Huey Lewis was so angry that AMERICAN PSYCHO used him as a publicity stunt to boycott the film

American psycho it’s a really crazy movie! In the movie, Cristiano Balla plays an executive at a mergers and acquisitions firm who has a lust for murder. For much of the film he blends seamlessly with his ultra-fake, rich white coworkers who all look the same, which is part of the humor of the film, making it a blend of the hilarious and the super dark. .

One scene in particular that is memorable to fans is when Bale’s character Patrick Bateman finally kills his rival Paul Allen to the upbeat tune of “Hip To Be Square” by Huey Lewis and the news. Wearing a rain jacket to protect his expensive suit from imminent bloodshed, Patrick blares the tune on his elegant CD player and launches into a long-winded monologue about the hidden depths of the lively pop song:

“A song so catchy that most people probably don’t hear the lyrics. But they should, because it’s not just about the pleasure of conformism and the importance of trends. It’s also a personal statement about the band themselves.”

You’d think that Huey Lewis and the News would have maybe enjoyed using their song for the scene, but Lewis actually decided never to watch the movie for that reason. It wasn’t just the fact that the movie used her song, but because of a publicity stunt surrounding it. Uproxx reports in an episode of Apple Music After School Radio by Mark Hoppus, Huey Lewis explained why she hasn’t seen yet American psycho:

“On the eve of the film’s release, they put out a press release that went everywhere saying that Huey Lewis had seen the film and was so violent that he ripped his tune from the soundtrack, to build interest. And It pissed me off, frankly, so I boycotted the movie. I’ve never seen the movie, but I saw the clip when we mocked it for ‘Funny Or Die.'”

100,000 copies of the soundtrack were pulled from shelves, but not because of the violence: royalties for the song’s inclusion on the album had not been paid (via The Guardian).

It’s clear that Lewis studied the “Hip To Be Square” scene for the Funny Or Die parody he made with Weird Al Yankovic. He recreates it perfectly, from Patrick Bateman’s little dance next to the CD player to Christian Bale’s sharp voice, the sharp mannerisms and wide eyes exuding a tense energy. Instead of talking about his music, Huey Lewis monologues about the film itself:

“Do you like ‘American Psycho’? That’s fine. While it originally polarized both audiences and critics, it developed a well-deserved cult following when it was released on digital video disc or DVD. There, it found a second life and really took the upper hand. . Commercially and artistically, the film works as both a somber examination of male vanity while retaining the true emotions of the genre.”

In the Funny Or Die video, Lewis kills Strange Al for performing one of his songs. Even though he’s still upset about the publicity stunt, it’s great that he still has a great sense of humor about the whole thing! Check out the parody below and enjoy:

Via: /Movies