By now it’s no surprise to see Nickelback on the receiving end of a joke. The Canadian rock band, which scored big in 2001 with the hit “How You Remind Me,” has been subject to memes, hate articles and even a petition to prevent its members from performing over the years.
This time the joke comes from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who poked fun at the rockers in a YouTube video unveiled Tuesday to promote his home AI assistant, voiced by none other than Morgan Freeman. (Robert Downey Jr. volunteered his services after Zuckerberg made the announcement that he was looking for a voice for his AI, but it looks like Freeman won out.)
While showing how the device helps with various tasks at home, Zuckerberg asked Jarvis to play “some good Nickelback songs.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Jarvis responded. “There are no good Nickelback songs.”
“Good. That was actually a test,” Zuckerberg said. “How about just play some songs that our whole family likes?”
Ouch.
Fellow Canadian singer Avril Lavigne took to Twitter to stand up for the band fronted by her ex, Chad Kroeger. The pair split in 2015, but are still friendly.
She called Zuckerberg out for bullying, writing, “Many people use your products — some people love them and some people don’t. Either way, you’re allowed your musical opinion however, your jab at Nickelback is in poor taste. When you have a voice like yours, you may want to consider being more responsible with promoting bullying, especially given what’s going on in the world today. #SayNoToBullying #TheJokeIsOld #NickelbackHasSoldOver50MillionAlbums.”
Well, we now know Nickelback has at least one dedicated fan.
Lavigne and Kroeger have collaborated on songs in the past, including tracks on Lavigne’s 2013 self-titled release. Nickelback’s most recent album, “No Fixed Address,” came out in 2014. And be ready ― according to Billboard, the band is working on new music.
