This week on CSI, the cause of death will be Bieber Fever, but you don’t need to be a detective to figure out that putting the teeny bopper on a grisly primetime drama is an interesting casting move.
Musicians have a long history of popping up unexpectedly on TV. Sometimes it’s a good fit, but often these appearances are delightfully bizarre, so to celebrate the Biebs’ foray into acting, we bring you seven of the most inexplicable musician TV cameos.
Side note: Bob Dylan’s appearance on Dharma and Greg would have been number one with a bullet, but it seems like Bob’s finally come to his senses and removed all traces of it from YouTube. Below are the best we could find with video evidence:
7. Sonic Youth on Gossip Girl
Kim, we were cool with your appearance on Gilmore Girls; Rory Gilmore can hold her own, spitting out obscure pop culture references like nobody’s business. Gossip Girl, however, is a show about high school kids in the Upper East Side hooking up and wearing expensive clothes. A rock goddess such as yourself sticks out like a sore thumb.
6. Eddie Van Halen on Two and a Half Men
Eddie Van Halen stinks up the bathroom and writes a song about it. Because, um, why not?
5. Destiny’s Child on Smart Guy
TJ does a weird little dance before busting out about five tap steps, yet this is somehow enough to convince one of the biggest pop acts of the time to scrap their entire video shoot and put him in the video instead. Television!
4. The Monkees on Boy Meets World
Davy Jones is no stranger to family sitcoms, and this time around he pops up as Reginald Fairfield, a moocher Cory’s parents met while backpacking through Europe. He teams up with Peter Tork and Mickey Dolenz for two songs, oddly neither of them by the Monkees.
3. Iggy Pop on The Adventures of Pete and Pete
We could do an entire list on the best Pete and Pete cameos, but Iggy Pop sending out a special message to his “little pookie” is the most unexpected of the bunch. He made a few appearances as Nona’s dad, but it’s this dance scene that’s got us especially befuddled. Iggy steps up to the mic to serenade his little girl, and what ensues is, well, just watch.
2. The Violent Femmes on Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Sabrina and her friends go to a Violent Femmes in-store performance, where Sabrina uses a love spell to help Libby win Gordon Gano’s affections. He plays her “Please Do Not Go” and takes her back to his hotel room, but because this is a family program, the pair watches Ren & Stimpy together.
1. Alice Cooper on The Muppet Show
Nothing says “wholesome children’s entertainment” quite like “Welcome to My Nightmare.” Cooper kicks things off by crawling out of a coffin, singing to a human skull and trying to convince Kermit the Frog to sell his soul to the devil. Awesome!