Ed Sheeran shatters The Mountain Goats’ hopes of playing SNL
Sheeran was released from COVID isolation and is still slated to play SNL on November 6
Aux News Ed Sheeran
When Ed Sheeran announced that he’d tested positive for COVID ahead of his upcoming SNL performance, musicians decided to shoot their shot at potentially replacing him.
The Mountain Goats in particular had a steady campaign going, trying to take advantage of their 2002 song “No Children” becoming part of a TikTok dance craze. Their tweet asking to replace Sheeran amassed over 23,000 likes. But alas, The Mountain Goats will not take the SNL stage.
Ed Sheeran gave an update on social media that reads:
“Posting this pic to say I’m released from COVID isolation today, so if you see me out and about I’ve had the all clear and done my quarantine. Excited to hit the ground running with work again, and SNL is still on, so tune in Saturday, see you there x”
The Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle either hasn’t seen the news of Sheeran still playing SNL or gave up on the bit, instead tweeting about Magic: The Gathering today.
While the band didn’t get the attention of Lorne Michaels, they’re still racking up plenty of press for their unexpected TikTok moment. Darnielle recently spoke to Variety about becoming “TikTok famous” and explained the story behind writing “No Children.”
“I was driving to the Des Moines airport, and there was a song on the charts called ‘I Hope You Dance’ (by Lee Ann Womack). And I hated this song, a lot,” he said. So, he ad-libbed “I hope you die” instead of the song’s line, “I hope you dance.” “I thought, that’s funny—I should have my alpha couple say that to each other,” he recalled.
As for the following line, he said, “‘I hope we both die’ was kind of an afterthought in the writing. I thought, oh, if you’re not just cursing the person over there, but you’re making sure that everybody gets swallowed up by the curse, then that’s even funnier.”
41 Comments
First music, then Game of Thrones, and now this. What does Ed Sheeran not completely ruin when offered the chance?
There’s still time for a Harry Potter spinoff where Sheeran plays a heretofore unknown Weasley child whose job at the Ministry of Magic is to go around to the wizarding schools to make sure everyone’s using the correct bathroom for their gender at birth.
Rupert Grint already played him in a music video too… he’s definitely a Weasley.
His songs are literally nothing. They have the presence of a hamster fart in a crowded PetSmart. I don’t want to get into the wonky eye and hay bale hair again.
Single ladies. He’s married.
But there’s still a chance he’ll ruin “Single Ladies.”
Listen up. The guy has made a career out of ripping off Marvin Gaye, and he looks like THAT. If that’s not proof of white privilege, I don’t know what is.
You sure you ain’t confusing him with… Oh damn I actually forgot his name. CHARLIE PUTH. I actually had to Google that. Jesus.
Puth has a better voice. Not much of a pop fan but his cover of Sia’s “Chandelier” is the first time I understood the lyrics.
“She played the fiddle in a Irish band, she fell in love with an Englishman-”ARRRRRGH SHUT UP, SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP.
If Ed Sheeran is paying attention, he’d cover no children live. That would be some master level mindfuckery right there.
Can we have a let’s go brandon equivalent of fuck ed sheeran?
I find his music insipid and boring but he seems like a nice enough guy.
“Let’s go have a beer…. No… no need to sing”
so what, his mechanical earworm muzak is a turd in the pool of music history. I hope his vapid songs are stuck in his head 24/7. I hope he hates them and wants to vanish when people love him for them. for starters.
just saying.
No. The “let’s go Brandon” equivalent is “fuck all magacunts”.
You can just say fuck Ed Sheeran
Good call.
I don’t really have too much invested in who the musical guest is on SNL, other than the next time Daniel Craig hosts, they need to book Vampire Weekend. That way we’ll have gifs prepared for the next time Halloween falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
If you told me to pick out two of the ugliest men, I don’t think you could do much better than that article picture
Every time I see a picture of him, I swear his eyes are drifting farther apart, like old roommates without much in common.
Is prime-time television ready for the sheer amount of weapons-grade, unadulterated bitterness that is a Mountain Goat’s song? I’m down for it…but is the rest of the world?
No. I think that’s why they were called the “Not Ready For Prime-time Players”.https://snl.fandom.com/wiki/The_Not_Ready_for_Prime_Time_Players
SNL has had a lot of horrible musical guests, but David Gray was the worst.
When the musical guest comes on, that’s when you can fast forward or go take a bathroom break
There are a few exceptions to this rule (and it is a rule), but I did find that in re-watching random musical guests from the beginning to around the mid-90’s there were a few acts that held up to their name. I know there were a couple acts from the last 20 years that were decent, but SNL needs to stop trying to be edgy with the music and go with the tried and true of the current generation.
We used fewer syllables in my day.
Step aside, Pops! It’s a new day
Exactly. I was surprised to learn anyone cared who the musical guest was on SNL when this story broke.
Remember when they wouldn’t show Elvis below the hips because his gyrations were too scandalous? Or when Jim Morrison said “Girl we couldn’t get much HIGHER” even when Lorne told him not to?
yes
That was the Ed Sullivan show, not SNL.
Surely this is a case of Lorne, send us a mechanic if we are not beyond repair
I know hating on Ed Sheeran is all the rage, but he seems like the exact kind of dude who would might possibly invite The Mountain Goats to play alongside him or something like that. He has a sense of humor about himself and seems pretty self aware. I’m not a fan but I don’t really get the vitriol either.
There was a time when I thought I might commit violent, horrific murder if I heard “Shape of You” even one more time, but as much as his music makes me want to time travel and stop the concept of music from existing, he doesn’t seem like a hateable dude.
I don’t care much about if somebody is a nice guy. Frankly, I’d care more for him if he wasn’t so damn nice. I think it’s rather suspicious. I feel the same way about Coldplay. Just show us some ugliness already. The way these white dudes all compulsively iron out every last crease is kind of creepy.
preach! It’s the era of personality-less, reasonably-talented-but-not-artistically-exciting white guys
Agreed.
He should play a cover of “No Children”.
In 5-10 years the internet will love Ed Sheeran and pretend they never hated him and everyone will say “oh I was like one of the only people who liked him back then.” Dont like his music or anything, but this is just how unwarranted hate seems to manifest online.
How is this guy popular at all? Not a looker and his music is about exciting as tepid milk.