Pancho Morris combines Waitsian lyrics with Lynchian visuals in the folky-funny new music video for “Strangetown USA.” Though the song itself doesn’t have huge lyrical variation, its music video is so completely packed with symbols and statements (and a huge cast) that one really must watch it several times to see all the sights. The video starts off with its star, a young man in an all-white outfit whispering in Russian into a red telephone perched inside a hanging bird cage. If that’s not an illusion to Trump and his Russian buddies, well. The star then walks through a factory full of depressing laborers, where everyone–including himself–is clothed in orange jumpsuits and manufacturing rubbish of some sort. We’re then in a slaughterhouse, where a laughing, blood-splattered man hacks away at a carcass. Ah, animal cruelty.
Speaking of the food industry. The star then marches his way toward a diner–first taking a stroll through some sex-kittens that may or may not be alluding to Trumpy’s sexual escapades in Russia and beyond–and up to the counter, where a disgruntled cook slaps a burger bun on a cell phone. Our star slams a shot and in our next scene he’s in a white suit, carelessly strutting by a protest to which he does not seem to give a fuck. We’ll let you watch the rest for yourselves, and tell us what you think! God bless the USA?
This video was shot with an insanely massive and talented crew of folks based in Oakland and was recorded at Zoolabs. Produced by James “Skyway Man” Wallace. Check out Pancho Morris’ work and stay tuned for more. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor