"Crazy" Ol' Gnarls Barkley Returns in December

Gnarls Barkley will return with a follow-up to St Elsewhere this christmas, according to the duo behind the gnarly project--singer/MC Cee-Lo and producer/DJ Danger Mouse. In a recent interview with Billboard, Cee-Lo confirmed that Gnarls Barkley's second go-round will be released in December. To maintain the Gnarls Barkley mystic, the duo will not tour to support the project or even promote it like they did St. Elsewhere. That means: no promo tours, no TRL stops, and no playing dress-up at concerts.

"We'll do the special things," says Cee-Lo, "but Gnarls is something we want to salvage. It's not to be exploited or auctioned off to the highest bidder," said Cee-Lo. "It will be revered and sought after. Somebody from my generation has to be the Dylan and Tom Waits--these iconic figures who never exploit themselves or stretch themselves too thin. You know them when you see them and you feel them."

Danger Mouse, who previewed a song from the new album for Billboard magazine, was also careful to keep a myth around Gnarls Barkley. He declined to reveal the album title, and stressed his resentment for the Internet: "I don't like the idea that I'm associated with the Internet. I like going to record stores." Funny, coming from a guy whose career catalyst was the web-released mash-up, The Grey Album.

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