Fans slate Mike Read's 'car crash' live interview with Chevy Chase
An ‘audience with’ style interview with Chevy Chase went horribly awry at the weekend, thanks to what appears to have been a baffling performance from interviewer Mike Read.
The former Radio 1 disc-jockey’s style reportedly stunned fans, as he fixated on obscure moments from the screen legend’s career, and completely ignored others like his time on Saturday Night Live and his most recent work on the sit-com Community.
At one point, he produced a guitar and forced Chase to sing ‘a song from 35 years ago nobody remembered’, according to one gent in the audience.
If you weren’t at the Chevy Chase gig tonight with Mike Read, this pic pretty much sums it up… pic.twitter.com/pbXXom2cMn
— Pete Connors (@PRConnors) January 13, 2018
Mike Read goes full Partridge and plays his guitar AT #chevychase who understandably didn't remember lyrics from 34 years ago – #freelovefreeway by #DavidBrent couldn't have been far behind pic.twitter.com/xN7wdSDVuk
— Promotopia Pictures (@PromotopiaFilms) January 13, 2018
When Mike Read got out his guitar at Chevy Chase tonight pic.twitter.com/E57PSFpAOL
— Primrosepol (@primrosepol) January 13, 2018
Chase, himself something of a divisive character in real life, came off as heroic and professional while Read is described as going ‘full Partridge’.
“Mic issues upstaged by Read wanting answers on Chevy’s hemorroids and drug use,” said another fan at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith.
Wow. Ex-DJ Mike Read went full Partridge interviewing #ChevyChase on stage at @EventimApollo tonight! An absolute car crash of an event. Mic issues upstaged by Read wanting answers on Chevy’s Hemorroids and Drug Use
— Vikram Sangar (@vsangar) January 13, 2018
A key moment came when Read was loudly heckled by a member of the audience.
“Mike Read, you’re a t**t,” shouted the gentleman, to cheers from the crowd, and a confused expression from Chase.
Total chaos tonight. One audience member shouted "Mike Read you're a twat!" He wasn't too happy with @MikeReadUK's pretty random and off point questions for Chevy Chase tonight. pic.twitter.com/JWrN8Qu1cB
— Sunglasses Kid (@SunglassesKid) January 14, 2018
Twitter is currently awash with accounts from audience members. Here are the pick of the bunch…
Best part of the #ChevyChase event was when Actual Mike Read (!), out of nowhere, with utmost seriousness, and in a line of questioning otherwise unexplored up ‘til this point, randomly asked Chevy for his thoughts about all the kids on drugs these days. #AccidentalPartridge
— Chris Blohm (@chrisblohm) January 13, 2018
Stunning evening watching Chevy Chase 'interviewed' by Mike Read. Literally stunning, as in being bludgeoned until you're numb to feelings.
— Jonathan Sloman (!) (@SquidyUK) January 13, 2018
Mike Read insane choice. All the right questions on the wrong topics. Too much time spent on too little information. And vice versa for both
— Jonathan Sloman (!) (@SquidyUK) January 13, 2018
I suspect some people in the Chevy Chase audience might have been there because they are fans in Community. Not one mention of it tonight.
— Jonathan Sloman (!) (@SquidyUK) January 13, 2018
I was at the Chevy Chase / Mike Read show tonight at @EventimApollo. I'll soon be setting up a GoFundMe page for fellow victims.
— Simon Audley (@TheSimonizer) January 14, 2018
Meeting Mike Read… pic.twitter.com/RGsbZdbtZZ
— Ollie Bellwood (@Bezelveld) January 13, 2018
Holy moly, I loved every second of the car crash that was Mike Read ‘interviewing’ @ChevyChaseToGo last night:
MR: ‘Do you think of your songs as your children?’
CC: ‘No, I think of my children as my children.’Gold.
— Team Carl (@TeamCarl) January 14, 2018
Waking up to stories about a Mike Read/Chevy Chase interview and wondering whether this is all some elaborate hoax. Did this actually happen? Was it really as terrible as Twitter suggests? Am I actually still asleep?
— Mark Kermode (@KermodeMovie) January 14, 2018
Well, Chevy Chase was excellent. An exceptionally funny mind. Mike Read presenting was abysmal (big applause from audience for heckler calling him a twat). Who interviews a film icon and spends half the interview asking him about music?
— Ross McLaughlin (@RossMcLaughlin) January 13, 2018
Top 5 Mike Read questions for Chevy Chase tonight:
1) Do you play tennis?
2) What do you think of kids who take drugs?
3) What character from Marvel/DC/Star Wars would you be?
4) What do you think of your ancestors?
5) Do you have to remind yourself that you're a legend?
— Simon Audley (@TheSimonizer) January 14, 2018
No you weren’t… worst interview ever! @ChevyChaseToGo was warm, funny, charming and looked fantastic. You were dry, unengaged, awkward and arrogant. The sound problems at the beginning didn’t help but you all but ruined a wonderful night for thousands… #chevychase #mikeread
— Marc Hockley (@MarcHockley) January 13, 2018
Ouch…
It’s not the first time Read has caused controversy.
In 2014, he released UKIP Calypso, a song dedicated to Nigel Farage and the UK Independence Party, which he sung in a faux-Jamaican accent.
Initially, he defended it, calling it ‘satire’, but eventually withdrew it from sale, and apologised ‘unreservedly’ if it ‘unintentionally caused offence’.
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