An awkward exchange between Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle and Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) ended with the American rapper giving the interviewer a firm thumbs down.
A clip of Mr Brundle interviewing the artist on the grid in Sao Paulo ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix yesterday has been the subject of discussion on social media.
The awkward encounter gets off to a rocky start, with the presenter welcoming MGK to the grid, only to be told: “I have no idea what you said, but thank you.”
While Mr Brundle asks his follow-up question: “Tell us about your career at the moment,” MGK begins playing with the Remembrance poppy on the presenter’s shirt.
“That’s a poppy,” the presenter explained, with a mix of strictness and concern.
“What are you saying?” 33-year-old MGK askes.
When Mr Brundle again asks about MGK’s career, the artist looks away, mutters the end of the question to himself and looks deep in thought.
“I don’t think about my career,” he eventually answers. “I don’t think about it” he reiterates with a shrug.
“I’ll tell you what,” Mr Brundle weighs in. “Good luck with it, whatever you do.”
With the conversation struggling to get out of first gear, the presenter switches tactics.
His next question is: “What do you think about our business, in Formula 1?”
“I think the business is great,” MGK responds, much more swiftly this time.
“Your life’s on the line. That’s exciting”, he adds, entirely straight-faced.
“I was in a studio the other week and Lewis Hamilton was in the other studio. That was nice.”
He says “yeah” twice to fill the silence as Mr Brundle takes back his mic to say: “Been really good to see you,” perhaps looking to wrap up his time with the rapper.
But MGK, whose real name is Colson Baker, decides to play interviewer himself and ask Mr Brundle: “What do you think about my business?”
“We love your business, because there’s always been a great synergy between the music business and the motor racing business, somehow,” the presenter says.
Mr Brundle is finding his flow in the conversation and looking to expand on his point, when MGK decides that it’s the optimum time to ask the presenter to “give me your best air guitar”.
If the pair were finally finding some synergy of their own, this question certainly halted it.
“No, I can’t,” Mr Brundle bluntly responds. He begins to explain that he “learned the piano once,” but that his musical knowledge is limited.
This doesn’t deter the rapper, who suddenly suggests the pair form an impromptu air band.
“Let’s do an air piano and air guitar collaboration right now.”
The determined rapper even gives Mr Brundle a countdown from three.
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“No, there’s millions”, Mr Brundle points to the camera lens, clearly fearing that his air piano skills are not quite up to the standards of expectant viewers at home.
MGK, who has dabbled in the pop/punk genre, powers through with his air guitar, pleading with Mr Brundle: “Do the piano. I need keys… I need keys!”
“I probably need to get on,” Mr Brundle says after refusing to join the band twice more. “We’ve got some people to see.”
MGK drops his air guitar and trades it for a swift thumbs down, which he levels at the camera before storming away down the grid.
“Something tells me I won’t be on his Christmas card list,” Mr Brundle jokes as he makes his way through crowds in the other direction.
The 64-year-old reflected on the encounter later on social media, posting a photo featuring MGK, long-time girlfriend Megan Fox and another American rapper, Megan Thee Stallion, who Mr Brundle interviewed in 2021.
“Finally, my claim to fame, I’ve met two of these three people,” he said in the post.
“I do appreciate them taking some time out on the grid for our great sport… I hope they didn’t find me too weird.”