Peter Gabriel won’t perform at Oscars
Though he won’t perform his nominated song, Peter Gabriel says he’ll still attend the Oscar ceremony and hopes that the producers will still ask the Soweto Gospel Choir to back up his replacement.
The singer of Big Time and In Your Eyes is nominated for best song for his tune Down to Earth from Wall-E, but says in a video on his website, PeterGabriel.com, that the producers’ decision to do a medley of the three nominated songs left him only 65 seconds of performance time.
“I’ve now decided very recently to withdraw from the ceremony,” Gabriel says, adding that he’ll still attend the ceremony “because it’s a fun adventure.”
He says in the video that it’s unfortunate to give songwriters such minimal time to showcase their work, even though it’s a small part of the filmmaking process. “I’m an old fart, and it’s not going to do me any harm to make a little protest,” he says. “But I think for some of the other artists it’s not so easy.”
Gabriel adds that he hopes The Soweto Gospel Choir, which accompanied him on the song, would still be allowed to perform with whoever ends up singing the song.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences declined to comment.
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