Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas responds to ‘Barbie’ reference
Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas has responded to one of his tracks being featured in the Barbie movie.
The American singer-songwriter reflected on Matchbox Twenty’s song ‘Push’ being featured in the Greta Gerwig film, and confirmed that he was fine with the movie poking fun at the 1997 hit.
The moment in film comes after Ken – played by Ryan Gosling – returns to the Barbie world after paying a visit to the human world and discovering the patriarchy. From there, he transforms the female-dominated Barbie world into a hyper-masculine “Kendom”, rife with everything associated with toxic masculinity.
‘Push’ is then the song that he, as well as all the other Kens, serenade the Barbies with on the beach – with the rendition lasting for literal hours.
While the moment is meant to poke fun at the ’90s band for being ‘the ultimate bro band’, as it turns out, the frontman is completely fine with his song being used as the butt of the joke.
“I want to preface this by saying that I thought it was hilarious,” he said while speaking to USA Today, also referencing another time his band was used as a joke in a Hollywood blockbuster. “But in Bring It On, [Kirsten Dunst’s character] has this douche-y boyfriend. And there’s a scene where he was in his dorm room with a Matchbox Twenty poster in the background. There was a whole period during the ‘90s where the more successful we got, the bigger target we were. We were an easy takedown.”
He continued, recalling how he was told in advance about the song’s inclusion in Barbie, and how he was OK with it – particularly because of his fondness for director Greta Gerwig.
“When I got the call for Barbie, they told me, ‘Ken’s by the fireside, he’s playing the song and it’s his favourite band.’ So I did this thinking I’d be the butt of the joke, and I was fine with that. I’m pretty thick-skinned,” he explained.
“But Julie Greenwald [from Atlantic Records] came to the Hollywood Bowl a month or two ago. She had just seen the movie and was like, “You come out of it loving Ken and loving “Push.” And I was like, “Aww. Alright, really good!
“Also, Greta Gerwig has been one of my crushes forever… So just the fact that it didn’t diminish my crush of Greta, that’s even better.”
Thomas, who is currently on tour with the band promoting their latest album ‘Where The Light Goes’, also recently dedicated a rendition of the song to Barbie actor Ryan Gosling. Check out fan-captured footage of the moment below.
@hannahcroteau “i’d like to dedicate this next song to ryan gosling” – rob thomas #matchbox20 #matchboxtwenty #robthomas #ryangosling #barbie #barbiemovie #push #fyp
Speaking with USA Today, Gerwig explained why she wanted to feature ‘Push’ in the film – saying that she was a fan of the track in her childhood. “Growing up, I loved that song. I was like, ‘This is my rock ‘n’ roll, Dad,” she said.
“[I] enjoy The Who, but these are my guys.’ And it wasn’t until college that I actually thought, ‘What is that song about?’ Just thinking about 13-year-old me singing along and really meaning it, I was like, ‘That is so interesting.’”
Matchbox Twenty aren’t the only ’90s band to get an unexpected mention in Barbie. Earlier last week, it was reported that Pavement were also referenced in the film during a montage where Kens start mansplaining to Barbies, with one referencing The Godfather and another talking about Stephen Malkmus‘ importance and how he relates to Lou Reed.
Once again, the joke supposedly references director Greta Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach’s own love of indie rock, and responding to the reference, the members jokingly posted on their Instagram story: “We are aware of the Barbie Movie rumors and are awaiting guidance from legal but as a rule we are pro Greta.”
The post Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas responds to ‘Barbie’ reference appeared first on NME.
Liberty Dunworth
NME
