Jack White has always been a fan of dressing up his vinyl releases but this time he's taken to more neu-world technology and created an interactive music video for "That Black Bat Licorice," the newest single off of his Lazaretto release (from Pitchfork).
The concept is relatively simple: The video is actually three separate music videos that viewers can toggle between as they watch. The primary video (or at least the one that comes up first as you view) is an animated segment handled by James Blagden, while you also have the option to check out a live-action version of events (directed by White himself) or just watch a video of Brooklyn St. Vitus-types head-banging along to the tune (a clip directed by Brad Holland).
Viewers control which version they're watching by holding down the "3" and "B" keys for the live action and head-banging versions, respectively.
The animated version and the live-action version tend to show a similar wave of events, even if they're not spot on. For example, the animated version of White chops off his tongue with a pair of scissors when the appropriate lyrics appear, although the real White doesn't reenact the scene from Old Boy. Instead he merely plucks a leaf from his mouth. The animated version of the guitarist is also a little outdated in terms of hairstyle, showing his shaggier cut versus his current coif. There are some scenes done better in real-life however, such as when White air-violins the solo toward the end of the track.
It's a fun video to be sure, but it can't hold a candle to the project Bob Dylan unveiled for his classic "Like A Rolling Stone," which allows users to change channels on a TV, switching between programming as varied as a Danny Brown music video and an episode of Pawn Stars where the characters seem to be singing Dylan's lyrics. That's not meant as a diss toward White...maybe one day he'll have that kind of budget for a music video.
Check it out for yourself below:
