It's well known that the Italian press loves scandal almost as much as the rest of the country loves soccer. Throw in a dash of 'X-Factor' mockery and, as Muse found out during a recent promotional appearance in the boot-shaped country, you've got the recipe for a great tabloid story.

"We were booked on this cheesy Italian TV show where they asked us to mime. We tried to think of a way to make it fun and interesting so we decided to swap instruments," drummer Dominic Howard tells Spinner of the band's appearance on the soccer-themed 'Quelli che il Calico' program. "We just did it for a laugh really, just to have a bit of fun, but it actually turned out to be quite a thing."

Indeed, the band's instrument swapping performance -- which saw frontman Matthew Bellamy move to drums and bassist Christopher Wolstenholme 'playing' the guitar and keyboards while a sunglass-sporting Howard, a dead ringer for Interpol's Paul Banks, mimed the vocals and bass -- caused quite a stir on the internet where various versions of the clip have been watched over 500,000 times.

Italy's national media, however, were not quite as amused. While in the band's native England the act of swapping instruments during lip-synced performances became an accepted practice thanks to the nationally televised 'Top of the Pops' program, it seemed the joke was lost on 'Quelli che il Calico's host Simona Ventura.

"Apparently it completely came across that we were taking the piss out of the presenter, who is some 'X Factor' judge that no one really likes," Howard fondly recalls. "The Italian press turned it into quite a story."

Eventually cooler heads prevailed and the band -- who recorded most of their recent album 'The Resistance' at Bellamy's holiday home in Italy's Lake Cuomo (where George Clooney also famously resides) -- can safely return to Lo Stivale, though they probably shouldn't hold their breaths for an Italian 'X-Factor' invite.