Gogol Bordello
2010
This Tiny Desk starts with Bob Boilen announcing "I
like a band, when you say 'Do you need any water?' And
they say, 'No. We brought our own.'" When I first saw
this, I thought it was water, but NOW I'm FAIRLY sure
it's actually vodka, which is just SO cool and
honestly sums up the aesthetic of this entire Tiny
Desk. And if that wasn't cool enough, then the lead
singer comes on and says 'It's transcontinental hustle
time.' Which is like what? Everything about their
performance is peak gypsy band energy, and I really
want to see them live. (1) Pale Tute, (2) My
Cumpenara, (3) Alcohol, (4) Start Wearing Purple. I
mean it's all good. There's a moment when Bob asks
them if this is a tough crowd, and the lead singer
responds that this, "crowd is impossible." And at
first that broke my heart, but then they start playing
Pale Tute and they get on the desk AND play an
additional song. Was the crowd actually tough? Did
they fall whim to the beauty of Pale Tute?? I have no
fucking clue. All I know is that this band is so cool
and I wanna be friends with them.