Black Tape for a Blue Girl releases first music video in 6 years: ‘In my memories’ – watch it now on Side-Line + interview
Black Tape for a Blue Girl releases their first music video in 6 years with “In my memories” taken from the album “To touch the milky way”. Conceived, shot and edited by bandleader Sam Rosenthal over the course of two year, the video is starring Dan Von Hoyel (vocalist/songwriter from the bands Harmjoy and Titans) and fellow adult industry performer Mercy West. The song is what Sam calls “a rumination on the passing of time, nostalgia, regret and loss.”
Below is the video.
We also talked with Sam Rosenthal about how the song and video came to birth.
SL: There was a lot of splashing and diving underwater at a rubber fetish pool party I understood?
S: Yes, the piece began when I shot a half-minute phone-video of Mercy splashing and diving underwater at a rubber fetish pool party. A few months later, a piano part I played in the studio felt to me like it was about ‘memories’ — those seconds of Mercy in the pool inspired the direction of the music and then the lyrics I wrote. It’s a character’s first person narrative thinking back to the summer he was 23 and enjoying a nothing-special — and yet everything-so-special — afternoon with his lover. It moves me seeing Dan’s raw emotions that he brought to his performance. How often do you see men cry in tv or film? In our culture, men are considered weak when they show feelings other than anger. It’s still not common for them to tear up and display their loss or sorrow. I like that we captured that; it gets to the core of the song.
SL: Your son also delivered some input I was told?
S: In the second half of the song, I brought in an idea my son and I discussed at the time: if there could be a way for people to re-experience an earlier time of their lives and relive those pleasurable moments, would they ever want to come out of it and get back to reality? Or would everyone be in their chair with a helmet on (and drugs in their veins), reliving their first love, that afternoon by the pool, and that weekend at the cabin?
SL: How did the lyrics come around?
S: The music/lyrics came together quickly in November 2017; I imagined Oscar would sing the song (he sang on the previous Black Tape For A Blue Girl album). One of my son’s friends, Ari, looked a lot like how I remembered Oscar from back in the 80s. Ari was in town for the holidays; I shot footage of him in the backyard to use as flashback scenes interspersed with Mercy in the pool — all in preparation to shoot the rest of the video when Oscar came to Portland to record the album. As time passed, Michael Plaster became the vocalist on To touch the milky way. Now I had a dilemma: I had scenes with Ari as the young version of the character, but Michael didn’t look like Ari, and he didn’t want to be on camera, anyway. I wondered who I could work with to finish the clip. Procrastination set in. The album was released in November of 2018. The piece remained unfinished.
SL: You met Dan Von Hoyel (vocalist/songwriter from the bands Harmjoy and Titans) at a Kink.com event?
S: Correct, Mercy already knew Dan as they’re both adult industry performers. Around the time the Milky Way album was released, it occurred to me that Dan would be a good choice to play the grown-up version of the character in the song. Christmas Eve 2018, Dan was in Portland; I shot his scenes with Mercy. Dan was going through some stuff at the moment which inspired his interpretation of his character’s sadness and pain. The song is about the loss and longing we feel for our past. Dan brought that!
It moves me seeing Dan’s raw emotions in his performance. How often do you see men cry in tv or film? In our culture, men are considered weak when they show feelings other than anger. It’s still not common for them to tear up and display their heartache or sorrow. I like that we captured that; it gets to the core of the song.
SL: This meant you had to rework the video no?
S: Exactly! I edited the new scenes with Dan & Mercy, then procrastination set in again. I knew there were pick-up shots of Mercy I wanted to add, but my work at Projekt, adopting a new kitty, an instrumental collaboration, and a few Kickstarters took me away from the video. A couple of weeks ago I was scrolling down my Instagram and saw an image I shot of Mercy in the dress from the video. I realized it was creeping up on 2 years since I started — I had to get the piece done! Last week we shot the missing graveyard scenes. I finished the edit, and now — two years later — the video is out!
You’ll notice a result of my procrastination: Mercy has three different hairstyles / hair colors. I think that actually helps the idea of time passing and memory. I like the moods, the nostalgia, the moments of feeling on the character’s faces. I like what this story is telling me.
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