Before his death in 2009, actor David Carradines last on screen performance was for a short film that was based on an Ours song and directed by Michael Maxxis. This film was never released. Four years later, Ours lead singer Jimmy Gnecco approached Michael to repurpose the footage to be used in the music video for the song "Devil." Carradines appearance in the video is pretty shocking given that he passed away so long ago, and his posthumous performance makes the already dark video feel even darker. We talked to Michael about the video, the bands involvement in the project, and finally being ready to repurpose the original short film.
Doug: How did you end up using the final filmed performance of David Carradine in this project?
Michael: Four years ago, I shot what was supposed to be a short film with David Carradine and Jimmy Gnecco. The film was inspired by an Ours song called "Autumn," which is still probably my favorite Ours song ever, but I was actually never happy with the way the short came out. It was nobody's fault but my own. Three years ago I wasn't ready to write that story. I hadn't lived enough to have the answers I needed to tell the story truthfully. The spark of the idea was inside me, but I didn't fully understand it yet. Considering that this story is about the quest for truth, it is critical that the person telling it should be on that path.
Doug: Did you base the narrative of this video on the David Carradine footage? What was the original purpose for the footage?:
Michael: Well, as I sat on a project I wasn't really happy with, Jimmy wrote a song called "Devil," and pitched me on using the footage from the short to make a video for it. It'd been a while since I thought about that footage, but when I got back into it, I was able to see it much more clearly. I made a few key conceptual changes, shot some new pieces, and then shot a band performance that'd match the narrative. A couple months of editing later, and we had the music video.
Doug: So I take it Jimmy and the band had a lot of input in the project?
Michael: Yes, Jimmy actually had quite a bit of involvement. Two of David's lines were Jimmy's idea. "You will never rest," and "They will never love you." Then throughout the edit, Jimmy would basically tell me things he didn't like and needed to be removed. He pushed me hard for the last few years to keep developing it and thinking about it. I was prepared to just forget about it, but he kept pushing, and I am very grateful for that. I love the way it turned out. The story that you see now is completely different than the story in the short film. Philosophically, I don't agree with what the short says, and because of that, I never wanted it released. It was a blessing that Jimmy asked me to re-think it, because now I really connect with what it says.
Doug: Images from the video feature heavily in Our's current promotion. It's used on their Facebook page right now, as well as on the cover of their EP. Was this always the plan, and did you contribute to that? Or was it something that happened after the video was finished?
Michael: I wasn't involved in any of their marketing or packaging plans, but I do like seeing images from the video in it all. It's a good feeling to know that someone as creative as Jimmy digs something made for him enough to use it that much. Of anyone I've worked with, he's by far the hardest to please, and I love that about him. I really embrace being challenged by someone who is very unforgiving and unwilling to compromise.
