Stephen Colbert Offers Details on Daft Punk Drama
In a new podcast interview with Daily Show writer Paul Mercurio, Stephen Colbert has finally cleared the air regarding Daft Punk‘s cancelled Colbert Report performance.
Last week, electro-pioneers Daft Punk canceled a highly anticipated performance on The Colbert Report, citing a contractual conflict with MTV, who recruited the band for an apperance at the VMAs. R&B star Robin Thicke filled in, performing his smash single “Blurred Lines,” and in reponse, Pitchfork theorized that the whole ordeal was a “promotional stunt” for the VMA performance.
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Colbert first addressed the issue on his show, jovially mocking Pitchfork’s report. But now he’s offered more details in his Mercurio interview about what happened, explaining that MTV pulled the plug on the Daft Punk appearance at the last minute, to the surprise of all parties.
It’s a very entertaining and illuminating interview, to say the least. Colbert says he originally loved the idea of having Daft Punk on his show, calling it “an interesting challenge” since the band members avoid public interviews and dress in robot costumes. “They don’t want to be interviewed because they don’t talk,” he says of the original idea.
He goes on to explain the subsequent fall-out in detail, noting that Thicke’s segment was taped in advance and stating that he took the back-and-forth in good spirits. “I found the whole thing joyful,” he says.