Nathan Aspinall's Mr Brightside walk-on is one of darts' most loved entrances and even transcends the sport, but 'The Asp' has made it clear he doesn't like the song.
Aspinall has been taking on the sport's best for seven years since his breakout World Championship semi-final run and UK Open triumph in 2019. The Stockport-born arrowsmith has assumed a huge fan following, partly due to his walk-on song. The smash hit by The Killers has become synonymous with him and has seen him become one of the most box-office players, adding another element to his passionate play.
Aspinall's Dislike for the Song
Given its popularity and how Aspinall has profited off the song, you'd expect him to have fallen in love with it, but it's the opposite. 'The Asp' has made clear he doesn't like the song and admitted he contemplated ditching it.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star Sport, via 247Bet, Aspinall recalled how he recently went viral for not knowing the words to Mr Brightside before revealing he has considered dropping it, only for the fans to clarify his decision.
He said: “I've been all over Instagram because I was mic’d up at Hyde Park and I didn't know the words and you know, I think that shows how little I like this song. I can't be arsed to learn the words after seven years, but the crowd love it and it's part of my identity.
“Sometimes it does go a bit far when I'm walking down the street and people call me Mr. Brightside. I'm like, ‘no, my name's Nathan, not Mr. Brightside.’ But every time I think about changing it the crowd come up with a rendition of it which is spine-tingling.
“I’ve toyed with changing the walk on a bit in the European tours, walking out to Lose Yourself (by Eminem) in the semi-finals, which I love, and I was very, very tempted to change it when I played Krzysztof Ratajski (on the European Tour).
“I walked out and, oh my God, it was unbelievable, and I'm like I can't change it, can I? And Kirk Bevins' like ‘nope.’
“It's here to stay, I'm not going to change it, it's part of who I am. It's made me a lot of money, I'm not going to lie! As long as I'm getting invited to stuff because I'm going to walk on to that, it’ll stay.”
Upcoming Match Against Luke Littler
Aspinall will be calling on the support of his fans again tonight when he plays Luke Littler in the second round of the World Matchplay in Blackpool. The 2023 champion produced a 105 average when beating his good pal Joe Cullen, but this time it's the world No.1 who he doesn't enjoy a good record against on the biggest stage.
