In 1991, comedian Rowan Atkinson performed a musical skit that would have drummers across the world calling him a genius. But while enchanting over 272,000 YouTube trawlers on one upload alone, and earning countless tribute covers, transcriptions, and reaction vids in the process, some viewers are actually accusing the Mr. Bean actor of stealing this god-tier musical routine from another lesser-known comedian…
Music Man readers can watch the magic unfold in the video below and check out Michel Courtemanche’s original version further down this page.
Haven’t come across this legendary skit before? It all begins as Atkinson’s floor-sweeping character discovers an empty room with a simple stool in its center. Before it, an ‘invisible drum kit’ sounds as he accidentally sweeps his broom into the drums, the drumsticks soon rattling off the stool onto the floor. As soon as Atkinson ditches his broom and picks up the sticks, a spotlight blasts on the actor as he takes a seat and figures out the placement of the invisible kit.
Then, the performance transcends to a moment of comedy gold. We won’t spoil the clip for any first-time viewers, but what Rowan Atkinson does next isn’t just mindless comedy, but an ingenious musical performance.
He may not be playing the actual drums, but Atkinson’s impeccable timing to the backing track has got drummers comparing the comedian to a real-world maestro. He hits the ‘invisible drums’ in perfect time to the track, no matter how long the silence is between beats and breaks for him to shoot the live audience that classic Mr. Bean expression. And for an extra bit of realism, each element (snare, hi-hat, kick drum, toms, etc.) is placed exactly as it should be on a real-life kit… aside from the invisible cat at the end!
As one top commenter noticed, “It looks so easy but surely took a long time to learn. So perfect,” another added, “I can’t imagine how someone can memorise all those beats and then perform it live while also acting, omg. The amount of effort to do something like this is incomprehensible. It’s just something a genius can do.”
But buried in the comments section of this spectacular performance are fans finally paying homage to the comedian Rowan Atkinson ‘stole’ this idea from: Michel Courtemanche, a French-Canadian comedian who performed his own invisible drum kit skit two years prior, in 1989.
Granted, it isn’t as spotless or realistic as Atkinson’s interpretation, and Atkinson certainly chopped sections from Courtemanche’s original and filled in those new blanks with original twists of his own. But it’s wild to consider that one of Atkinson’s most famous live performances wasn’t truly his own idea!
