Artists will try all sorts of ridiculous things to make live TV performances stand out, like using a comically oversized cow bell, for example. But I think the coolest live TV performances I've ever seen is when Gnarls Barkley was promoting St. Elsewhere. For each TV performance of "Crazy", Cee Lo, Danger Mouse, and the whole band would dress up. So for instance, on The Tonight Show with Jay leno they all wore choir outfits. On The Late Show with David Letterman they all dressed like British school children. Probably the most famous example is the 2006 MTV Movie Awards where they all dressed in Star Wars costumes, with Cee Lo as Darth Vader:
For the official music video for "Crazy", Gnarls Barkley decided to go a different route, so let's check it out. Today we're watching 2006's "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley, directed by Robert Hales and designed by Bryan Louie.
"Crazy" has a very simple visual concept: a Rorschach-style ink blot transforms with the music, featuring Cee Lo, Danger Mouse, and some insects here and there. (The ink blot isn't black - it has a purple/gray gradient.)
The concept is a callback to the concept of the song in a way, but it's also a really effective and interesting visual for a music video. From the first paint drops that land to the opening beats of the song, it's clear that Hales wants the visuals to move very precisely with the music. The ink transforms in short spurts in time with the music and nothing ever stays still, constantly moving towards the viewer and sometimes thumping with the beat.
There are also some fun visual jokes in here. At one point, for example, the ink blots form Mickey Mouse ears on Danger Mouse's head (tee hee). At another point, when Cee Lo is asking himself who he thinks he is, the two Cee Los that take turns talking, breaking the pattern of mirrored images for Cee Lo's head.
"Crazy" is a short song at roughly three minutes, and by the end I think Hales and Louie have pretty much used up all of the variations on their theme. That's fine, though - it ends just when we need it to, which is a tough task for a visual, animated music video.
It's worth noting that this video is far and away the most "normal" visual Gnarls Barkley released during this era. It's also, I think, one of the visuals that has held up the best in the ensuing 7 years. Not that we won't be still enjoying Cee Lo as Darth Vader in another decade, but "Crazy" is a pretty beautiful visual.
