Bands have been using talk show performances as a way to broaden their audiences for decades. If we had a band (which we dont, but still), no audience would be more coveted than that of The Whip Nicken Hour, the fictional talk show created by The General Assembly for A.C. Newmans Im Not Talking music video. We talked to The General Assembly about the video and where the character of Whip Nicken came from.
Doug: Im curious what the treatment for the video looked like. A lot of the action is so subtle, what was the pitch?
The General Assembly: The treatment looked like a PDF basically. Perhaps someone even printed it. But basically the original impetus for the video came from an old Italian Talk Show performance by this singer Adriano Celetano which Carl (A.C.) sent to us. He liked that it was just really odd, in that this other guy is seated awkwardly close to Adriano in the entire clip. And the two of us basically spend all our time watching old 70s TV performances on youtube anyway, so we're well-versed in the aesthetic. We basically added a very simple character arc of the host being enraptured with emotion to the premise.
Doug: Was there ever any pressure to add move of a narrative arc to the video?
The General Assembly: We tend to mostly do pretty in depth narrative music videos, so we were actually really excited about the idea of doing something that was really simple and subtle. Carl and the label were all very into the simplicity as well, and didn't want to get too bogged down in adding a bunch of jokes into it or anything. We tried to take it quite seriously and approach it from the mindset of an actual TV crew of the era.
Doug: How was A.C. Newman as an actor? It seem like it would be very difficult for even a seasoned actor to keep a straight face during this video.
The General Assembly: We thought he was fantastic. It's always a bit easier when you're not asking someone to do much more than just be themselves and perform. He doesn't seem like a guy who's rattled too easily. Or maybe he just didn't find it very funny, you'd have to ask him.
Doug: Was Whip Nicken inspired by anyone specific?
The General Assembly: Whip is very much his own man. His performance is probably inspired a bit by the other guy form the Adriano clip, with a bit of Mike Douglas and a dash of Dick Cavett. However, our friend Zach Steel who played the part seems to mostly draw inspiration from within.
Doug: Whips clothing suggests that this video takes place around the 70s, as does the full frame aspect ratio, why did you guys choose this era for this video?
The General Assembly: As mentioned before, it's definitely a time period and aesthetic that we're really drawn to and fans of. Also the song itself and the entire album feel very inspired and grounded in a 1970's Singer-Songwriter tone. It seemed like a good opportunity for us to experiment with something we liked a lot but with a track that felt appropriate for it.
Doug: Will we be seeing more of Whip in the future?
The General Assembly: We're definitely in talks with several of the major networks about getting The Whip Nicken Hour airing on a nightly basis. We certainly think there's a need for it out there. Clearly he has a huge fanbase.
