Everyone’s favourite ex-rapper Childish Gambino – a.k.a. Donald Glover – has assured Aussie fans that he’s not opposed to playing his old stuff when he hits our shores over the new year period.
Speaking to Triple J‘s Matt and Alex this morning, the insanely talented artist said that it all depends on the crowd. “I like talking to my audience, I really do like seeing how they feel. If we’re all feeling it, I have no problem playing some of my old stuff.”
Gambino’s third album ‘Awaken, My Love!‘ dropped last Friday, and while in this writer’s opinion it’s a searing display of his musical talent + angelic pipes, it has been met mixed reviews. It’s an 11-track masterpiece of soul, funk, R&B and blues – and not a single rap.
“I like sucker punches,” he told Matt and Alex this morning on the phone from L.A.. “I like being what you’re not expecting. The feeling of expecting water and getting lemonade, I like that.”
So does this mean we’ll get the funk-heavy ‘Redbone‘ sandwiched between earlier classics like ‘Sober‘, ‘3005‘ and ‘Telegraph Ave‘? IMO, hopefully. Also IMO, if he could announce a solo Australian tour, that’d be perf. 
Glover also explained just WTF a ‘virtual reality album’ is, vis-à-vis the one he’s selling via www.awakenmylove.com for US $60 (and about US $40 shipping to Australia).
“It’s a vinyl you can play with virtual reality,” he explained, adding that it was a way to bring the Pharos live show he played to fans at Joshua Tree earlier this year to a wider audience. “Especially from Australia, you just can’t get all the way to a desert in California. Hopefully this is a way you can be there.”
“Was there any thought in not doing ‘Star Wars‘?” he said, sounding incredulous. “No. It came up and I really liked the franchise. I grew up with it. I think it deals with things that are happening now, and I just really wanted to do it.”
Well thank Christ for that. The movie’s not out till 2018, btw, but you can catch Childish Gambino at Falls Festival and/or Field Day this NYE.
Photo: Getty / Rich Polk.
