Life, as we know, imitates “The Simpsons,” which is why we got a Trump presidency. Even minor gags from long-ago episodes have come to pass: The U.S. won the Olympic gold medal in curling, the guy in Siegfried and Roy was attacked by one of his white tigers, Michelangelo’s David became the subject of censorship – the list is long and disconcerting.
Pompous rockers going orchestral was already a cliche when it turned up in “This Is Spinal Tap” 40 years ago, so the Simpsons writers turned it up to 11 in a 1996 episode – they had hip-hop trio Cypress Hill, “possibly while high,” engage the London Symphony Orchestra as a backup band. (The group was notorious for their cannabis use – they were banned from “SNL” after DJ Muggs toked up live on stage in a 1993 appearance, because, he said, he was annoyed that production people kept warning them not to do exactly that.)
Their fans have never forgotten the joke, and once social media made it possible they began cyber-clamoring for it to happen. So Cypress Hill’s upcoming July 10 concert with the LSO isn’t so much a prediction as a command performance.
The group has been leading up to this dream gig for months by appearing with other orchestras. Here’s a clip of them performing their best-known song with the Colorado Symphony last July. “Insane in the Brain” made it to No. 1 on the rap chart in 1993 and even crossed over to the Hot 100, where it reached No. 19, making it their only Top 40 hit.
