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This Bronski Beat Busker Video May Be a Put-On, Is Still Awesome

Bronski Beat Busker Street Musician Smalltown Boy Jimmy Somerville

Okay, this entire thing may be a setup, but it’s great either way. Above, you’ll see what looks like a regular old street musician busking on the streets of Berlin. He’s singing 1984’s “Smalltown Boy” by Bronski Beat when the long defunct group’s singer Jimmy Somerville shows up and starts singing backup. It appears the man was simply out walking his dog when he came across his own song being performed by the busker, who seems genuinely surprised.

And it may have all gone down like that, but it’s worth noting that the guy with the guitar is Jonas Mann who co-hosts a comedic German web series called Onkel Berni’s Butze. The video shared by Gawker and others comes straight from the show’s YouTube channel, and the accompanying description doesn’t mention the fact that it’s Mann we’re looking at. They simply call him “streetmusician.” So, yeah, the whole thing feels real, but it could be a put-on.

But really, did knowing that “Worst Twerk Fail Ever” was a prank dreamed up by Jimmy Kimmel make it any less funny? At least we all know Somerville is alive and well, owns a cute dog, and can still hit those falsettos. Honestly, this could alternately function as a demo tape for the pair to join Josh Homme’s desert sessions. Here’s the original “Smalltown Boy,” which sounds like it could’ve been made in 2013:

//www.youtube.com/embed/Xuz94ZIPfJk?rel=0