Have you ever lived in a dump? Now, I'm not talking about a little lead-based peeling paint here and there, folks...I mean a real DUMP, with pests (both human and rodential), garbage, curling old slices of pizza, with smells that are rich in stale rankness that you can never bleach away? Where there's a dude sleeping on your couch that you don't even know and the police stop by regularly to "say hello?" If so, have I got a video for you to commiserate with! If not, WELCOME TO HELL! At least for a couple of dizzying minutes!
Last August on a pleasantly warm evening, I and many musical pals made our way over to Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood to help Seattle's Best Punk Band™∞, the effervescent wimps, with their new video entitled (you guessed it) "Dump." My job was to shoot photos and stay out of the way. Others had to drink generic beer and stay in the way. Carlos Alberto Fernandez Lopez's job was to direct the video, ably assisted by wife and associate producer Cathy Lopez (and their sweet still-in-utero-then son Iggy), and camera/lighting whiz Joshua Green. This is the second time I've been lucky enough to work alongside Carlos and Cathy, who create such a pleasant, laid-back, and fun atmosphere out of what normally might be something rather stressful. I really am fascinated by how films are made, especially the continuous-shot take, like "Dump." Everything has to be timed just right, or you must begin the shot again. But hey...if there's a mistake it's just a good excuse to drink more beer and eat more pizza!
So check out the video! Check out the photos, which you can click on to enlarge or click on the Flickr set link to see even more of them! And BE SURE to click on THIS LINK RIGHT HERE, where you can purchase wimps' brand-spankin'-new second album, "Suitcase," offered to you by Kill Rock Stars! I love it and so will you. Thank you Rachel, Matt, Dave, and the Lopezezezezez for everything!
© Copyright 2008- Marianne Spellman