Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Arts & Entertainment

Hear Macaulay Culkin's Pizza-Obsessed Velvet Underground Cover Band


By

Ben Yakas

Published Dec 7, 2013

Modified Dec 7, 2013


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

via Pizza Underground Tumblr

 


By

Ben Yakas

Published Dec 7, 2013

Modified Dec 7, 2013


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

We all need our hobbies—some people like to promote prostitution, some collect explosives, others obsess over Seinfeld. As for actor Macaulay Culkin, his hobbies apparently include changing all the lyrics of Velvet Underground and Lou Reed songs to pizza references, and playing those covers with his band, The Pizza Underground.

Above, you can hear the only lo-fi recording from the band, which was "recorded live at Macaulay Culkin's house on November 11, 2013." The medley, on which Culkin is credited for playing "percussion/kazoo/vocals," includes "Papa John Says" ("Stephanie Says"), "I'm Beginning to Eat the Slice" ("Beginning To See The Light"), "Pizza" ("Sweet Jane"), "I'm Waiting for Delivery Man" ("I'm Waiting For The Man"), "Cheese Days" ("These Days," written by Jackson Browne for Nico, so we guess this counts), "Pizza Day" ("Perfect Day"), "All the Pizza Parties" ("All Tomorrow's Parties"), "Pizza Gal" ("Femme Fatale") and "Take a Bite of the Wild Slice" ("Walk On The Wild Side").

In addition to Culkin, the band includes Phoebe Kreutz, Matt Colbourn, Deenah Vollmer, Austin Kilham. The group, which has a very amusing Tumblr along with a Twitter account and a Bandcamp page, seems to have emerged in the days right after Reed died, so sure, we all mourn in our own ways. It's played at least one show at Sidewalk Cafe in honor of Reed (and a few other after parties and such things), but it's unclear whether they plan on performing their pepperoni and mushroom-obsessed tunes for a wider audience. We guess we'll have to see whether people are craving it enough to want a pizza it in their lives.

Tagged

macaulay culkin

Music

pizza

pizza underground

velvet underground

what


Ben Yakas

Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE arts-entertainment

How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years

Spoiler alert: It's still 26.2 miles.

By

Hannah Frishberg

Published Oct 14, 2026 at 2:36 p.m. ET


A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson

"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.

By

Sonia Rao

Arts & Entertainment

A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson

"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.

By

Sonia Rao


The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?

By

Lindsay Lee Wallace

Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?

By

James Ramsay

What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.

By

Jayson Greene


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .