“Troubled Loser” was Chris and Celia doing their best Lee and Nancy. Not so much a duet as a man and a woman who both had something to say.
The band are absent from the video. With one food firmly planted in the 1960s, the it instead follows a black-clad cowboy as he stumbles around a vast desert. Sometimes it seems like the hot desert heat has got the better of him, but other times he seems as staunch as ever. But perhaps he’s hallucinating that he’s back on the range.
The video was shot on the sand dunes at Te Henga / Bethells Beach. It doesn’t quite feel like the Wild West, but the wild west coast location gives it a charming lookalike feeling, like the sort of place that might be used in a low-budget Western.
By removing the band from the video and keeping the visuals stark and minimal, it puts the emphasis on the song, letting every squelch and snarl come through loud and clear.
Best bit: the cowboy’s stick; his woody companion.
Director: Daniel Mancini
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
Next… a virtual reality trip.
The “76 Comeback” video is another one showing the influence of Quentin Tarantino. It’s styled like a 1970s exploitation film, including bold opening titles. It’s goofy but it works because King Loser are so cool. They don’t even have to try to be cool; they just are.