LMFAO is all about party music
Photo credit: Fox | LMFAO performs their hit "Sorry For Party Rocking." Tell it to the censor, whose finger must have been sore. (April 19, 2012)
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Don't let LMFAO fool you.
The party-rocking duo from Miami that has dominated the pop charts with such upbeat, good-time club anthems as "Sexy and I Know It" have always had a plan and that plan has them wiggle-wiggle-wiggling all the way to the bank.
"We know what stimulates a new sound and concept, and we take it and do it our own way," SkyBlu says during a recent teleconference.
"It's club music," adds Redfoo, SkyBlu's uncle and the other half of LMFAO. "Our music is all about making music for the party. We don't call it music, we call it tools -- tools for the party. You don't want to say, 'Hey, everybody! It's time to start drinkin'.' That might not be the best way to say it. But you put on the song 'Shots' and people say, 'Hey, let's get a shot.' "
For their current "Sorry for Party Rocking" arena tour, which stops at Nassau Coliseum Tuesday, LMFAO wanted to continue the party vibe. They wanted to bring their funny, unpredictable videos to life.
"It's a world where anything can happen -- a world with inflatable palm trees and shufflin' zebras," says Redfoo. "Some things are random. We have a guy shufflin' in a hot- dog suit. . . . We have one rule: No rules."
"You could use this as your excuse to let loose," adds SkyBlu. "When you come to the concert, you can just let it all go and just have some fun, get some champagne spray, you know what I mean, and have a good ol' time, baby."
But the group is also quick to point out that they work hard to build that good time. They say what they learned most from their involvement with Madonna at this year's Super Bowl halftime show was the importance of practice.
"Her work ethic has already inspired us," Redfoo says, adding that the Material Girl's approach to playing huge venues has also stuck with them. "You gotta make movements simple. With your choreography, the person way in the back has to understand what you're doing."
Advice from granddad
They say they also follow the advice of legendary Motown founder and producer Berry Gordy, who is also Redfoo's father and SkyBlu's grandfather, in terms of handling themselves in business and in the public eye.
"Create, make and sell -- and it's really important to know which phase that you're in," Redfoo says, explaining Gordy's philosophy. "Another thing is -- organize before you advertise. Understand what you're promoting."
However, they've also added their own advice to what they've learned in the family business. "Direction is more important than speed," Redfoo says. "You can go fast in the wrong direction."
"And 2+2=4," adds SkyBlu. "Logic is boss. If something don't make sense, no matter who's throwing down the orders, you know you shouldn't do it. You gotta think logically in any decision you make -- especially big decisions and especially when you're leading a bunch of people and people depend on you."
Quashing rumors
They say they are uniquely equipped to handle many of the problems of life in today's intense media spotlight, including recent rumors that the duo was breaking up.
"Papa Berry called it the cycle of success," Redfoo says. "When you get famous, you become a target for things, like lawsuits. People will take advantage of your fame. You'll see stuff in the tabloids because people want to stir up controversy. . . . We have to be smart enough to recognize that it's a game. That's what we focus on. We're the kings of partyin', and that's a great place to be. We can laugh stuff off and keep executing our vision of turning this world into a party planet."
Yes, despite their larger-than-life personae, LMFAO is even serious about, well, being funny.
"I used to do stand-up comedy," Redfoo says.
"The thing we did with LMFAO, we wanted to be ourselves or exaggerations of ourselves. We're funny people. We might satirize something here or there, a couple of lines, but it's not like a joke band. Not like Spinal Tap."
Redfoo says some people look at the band's humorous videos and stage show, with all the wiggling and shuffling and hip-hop dancers in animal costumes and think they are poking fun at hip-hop or dance music.
"No," he says. "This is what we do. We don't follow a model like traditional songwriting. Some people say: 'So, when are you gonna start making some serious music?' We say: 'We're dead serious.' This is how we communicate -- with a little bit of funny."
WHO LMFAO
WHEN | WHERE 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale
INFO $15-$94.50; 800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com
