It’s a nice day in the suburbs and a young man prepares to go for a jog. He cues up some tunes on his Sony CD Walkman, straightens up his Dickies hoodie and starts the stopwatch on his Casio G-Shock. That’s three brands in 25 seconds. I don’t think I’ve seen this much product placement in a New Zealand music video before.
But anyway, the dude starts off running (in slow motion) and – whoa! – he’s on fire. As he jogs, fiery flames dance on his back. Down at the Westmere shops, bystanders gaze at this remarkable sight, and indeed he is rather the centre of attention wherever he goes.
“No Man” seems like a quiet moment in the massive run of videos from Tadpole’s hugely successful “Buddhafinger” album. The song is serious and dramatic and the video reflects this with its subdued colour palette and slow movement.
The camera freezes on some of the bystanders (young men and – oddly enough – one old lady), digitally zooming into their faces. The footage pixelates a little (and I keep expecting a crime drama “video expert” to shout “Enhance! Enhance!”).
The flaming jogger continues his exercise as Tadpole sing their cautionary tale of getting your priorities straight. At the video’s end, we revisit the zoomed-in shots of the bystanders, zooming out to reveal – gasp! – they’re also on fire! Let’s hope these folks are also rewarded with a G-Shock and a Discman for their troubles.
Best bit: The sign advertising fresh boiled beef, on sale at the Westmere butcher.
Next… hanging around the workshop.
If I went for a run in that crazy get-up I’d probably spontaneously combust too! He’s dressed for jogging in Antarctica!
Gotta say it’s my favourite Tadpole song, though.