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Music News: At long last, Left Shark talks

Katy Perry performs during the Super Bowl halftime show in 2015.
Katy Perry performs during the Super Bowl halftime show in 2015.Rob Carr/Getty Images

by Jay Gabler

February 01, 2018

One of the most viral moments in Super Bowl history took place during Katy Perry’s halftime performance in 2015, when one of her two dancing sharks wan't quite in rhythm with the music. The dancer inside "Left Shark" has never talked publicly about his experience...until now.

NPR caught up with West Hollywood hairstylist Bryan Gaw, who was a dancer in Perry's touring company from 2012 to 2017. Gaw explained that his out-of-sync dance moves were planned, sort of.

"Gaw rehearsed his improvisational moment thinking he'd be a little goofy," reports NPR about Gaw's "freestyle" dance, "but when he reached midfield at the Super Bowl, his movements became maximum goofy."

Gaw says he now puts Left Shark on his résumé. "Actually I don't get any negative feedback from it," he says. "If anything, people are, like, 'Whoa, that's so cool!'"

Lorde petitioners sued under controversial Israel law

While Lorde thanks her hometown fans for "believing in female musicians" in the wake of her shutout at the Grammys, three of her teenage fans in Israel are suing the two New Zealand activists who led the call for Lorde to cancel her planned Tel Aviv show.

Lorde did indeed decide to cancel the show, and the disappointed fans are suing the activists in what is believed to be the first use of a controversial Israel law banning calls to boycott the country. It's unclear what would happen, though, if the lawsuit for about $13,000 were successful.

"There is," says an Israeli activist who's fought the law, "a serious question to whether Israeli law can even apply to people in another country." (New York Times)

Black Panther soundtrack details revealed

Kendrick Lamar has shared details about Black Panther: The Album, the soundtrack he's curated for the upcoming Marvel movie. Lamar himself will be on five of the tracks, and the album will also feature artists including SZA, the Weeknd, and Vince Staples. The album comes out Feb. 9, with the movie set for release on Feb. 16. (Pitchfork)

Father John Misty shares thoughts on Grammy win

On Sunday, Father John Misty won a Grammy for Best Recording Package, for the deluxe edition of his album Pure Comedy. Onstage in Sydney, Australia on Wednesday, he shared his thoughts on the win. After an unprintable remark about society, he said:

I wanna say that this government is a criminal organization. Um, uh uh uh uh, FlatEarth.com, please go check that out. And, you know, when I was growing up everyone told me, you know — whether it's like Mommy, Daddy, the church, schoolteachers, whoever — you know, everybody was always saying that, like, it's what's on the inside that matters, you know, and I think that this is really evidence of the fact that it's what's outside [that matters].

Fair enough. (Stereogum)

Roy Orbison hologram debuts

The production company behind an upcoming Roy Orbison hologram tour has shared video of their creation in action — with an orchestra, no less. Whaddya think? (Rolling Stone)