Daft Punk Unmasked: Robot Music Duo Actually Pretty Normal
Daft Punk showed up to the Grammy’s Sunday night the same way they have in every public appearance since 2001, as a robot music duo. Although they are well known to the music community as pioneers in the electronic sound used across the board today, many people were left wondering what the two looked like unmasked. In their typical silver and gold helmets, the french electronic dance music partners took home the Grammy for best record and best album.
For all the mystery surrounding Daft Punk, the truth is pretty normal actually. As they prepared to leave the country to return to France on Wednesday, TMZ managed to get ahold of a rare photo opportunity. Thomas Bangalter, 39, is tall and slender, not really standing out in a crowd. In the photo he was seen wearing a Texas Rangers cap and looking like he might just be your next door neighbor.
Bangalter, more often seen in public, was also captured by US weekly back in October hanging out on a Miami beach with wife Elodie Bouchez. They were state side for friend and collaborator Pharrell Williams‘ wedding. The happily married couple have two children and live in Paris, when Bangalter is not making robot music with Daft Punk.
Bangalter is joined in the TMZ photo by Daft Punk partner Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, also 39. De Homem-Christo, the gold robot, is married and has two kids as well. His nickname is as pedestrian as his simple look, “Guy Man”. While Bangalter is known as the more talkative Daft Punk robot, “Guy Man” is the quiet, introverted member. The two have no interest in becoming popular celebrities, but also want to leave their stamp on the music industry.
“I remember when I was a kid, I would watch Superman, and I was super into the feeling of knowing that Clark Kent is Superman and no one knows,” Daft Punk’s Bangalter told GQ last year. “We always thought as we were shaping this thing that the fantasy was actually so much more exciting than the idea of being the most famous person in the world.”
Daft Punk (Unmasked) arrived at LAX Airport Los Angeles – 2014. cc: @creativedisc @SonyMusicID @SoundRhythm #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/rXrHv4L0T5
— Daft Punk Indonesia (@DaftClub_ID) January 30, 2014
Daft Punk has been making music for twenty years and basically invented the sound heard today through groups like Skrillex and Avicii. But their most recent album, Random Access Memories, brought them into the spotlight and allowed the world to be exposed to music making robots.
Daft punk without their helmets. pic.twitter.com/ufHbJk1kML
— Faizul Jasmi (@faizuljasmi) January 30, 2014
I still haven’t forgiven Daft Punk for killing that old man in Catching Fire pic.twitter.com/hHwPbuveMp
— John Hargett (@Hurricane_Hands) January 30, 2014
It’s actually pretty cool to find out that the electronic dance music legends of Daft Punk are just normal guys.
