Gotye Explains Criticism Of ‘Glee’ Cover

Gotye has attempted to explain away his negative comments about a Glee cover of ‘Somebody That I Used To Know.’

Speaking to the Sunday Mail last week, the Australian singer and multi-instrumentalist said he found Glee‘s recording of his chart-topping song “dry,” and suggested the song sounded “like it’s playing to you from a cardboard box.” He added that parts were “dinky and wrong.”

After reports of his unimpressed verdict mounted up, Gotye moved to clarify his comments while at a private performance for Los Angeles alt-rock station 98.7 on Monday afternoon. Speaking to a small crowd of a hundred or so (amongst them Rumer Willis, American Idol winner Kris Allen and reality star Audrina Patridge), the 31-year-old explained:

“The nature of using reverb and space in a recording can change your perception of how a sound appeals to you.”

He added that his “dinky” comment could be applied to the original song as well, as he was referring to:

“[…] this xylophone hook in my song – it’s kind of dinky not just in the cover version but the original song. And somehow, that becomes the Glee cover I hated and [Glee star] Darren Criss is an asshole.”

He then backpedaled even further, seeming to praise the job the Glee team had done:

“I thought it was really clever to transpose the song to two guys … It was a great idea.”

Gotye apparently didn’t explain why he called the cover “wrong.” Whether it is wrong (hell, Gotye can’t seem to decide) you can decide for yourself, because here’s the Glee version in all its, err, glory:

[Via The Hollywood Reporter]