pretty accommodating.
@OokieDookie: TVOTR’s sound guy IS NOT union. If they were “genuinely pro-union,” he would be. Whats yer point?
Also: Clothes, not close.
@Thesemodernsocks: For the sake of a clean “gotcha”- *”What’s”