R U Professional
"R U Professional" is a 2009 satirical song by the American indie rock band The Mae Shi, inspired by a July 2008 outburst by actor Christian Bale on the set of Terminator Salvation.
Bale was filming with actress Bryce Dallas Howard when he berated director of photography, Shane Hurlbut, for walking into his line of sight.
Club and Pitchfork Media were impressed with the group's ability to compose and release the song twenty-four hours after the audio of the incident appeared online.
[1][2] While performing with actress Bryce Dallas Howard, Bale shouted at the film's director of photography, Shane Hurlbut, for walking into his line of sight.
[3][4] In a statement to Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM on February 6, 2009, Bale said he had behaved inappropriately, and that he and Hurlbut had talked after the incident and fully resolved the issue.
[8][9] The Mae Shi drummer Brad Breeck commented in an interview that the band decided to make a song about the incident late in the evening of February 2, 2009.
[10] Jacob Cooper, another drummer in the band, commented to The Arizona Daily Star that he was surprised how popular their piece became when they had devoted relatively little time to composing and recording it.
[9][17] Lyrics include: "Swing Kid with a violent streak",[13] "Step back, stay out of his light / Better not try to put up a fight / Newsies will get you tonight / 'Cause they're professional!
[18] The video description on YouTube by the group stated, "Song By The Mae Shi celebrating the life and work of Xtian Bale.
[17] El País described the piece as an electropop song that contributed to the viral spread of the Christian Bale rant after its release on the Internet.
[12] The Toronto Sun praised its original lyrics and use of audio from the incident, and described the piece as a fusion of electro-pop styles and a good song for dancing.
Club highlighted the song among Internet memes inspired by the Bale melee, and wrote that though the piece was put together quickly it was quite entertaining and inventive.
[27] The newspaper questioned whether the song was composed in one day, and speculated that the melody might have been written by the group previously and modified to use with audio from the Bale incident.
