Flashback: Have You Seen the Awkward Mitt Romney Interview From 1994?

When I first clicked on this video, I thought for sure that it couldn't really be as awkward as some were saying. I was wrong. Your toes will curl.*

The video features a younger Mitt Romney being interviewed by a young man during Romney's failed 1994 senate campaign. It's old for sure, but it's going viral again (and it's easy to see why).

To be sure, the awkwardness is not from Romney -- it comes from the teen interviewer, who successfully turns what could have been a fun, local interview into a painful exchange about music.

HuffPo explains:

BuzzFeed uncovered a 1994 interview between then-Senate hopeful Romney and teen reporter Ken Cole. Romney was vying for Ted Kennedy's seat.

It's riddled with such conversational gems as the following.

"How do you like this music behind us right now, huh?" Cole asked.

"I like music of almost any kind, including this," replied Romney.

Mediaite adds:

When you see Mitt Romney opening his mouth nowadays, you wonder if this is the result of running for president or if he’s always sounded like a stereotypical robotic politician. Well, thanks to this 17-year-old interview with a student journalist who is described in the video title as “socially awkward,” we can definitely confirm Romneybot has been running on the same basic program since the 90s.

You'll probably watch this a couple times:

(H/T: Mediaite)

*Author's note: As some have correctly noted in the comments, the "toe-curling" isn't a result of Romney, it comes from the young interviewer. The third paragraph in the story explains why the interview is "awkward" -- and it's not because of Romney.