Gnarls Barkley Reunion Put on Hold Due to Election Night Depression, Danger Mouse Says

Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse) was on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 show today to discuss his upcoming soundtrack Resistance Radio: The Man in the High Castle Album (out April 7 via Burton’s 30th Century Records). Near the end of their chat, Lowe asked, “Is there any potential Gnarls Barkley music coming?” Burton answered, “I’ll say this: CeeLo and I have always been in touch and we’ve always remained friends and still do and always have a creative desire. That was a part of our lives that never really felt over and never really felt finished and he and I still do discuss it a lot. So that means there’s never not been a potential in my head, so it’s definitely a possibility.”

He went on to say that he and CeeLo last saw each other on November 7, 2016, and were planing to get together again on Election Day, but after “drinking heavily on a couch by [himself] staring at the TV at that time,” the plans never came to fruition. Listen to the full interview below, with the Gnarls discussion beginning at 12:39; scroll down for a transcript of that section.

Gnarls Barkley released two albums: 2006’s St. Elsewhere and 2008’s The Odd Couple. In October 2015, CeeLo said he had spoken with Burton on the phone, telling him, “This is the next thing we should do,” and “We need another Gnarls album, and so do the people.” In March 2016, CeeLo said, “We are in talks and in a high hopes to do another project in a very near future. I’d like to do another one. We both would.”

Danger Mouse:

I’ll say this: CeeLo and I have always been in touch and we’ve always remained friends and still do and always have a creative desire. That was a part of our lives that never really felt over and never really felt finished and he and I still do discuss it a lot. So that means there’s never not been a potential in my head, so it’s definitely a possibility. The last time we saw each other was the day before the election in Los Angeles. And we were supposed to meet the next day and I was like, “this thing will be over with by 7 o’clock West Coast time. I’ll see you around 8 or 9 or something.” I was drinking heavily on a couch by myself staring at the TV at that time. I don’t even know where he was.

Zane Lowe: So you’re saying the election results derailed the beginnings of a Gnarls Barkley record?

Or it might have started it, I don’t know. Because when you listen to some of the stuff that was there… I mean, I love his voice and I love hearing his voice and I think in the way that we did it then it wasn’t something that was… most of the songs, most of the things were very personal for him, but a lot of them were discussions about us, about life and where we were and it’s been a while so—so that happening I think and now there is definitely, I mean, why not. It’s something that’s been on both of our minds I think but you know, we’ll see. That’s probably the most I’ve given of an answer ever with that, but it’s the truth.

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