Rob Thomas is famous for many things: fronting American rock outfit Matchbox 20, guest starring with an almost wordless performance in an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, being a ‘90s heartthrob. But he is known mostly today for the Grammy Award-winning song “Smooth” by Carlos Santana featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20. The gargantuan smash hit single from Santana’s 1999 LP Supernatural has taken on a life of its own in recent years, becoming one of the internet’s sweetest memes, a gift that keeps on giving.
So, was it actually a hot one when Thomas came through The FADER’s offices the other week for a round of Would You Rather? We can barely remember. Did he know that he was just a few stops on the express train from Spanish Harlem? We didn’t ask.
The important thing here is that Thomas would, he says, tour blindfolded rather than agree to have a hologram tour in his place — on the condition that he has to navigate a bunch of perilous obstacles on stage. He said that he’d very happily wear the shirt from the now-iconic “Smooth” video forever, rather than hearing the song every time he walks into a damn room. And, crucially, he got deep when we asked him if he’d rather make it real or forget about it.
Watch the video in full at the top of the page.
