By New Wave Editorial 
TV On The Radio performed their 2006 favorite “Wolf Like Me” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week, according to a report from Stereogum. The band appeared on Monday night’s show, which opened its annual run of Brooklyn episodes.
A song finding a new audience
The performance arrives as the track enjoys a fresh wave of attention. Stereogum notes that “Wolf Like Me” is used as an early needledrop in the film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which the outlet describes as a rare dose of New York culture in a movie largely shot in Glasgow. Since then, the song has reportedly had a viral moment on TikTok, introducing it to a younger generation of listeners. Many longtime fans already regard it as one of the great rock songs of the 2000s.
The timing also follows another milestone for the group. Their album Return To Cookie Mountain marked its 20th anniversary this past summer.
On the Kimmel stage
Also appearing on the Brooklyn episode were Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Pete Davidson. TV On The Radio, who have been intermittently active since returning from hiatus in 2024, played the song with what Stereogum characterized as serious passion and ferocity. L’Rain sat in on bass for the performance.
Echoes of earlier TV appearances
The Kimmel set continues a history of late-night showings for the song. TV On The Radio played “Wolf Like Me” on David Letterman’s Late Show in 2006, a performance Stereogum’s writer ranks among the great TV performances, citing the band’s intensity at the time. Letterman invited them back in 2011, when they delivered another version of the song.
The landscape of late-night television has changed since then. Stereogum points out that Letterman’s Late Show no longer exists, nor does Stephen Colbert’s version of the program. Jimmy Kimmel Live! remains, and its Brooklyn run provided the setting for the band’s latest rendition.
A video of the Kimmel performance is available through Stereogum’s coverage.
Source: stereogum.com
Image: stereogum.com