Stephanie Hsu and David Byrne onstage at the Oscars, wearing white.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: (L-R) Stephanie Hsu and David Byrne perform onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

David Byrne in Hotdog Fingers is a Balm For My Soul

We just witnessed one of the weirdest, most wonderful Oscar performances ever, and I am healed, I am whole, everything is right in the world.

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Am I exaggerating? I don’t know—what I’m trying to say is that Stephanie Hsu and David Byrne’s performance of “This is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once is really, really great. “This is a Life” is one of the nominees for Best Song, and Hsu and Byrne took to the stage in hotdog fingers and multiversal regalia to sing it. Dancers surrounded them, and the screen behind them projected images of the infamous Everything Bagel and Raccacoonie, with glowing laser eyes.

The song was composed by the band Son Lux, and originally performed by Mitski and David Byrne. Mitski wasn’t present at the Oscars, but Stephanie Hsu has proven, again, that she’s a great vocalist, too.

Here’s the original song, for reference.

The Oscars are going weird and I love it

It’s been thrilling to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once sweep awards season. Earlier tonight, Ke Huy Quan and Jaime Lee Curtis both won their first Oscars for their roles as Waymond and Deirdre. The film is up for Best Picture, and after having won Best Ensemble at the SAG Awards, there’s a good chance it’ll win.

And Everything Everywhere All at Once is so weird! Every aspect of it is daring and experimental, from its storytelling (again, hotdog fingers and Raccacoonie! Plus talking rocks and pinatas!) to its cinematography to its messy, complicated characters (and all their alter egos across the multiverse). I said it before and I’ll say it again—seeing this film succeed is a massive win for fans of science fiction and experimental storytelling. Seeing the Oscars embrace the movie’s weirdness during Hsu and Byrne’s performance was icing on the cake.

(featured image: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)


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Julia Glassman
Julia Glassman (she/her) holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and has been covering feminism and media since 2007. As a staff writer for The Mary Sue, Julia covers Marvel movies, folk horror, sci fi and fantasy, film and TV, comics, and all things witchy. Under the pen name Asa West, she's the author of the popular zine 'Five Principles of Green Witchcraft' (Gods & Radicals Press). You can check out more of her writing at <a href="https://juliaglassman.carrd.co/">https://juliaglassman.carrd.co/.</a>