As of late, host James Corden has spiced up The Late Late Show‘s “Carpool Karaoke” segment with special appearances by Broadway’s biggest stars and Chewbacca Mom. However, with Monday’s entry, the Tony Awards’ master of ceremonies offered a return to form with Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose 11th studio album, The Getaway debuts Friday, June 17. Of course, “return to form” is only meant to suggest that “Carpool Karaoke” is back to highlighting musical guests like individual artists or bands. Because trying to ascribe a discrete format to Corden’s 15-minute adventure with the likes of Anthony Kiedis and Flea requires, as the latter explains, “sleeping on a large rock out in the woods” and “smoking large quantities of marijuana.”
Along with drummer (and Will Ferrell impersonator) Chad Smith and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, Kiedis, Flea and Corden run through many of the band’s most popular hits of the ’90s and 2000s. Yet the video also offers some of The Late Late Show‘s most random, and hilariously appropriate, tangential bits since Corden took over hosting duties in 2015. They include, but are in no way limited to:
- Flea and Corden’s boisterous rendition of “Food, Glorious Food” from the Oliver! musical.
- Prompted by Flea’s “rock” and “marijuana” quotes above, the bassist and Kiedis’ performance of “Heemy Leemy,” an old song the pair wrote when they were 15. (It makes no goddamn sense. It’s wonderful.)
- The beautiful image of Corden, Kiedis and Flea stripping their shirts off for “The Zephyr Song.”
- And, last but not least, Kiedis and Corden’s wrestling match in a random front yard, which the latter egged on when he admitted he “loves a good man wrestle.”
No really, in some unsuspecting homeowner’s front yard.
