Matt and Kim

On a night packed with big-name stars (Leighton Meester, Will.I.Am, Zooey Deschanel, et al) and big-name performances (Death Cab for Cutie, Jack White's the Dead Weather, Rick Ross), it was a frequently nude couple from Brooklyn that managed to steal the spotlight at the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards.

Matt and Kim — they of the clothing-optional "Lessons Learned" video — not only walked away with the Video of the Year Woodie, but they wowed the crowd with an over-the-top performance of the song, one that featured bicycles, bliss and backing vocals provided by a bevy of nearly naked hipsters.

So when we caught up with the dynamic duo at the Woodies, which air December 4 at 10 p.m. on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU, we had to ask them about the performance. Turns out, it was a rather difficult thing to pull off. It seems there's not a lot of professionally trained singers willing to shed their clothes on command.

"We were going to get our friends out there, but our friends can't sing for crap," singer Matt Johnson laughed. "So we got some people to help us out. These were kids who knew how to sing — who also happened to look great taking their clothes off."

"It was a lot harder to do than you'd imagine," drummer Kim Schifino added. "There's not that many people who want to do that."

Luckily, they managed to corral a chorus of kids who were up to the task. And the "Lessons Learned" performance went off without a hitch. The only problem now is — thanks to their Woodies set (and the success of the "Lessons" video) — Matt and Kim find themselves perilously close to being typecast as "that naked band." At least, you'd think it was a problem.

"I can only hope we'll be 'that naked band!' " Johnson enthused. "I always want to take my clothes off. I went to film school, and the only time I get to do film-related things is via Matt and Kim. And I came up with this idea for a video, where Kim and I would take our clothes off in Times Square, and Kim wanted no part of it."

"Not at all," Schifino laughed. "But now it seems inevitable. And that could be a problem. My t--s aren't that big."

Don't miss the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards, airing on December 4 at 10 p.m. on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU!

• Woodie Awards 2009: Performances
• Woodie Awards 2009: Winners

• Matt and Kim

Death Cab for Cutie arrive to the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards
Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images

NEW YORK — The spirit and energy of the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards — the madcap awards show that celebrates independent music and college radio across the country — was distilled entirely in the show's opening performance.

Once the lights dimmed at Roseland Ballroom, house DJ Diplo cranked out booty-shaking jams while the giant video screens showed Brooklyn new-wave duo Matt and Kim riding through the city on bicycles. Once they arrived, they stormed the stage and kicked into "Lessons Learned." Flanked by eight backup singers who gradually stripped down to their underwear (in a nod to the Video Music Award-winning video for the same song), the duo jubilantly pounded out the song. Unlike this year's VMAs, stage crashers were welcomed during Matt and Kim's three minutes of joy, and Kim herself mounted the crowd at the end.

	Woodie Awards Show Highlights

From there, Pete Wentz — dressed casually and holding a red plastic cup (a common accessory throughout the evening) — sauntered onstage and officially kicked off the show, which airs December 4 at 10 p.m. on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU. What followed was a cavalcade of fun-loving guest appearances, energy-packed performances and plenty of enthusiastic crowd interaction.

Zooey Deschanel appeared next, running off a long and complicated story about cloning herself to find out about more bands and presenting the Breaking Woodie award to Never Shout Never. 3OH!3 turned plenty of heads when they appeared dressed in the same red-lace costume Lady Gaga wore to the VMAs, then handed the Left Field Woodie to a grateful Tech N9ne. Other winners included Hotel of the Laughing Tree (the Long Island quintet who picked up the Best Music on Campus Woodie and seemed overwhelmed by the whole fiasco), Green Day (who were absent, forcing Asher Roth to accept in their honor — which he did by leaping into the crowd while wearing a throwback basketball jersey) and Matt and Kim (who won the Best Video Woodie for "Lessons Learned").

On the performance front, nobody could quite match the manic grandeur of Matt and Kim, but Passion Pit (who whipped the crowd into a frenzy with a ridiculous rendition of "The Reeling") and the Clipse, (who brought out Cam'ron and Rick Ross for a chaotic but thrilling run through a handful of lightning-tongue verses) came pretty close. With all the flailing limbs and semi-nude people, it was easy to miss the easy poise of Death Cab for Cutie, who rolled through their "New Moon" soundtrack song, "Meet Me on the Equinox," with an arena-rock grace, clearly cementing themselves as not only the night's elder statesmen, but also the band ready for much bigger rooms than Roseland.

By the end of the evening, the crowd was soaked with sweat but still swaying and dancing and drinking. Like the best college party, it hardly mattered who won in the end (that would be Kings of Leon, who scored the night's top honor of Woodie of the Year).

Don't miss the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards, airing on December 4 at 10 p.m. on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU!

• Woodie Awards 2009: Show Highlights
• Woodie Awards 2009: Red Carpet

• Kings Of Leon
• Death Cab For Cutie
• Passion Pit
• Matt and Kim

Woodie Awards 2009 Nominees

• 3Oh!3
• Alicia Keys
• Amanda Blank
• Animal Collective
• Anjulie

Woodie Awards 2009: Rehearsals

• Matt and Kim
• Death Cab For Cutie
• The Dead Weather

Woodie Awards 2009 Performers And Presenters

• 3Oh!3
• Asher Roth
• Cam'ron
• Clipse
• The Dead Weather

Inside San Fran's Outside Lands Festival

• Silversun Pickups
• The Duke Spirit
• Q-Tip
• Thievery Corporation
• Incubus