Did you know Jim Carrey is a rockstar in his spare time? Fans found that out after discovering a video of the A-list movie star rocking out to Radiohead’s “Creep” with a band onstage at Arlene’s Grocery. Carrey started the performance with a lighthearted vibe, grinning and cheekily declaring, “This is my new anthem.” The actor then goofed around with the crowd on some physical comedy over the intro of the song.
However, when it came time to sing, Carrey was all business, channeling the intense vibe of Thom Yorke’s lyrics. While he’s not gonna be putting Yorke out of business any time soon, Carrey can really carry a tune. His falsetto and wailing vocals in the bridge after 3:00 were definitely the high point vocally. The thing that really sold the performance though was how Carrey really put his soul into the performance – you can tell the song meant everything to him.
Carrey performed his take on “Creep” on September 9, 2011. Unsurprisingly, the movie star’s surprise cover went viral, attracting 5.9 million views on YouTube. Fans were impressed with Carrey’s performance and added comments such as “He may be smiling and acting goofy, but you can see in his eyes, he feels every word. 10/10 for me” and “People sense raw emotion. Jim slowly poured his heart into the performance. The crowd knew. So do we.”
Carrey’s move into music may seem surprising, although it’s not without precedent. He grew up in a musical household, as his father Percy Carrey was a musician and accountant. All the way back in 1996, Carrey sang Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love” in the karaoke scene in his movie The Cable Guy. The performance was also featured on the soundtrack for the film. More recently, when he appeared at Arlene’s Grocery, Carrey also sang The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Bullet with Butterfly Wings”.
Arlene’s Grocery is a small venue in the Lower East Side district of Manhattan, New York City. The Music Man readers might be interested to know that Carrey is not the first big name to appear at the venue. In their early days, artists such as The Strokes, Jeff Buckley, Lady Gaga, and Lana Del Rey have all performed at the venue as well. Carrey performed with the Arlene’s Grocery Rock ‘n’ Roll Karaoke Band, who are regulars not only at that venue but also throughout the New York City music scene.
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