Actor Keegan-Michael Key Shares Key to Singing Like Anthony Kiedis From Cover Band Days
Actor-comedian Keegan-Michael Key voices Toad in the new Super Mario Bros. Movie out this week, but during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon he revealed his ability to mimic other voices, even dating back to his college days in a cover band. In fact, he broke out a little bit of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge" that he used to cover with his band.
The subject came up as Fallon complimented the actor on his ability to do a number of impressions, including musical ones. It was at that point that Key revealed his cover band past.
"I was in a band in college. I sang in a band in college called Free Love Lemonade. Half the battle is the band name, guys," said Key, later revealing they had a "blue" phase where they changed their name to Trip Master Monkey. The group used to play Grounds Coffee House at his alma mater, the University of Detroit Mercy.
When asked what type of music they played, Key recalled, "We did a really cool ska version of 'All Along the Watchtower,' the Bob Dylan song that Jimi Hendrix played."
He also noted they performed [Three Dog Night's] "Joy to the World" and other '60s tunes, before adding, "Because it was the '90s, we did tons of '90s covers too."
Key also noted that he looked the part of a '90s rocker as well, recalling, "I had the whole deal going. I had the ripped jeans and the combat boots and the flannel shirt that you had to tie around your waste for absolutely no reason. And I wore like a holely T-shirt and a cowboy hat. That was my style."
"We'd sing songs like 'Under the Bridge' by Red Hot Chili Peppers. I used to do my darnedest to sound like Anthony Kiedis while I was singing," he explained before breaking into the song with the assistance of Jimmy Fallon, who is also known for his musical impressions.
Key and Fallon then laughed about getting the Kiedis voice down correctly, noting a reggae tie to the rhythmic phrasing of the tune.
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Sadly, so far, no Free Love Lemonade videos have turned up on YouTube, but you can catch Keegan-Michael Key giving his best Anthony Kiedis impression in the video below.
Also within the interview, Key discusses finding the Toad voice for the new movie. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is out today (April 5). And you can see the real deal Red Hot Chili Peppers in concert this year. Get your tickets here.