In what is surely the feel-good story of the week/month/year [delete as applicable] LA's premier stoner hip-hop crew Cypress Hill have announced a show with the London Symphony Orchestra, making a 1996 joke on The Simpsons an actual Real Life Thing.
In episode 24, series 7 of The Simpsons, first broadcast on May 19, 1966, Homer Simpson is shocked to learn that classic rock - specifically Grand Funk Railroad and Mountain - is no longer considered cool by 'the kids', not least his own offspring, and seeks to boost his street cred by signing up to join the Hullabalooza music festival - a very thinly-disguised take on Lollapalooza, with Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill on the bill - as a carnival freak.
At one point in the episode, the stage manager for the festival comes into the artists' area with a gaggle of suited-up classical musicians and enquires, "Who is playing with the London Symphony Orchestra?"
When the question is met with silence, he tries again, saying, "Come on people, somebody ordered the London Symphony Orchestra... possibly while high... Cypress Hill, I'm looking in your direction."
The scene cuts to Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs, B-Real and Sen-Dog having a conflab, and Muggs admits, "Er, yeah, we think we did", before asking the orchestra members if they're familiar with the group's 1993 single Insane In The Brain, from the Black Sunday album. The leader of the orchestra admits that he and his fellow musicians "mostly know classical" but gamely suggests "but we could give it a shot."
The scene concludes with the group and orchestra making sweet music together, meeting with approval from Marge Simpson, who says, "Now this I like."
Marge will doubtless be thrilled then to learn that the pairing of Cypress Hill and the LSO will grace London's historic Royal Albert Hall on July 10.
“We are thrilled to be performing with the London Symphony Orchestra in such a prestigious venue as the Royal Albert Hall,” say Cypress Hill in a statement. “It’s a dream come true, a collaboration only The Simpsons could have predicted.”
“After years of social media teasing it, many fans may have started to believe it would only be a pipe dream,” adds the orchestra's managing director Kathryn McDowell DBE, “but the LSO is delighted to finally be joining Cypress Hill onstage and in person, and look forward to creating an unforgettable musical moment! Many thanks to the creators of The Simpsons for the idea and to AEG Artisitc and PolyArts for making it all happen.”
Tickets for what promises to be a legendary evening will go on sale on March 27 at 10am (UK time).
