The American Dream Is Killing Me is out today and what an unreal experience it was making this video. I was 10 when Dookie came out. It was the first tape I bought. My parents threw it away. Had to have a friend record it onto a blank tape so I could secretly keep a copy. Never imagined I’d get to work with the band in a collaborative capacity. And this production? Good grief. Absolutely massive. It took hundreds of people working at their absolute best and hardest to make this video happen and I’m so grateful to be included with such a talented group. ❤️❤️❤️ Thanks Billie, Mike, and Tre for the opportunity and trust. And thanks to Brendan for championing me all the way. So beyond psyched to be working together.
📸:1-5 @abaxley
📸: 6-10 @paranoidtrooper
June 2nd, 2015. Ten years ago today, we released the music video for 40oz On Repeat. It was the first single from FIDLAR’s second album.
The debut record was self-recorded, self-produced, and without hearing the 50+ songs that were written in between albums to get them here, this new song was a pretty abrupt leap forward.
I’m not exaggerating when I say FIDLAR’s DIY ethos was like a religion to me and it was important that we had a video that matched the new sound, but kept the same spirit that attracted fans to begin with. We had more money to work with than ever before. $10k! For us, this was a huge budget. I asked each member to submit 5 music videos that, in their minds, felt like big budget, iconic videos. Then I picked 3 from each list and added 3 of my own. 15 music videos that we’d recreate and weave together. And we’d do it all out of cardboard.
We spent the next 6 days building and painting 12 sets, sourcing 45 costumes from thrift stores, and tracking down a dozen terrible wigs (that we still own). On the 7th day, we shot the whole thing.
For me, more than any other video I’ve worked on, this one stands out as a turning point. Not just because I’m proud of it, but because of how damn fun it was to make. It was every friend we had, showing up every day for a week, working together (also a lot of weed and alcohol back then, let’s be honest). We took it seriously, but we weren’t serious about it. It was just FUN. And that fun atmosphere has been something I’ve tried to maintain ever since.
So it’s 10 years later. I’m going through all these photos and behind the scenes footage yesterday, and the big “who woulda thought,” cherry on top for me, is that in the decade since making this goofy-ass video, I’ve actually gotten to work with 3 of the bands that inspired it. What crazy world is this?
I’m forever grateful to FIDLAR and all our friends that showed up back then (and many times after) that gave me one of the most memorable weeks of my life.
The Hives - The Bomb is live. Had a lot of fun making this one with @abaxley@_dontfeartheweird_@kelseyreck and @charlieanastasis . Brandon made the bomb head, inspired by a scene from the 1966 Batman movie. “Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb!” And Alice recreated The Hives’ suit. Then I shot the five of us on a green screen doing a bunch of dance moves and cut it together. The overall look was inspired by cartoons from the 20’s - 40’s like Felix the Cat and Popeye. That’s kinda it, I think. 💣
Posting about this a little early cause I’m about to be on a long*ss flight with no wifi, but there’s a new @sublime song & video out today. 4:20PM Eastern. I had such a great time making this one. Got a personal tour of Jake’s favorite spots in Long Beach, spent a day watching some skate legends with Eric in Huntington, and got the Impala up to 120mph on I-80 with Bud. Shot on 16mm, super 8, mini dv, and digital. Thanks @wbbrown1 for bringing me in on this, and thanks @jakobnowell for trusting me with such a personal subject.
Director/Editor: 👋
Producer: @abaxley
Camera Op: @bootswallace
Camera Op: @breadandwalter
1st AC: @charlieanastasis
Gaffer: @kylebartreid
Grip: Dan Eckert
Production Assistant: @arilansden
Photo Album Design: @bigbobfidel
Wheat Paster: @_dontfeartheweird_
Special Thanks to Shane Allen, @omarhassan , @christianhosoi , @lesterkasai , Chris May, Michael Happoldt, Jaimes Santos
Some randoms. The Olympics, BART, 99 Cent Store, Dubai Aquarium, Lyon Miniature Museum, Athens, The Atomium, Flight, LA, Buenos Aires, Disco Centro, Paraguay, Dana Point, Talented Motherf*cker, More Miniatures, Vegas, Milos, Selfie.
Film from Super Bowl LX. I was mostly shooting video but kept my Olympus XA2 in my pocket and snuck stills whenever I could. Even got a few of the game before I got the boot! Kevin snapped the pic of me (2nd to last one).
Past couple months. Mostly January. Little bit of December in there.
1. Eloise singin
2. Rode some bikes in the desert
3. Passed this dog chilling on a car roof
4. NYC
5. Yuki
6. Desert sunset
7. Kobe mural
8. Classic car in the sideview mirror
9. Danny and the Captain
Can’t begin to sum up this year in a social media post, but here’s some of it. Got to travel to 6 continents with the best band and crew. Shot I don’t even know how many live shows. Directed some music videos. Made some commercials. Scored a TON of amazing records from all over the world. Came home and got a new cat. And got to do all of this together with my wife. Just an unreal experience from beginning to end.
It’s here. Volume 7 of the deepest Christmas cuts. What started as wanting to be able to listen to one Christmas album a day during the season has turned into an endless hunt for obscure, one-off, left field holiday jams. And every year when I think the well has been tapped, it just gets deeper and deeper. Think I passed 450 this year. Some really cool funk, reggae, garage rock, and R&B in this one. Scroll to the very bottom of my bio link to ‘mixtapes’ for the SoundCloud profile. Happy holidays, friends. 🎄
