After some time away, 2022 has been big for Phoenix so far. The group is currently finishing a new album and they shared the single “Alpha Zulu” this summer. They’ll also be wrapping up the year with some tour dates. Furthermore, singer Thomas Mars just made a fun cameo on one of TV’s best comedies: What We Do In The Shadows.
(The rest of this post contains spoilers about the new episode and current season of What We Do In The Shadows.)
Throughout the show’s ongoing fourth season, Nadja has been running a vampire nightclub, which has been a major success thanks to nightly song-and-dance performances by Baby Colin. At the start of last night’s (August 30) new episode (titled “Freddie”), it’s revealed that word about Colin’s shows has spread outside of the vampire community. This has lured human celebrities to the club, specifically director Jim Jarmusch, director Sofia Coppola, and Mars (Coppola’s real-life husband), all portraying themselves.
@schwartzfan The show What We do in the Shadows season 4 ep 9 had Sofia Coppola and her husband Thomas Mars from band Phoenix. When I watched it I did not expected them in the show pic.twitter.com/CUBkUd0qmk
— Legion Haller Fadda May
(@Grabeelfan) August 31, 2022
Mars tells Nadja of Colin, “That kid is incredible. More than a star, he’s a phenomenon.” Nadja responds with an apparent reference to Mars’ French nationality by saying Colin has a “certain je ne sais quoi.” That prompts Colin to reply in French, which Nadja does not understand.
Coppola then asks what the “celebrity special” menu item is and both she and Mars express interest in it. Nadja then chooses a couple of eager vampire clubgoers to enjoy the celebrity special, which turns out to be killing and sucking the blood out of Coppola and Mars. Jarmusch, not realizing the two are actually dead, is blown away by what he thinks are special effects. Later in the episode, Jarmusch leaves Coppola a frustrated voicemail about her falling out of contact with him after the perceived gag.
So, canonically in the What We Do In The Shadows universe, Mars is dead, meaning Nandor, Guillermo, and the rest of the squad may never get to hear Phoenix’s upcoming album.
Elsewhere in the episode, Laszlo rattles off a terrific list of vampire musicians/bands and it includes Gloria Estafang, Bloody Holly, Bat Stevens, Batboy Slim, Hall & Throats, Tame Impaler, and The Undead Kennedys. He goes through some more in a post-credits scene: Impaler Swift, Bruno Scars, and Lindsey Suckingham. Laszlo also runs down a list of wraith (another type of mystical creature in the show) performers: Bonnie Wraith, Wraith Hill, Wraith Evans, Billy Wraith Cyrus, Wraith No More, and Wraith Charles.
Watch the full episode on Hulu, here.