Uproxx reports in an episode of Mark Hoppus’ Apple Music After School Radio, Huey Lewis explained why he still has not seen “American Psycho”:
“On the eve of the release of the movie, they came out with a press release that went everywhere that said that Huey Lewis had seen the movie and it was so violent that he yanked his tune from the soundtrack, to pump up interest. And that pissed me off, frankly, so I boycotted the film. I’ve never seen the film, but I did see the clip when we lampooned it for ‘Funny Or Die.'”
100,000 copies of the soundtrack were removed from shelves, but not because of violence: The rights had not been paid for the song to be included on the album (via The Guardian).
It’s clear that Lewis studied the “Hip To Be Square” clip for the parody with Weird Al Yankovic. He recreates everything to a T, from the silly little jig that Patrick Bateman does by the CD player to Christian Bale’s clipped voice, sharp mannerisms, and wide eyes conveying a live-wire energy. Instead of talking about his music, Huey Lewis monologues about the film itself:
“Do you like ‘American Psycho’? It’s okay. Although originally polarizing to audiences and critics alike, it developed a much deserved cult following when released on digital video disk or DVD. There, it found a second life and really came into its own. Commercially and artistically, the movie works both as a grim examination of male vanity while also maintaining real genre thrills.”
Then, he kills Weird Al for covering one of his songs. Even though he is still upset about the publicity stunt, it’s great that Huey Lewis could deliver such a hilarious treat for “American Psycho” fans.
