Performing on stage, be it as a musician, a comedian or a host of a program, can be pretty fun, and in this moment of fun, the performer may taken it upon themselves to swing around the microphone either in front of them or over their heads. Do it right, it can be pretty cool. Do it wrong, you just look awkward or foolish by potentially damaging an expensive piece of technology. For added humor, someone could swing the mic and it accidentally hits someone else.
This has been seen in individuals who do to show that they are cocky, fancy or just dramatic. Plenty of times, you'll see a flamboyant or otherwise spirited character engage in this behavior and it's additionally seen as a sign of being comfortable with their performance and/or the audience.
Keep in mind that while swinging a microphone is usually done with the cord and is the most popular example of this trope, other variations can be done. This includes swinging the microphone by the handle instead (example being in a golf club swing action) or even playing with the microphone stand while the mic in still in it, be it just swaying along or even dancing with it.
Closely related to Mic Drop. Unfortunately, this is falling out of practice (but isn't completely gone) due to liability-related issues and just being seen as an odd antic or quirk of yesteryear, although if someone has a signature of doing this, like Roger Daltrey, then it's to be expected. Additionally, it's increasingly common for artists to use cordless microphones to allow more dynamic performances without risking getting the cords tangled.
Examples
- Played for Laughs in Top Secret! during Nick Rivers' performance. While singing "How Silly Can You Get?", he sings with the microphone still in the stand and stretches towards the end of the stage as the stand magically stretches with him.
- In Raw 1987, Eddie Murphy swings a microphone around to imitate a Gag Penis.
- Gets horrifyingly parodied in Carrie when Carrie opens the sprinkler system on the prom goers. Josie from the band is holding onto the microphone when this happens and so he's electrocuted while holding onto the mic and swings around holding it.
- In Cluedo, Mrs Peacock swings a microphone in a circle, before using it as a murder weapon, in a massive Large Ham moment.
Mrs Peacock: I pounded the little ferret's head to mush with a microphone.
- Occasionally on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Johnny himself would do a popular variation: instead of swinging it by its cord, he held onto the mic handle and would swing it like a golf club.
- The Golden Girls: In "Journey to the Center of Attention" as Blanche spectacularly bombs a performance of "I Want to Be Loved by You" at The Rusty Anchor, she tries to seductively swing the mic cord around once, but quickly losing control of it, she swings it above her head like a helicopter as freaked out patrons run away and she cries and runs off stage, clumsily handing the mic off to Rose.
- On The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, Jon Bauman often played with the microphone leading into the mid-show commercial break.
- Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time: The MC Zom-B enemy can swing his microphone in a 3×3 range when he is near a plant, dealing very high damage.
- One of the special moves Taiga Aisaka received in Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax is a corded microphone (connected to a speaker) swinging that hits the enemy a couple of times.
- Guilty Gear: More than the mic itself, I-No makes a mic-stand/mace appear in one of her basic attacks and that's what swings upwards to hit the opponent.
- In an episode of Doug, Doug has a fantasy where he is a member of his favorite band, The Beets, and he's joyfully swinging around the mic by its cord over his head (while wearing a blue punk rock wig) and screaming "Killer Tofu!"
- In the "$pringfield" episode of The Simpsons, after guest performer Robert Goulet finishes singing the joke rendition of "Jingle Bells", he swings his mic twice, with the second time hitting Milhouse square in the face and he earnestly apologizing.
- The Fairly Oddparents: The April Fool (a general parody of stand-up comics, particularly Jerry Seinfeld) weaponized this on at least one occasion, using his mic-cord to instantly tie up Santa Claus.
- One episode of Garfield and Friends has Garfield talking about the history of humor and how the first caveman comedian used the "golf club swing" mic joke as he successfully wowed the audience.
- Gravity Falls: In "Double Dipper," Mabel swings the microphone over her head at the end of her karaoke rendition of "Don't Start Unbelieving."
- As stated above, this is a signature move with some musicians, such as Freddie Mercury, who often danced with his microphone stand and Steven Tyler, who not only dances it his mic stand and swings it around, but also puts brightly colored scarves on it, too.
- During Taking Back Sunday's early gigs, singer Adam Lazzara was known for swinging his mic around and nearly wrapping it around his neck. When they were feuding with Brand New, Brand New would put out merch with "because mics are for singing not swinging" on them as a pot shot to Lazzara.
- Roger Daltrey is the king of this trope and is quite possibly the Trope Codifier. Having begun the practice in the 1960s, he still engages in swinging the mic above his head in concert every now and then.
- Most microphones used by performers nowadays are wireless, so they can't be swung around by their cable anymore. Also, in general, it's bad practice to swing a microphone by its cable; although the connectors are locking, and should prevent the mike from slipping free, it still puts a lot of strain on delicate electronic equipment.
