T Exclusive Video ‘Honey Bunny’ by Girls
San Franciscans sometimes get a bad rep. On behalf of all of the Bay Area (or so it seems), watch the Girls’ frontman Christopher Owens play about town singing lyrics like, “They don’t like my bony body, they don’t like my dirty hair,” in their new video for the track “Honey Bunny,” off their recently released sophomore album, “Father, Son, Holy Ghost” (True Panther Sounds). Surprisingly, the title of this record, which was released last Tuesday to rave reviews, does not directly refer to Owens’s childhood in the infamous Children of God cult, he said. Instead, the moody album — filled with heavy metal riffs that channel Fleetwood Mac, and light ’60s strumming that brings you back to the Beach Boys, supported by hallowing gospels — reaches down deeper than that: to Owens’s relationship with women, primarily his mother. This record is no doubt less lo-fi than their first, but the straightforward and honest sentiment Owens and the bassist and producer J.R. White bring feels evermore present. Currently on a United States tour, Girls talked to The Moment about their new song “Honey Bunny,” which Owens initially wrote using his cellphone, and the video, imagined by White. Girls will play at New York’s Bowery Ballroom on Thursday and Friday.
Q.
Let’s start with the song “Honey Bunny.” Can you give us some background here?
A.
Owens: I wrote “Honey Bunny” on my birthday in 2009, on my Mom’s front porch singing into my cellphone. It’s a song about making a conscious decision not to give up on love or hope or happiness.
It’s sweet, the whole idea of the video. What kind of message are you trying to get across?
White: The concept was very basic. It actually existed in my head for quite a while after we finished recording the song. I wanted to make a Girls version of it in the territory of a standard pop video. We are lucky in that no matter what we do or what our aim is, it always speaks of our band and our own personalities in a unique way. That said, I wrote the concept and script without fear of standard pop video clichés and instead wanted to revel in them.
Owens: It was to again show our friends, show our city, show some attitude. And keep it cute.
White: The concept was very basic. It actually existed in my head for quite a while after we finished recording the song. I wanted to make a Girls version of it in the territory of a standard pop video. We are lucky in that no matter what we do or what our aim is, it always speaks of our band and our own personalities in a unique way. That said, I wrote the concept and script without fear of standard pop video clichés and instead wanted to revel in them.
Owens: It was to again show our friends, show our city, show some attitude. And keep it cute.
It features a beautiful blond girl.
White: It was an obvious choice to have Christopher’s girlfriend be the co-star. Chris is not an actor, and including her was a conscious effort on my part to make him feel as comfortable as possible. I knew the video would depend tremendously on his performance to the camera.
Owens: The girl is very special and important in my life. She represents the girl that I’m looking for in the song.
White: It was an obvious choice to have Christopher’s girlfriend be the co-star. Chris is not an actor, and including her was a conscious effort on my part to make him feel as comfortable as possible. I knew the video would depend tremendously on his performance to the camera.
Owens: The girl is very special and important in my life. She represents the girl that I’m looking for in the song.
This is your second video for “Father, Son, Holy Ghost.”
White: With “Vomit” being a slower-paced video, I definitely wanted the “Honey Bunny” video to be a counter to that. The early inspiration for this video came from a not very well-known clip for Ariel Pink’s “Life in L.A.” video. Specifically, a scene where it is himself and Matt Fishbeck flying down the (Pacific Coast Highway) in a refurbished convertible. I love that image and always fantasized of using it for ourselves. Me and Chris, top down, music blasting and singing along. I feel like in a lot of ways that scene is the perfect idea or statement of what California is supposed to be.
White: With “Vomit” being a slower-paced video, I definitely wanted the “Honey Bunny” video to be a counter to that. The early inspiration for this video came from a not very well-known clip for Ariel Pink’s “Life in L.A.” video. Specifically, a scene where it is himself and Matt Fishbeck flying down the (Pacific Coast Highway) in a refurbished convertible. I love that image and always fantasized of using it for ourselves. Me and Chris, top down, music blasting and singing along. I feel like in a lot of ways that scene is the perfect idea or statement of what California is supposed to be.
You guys just started a huge tour. Tell me me about playing these new songs live.
Owens: It feels incredible. We’re playing some of the best shows we’ve ever played. We have an amazing live show. And the audiences are more familiar with the music and us, and it’s just getting better, it’s getting better all the time.
Owens: It feels incredible. We’re playing some of the best shows we’ve ever played. We have an amazing live show. And the audiences are more familiar with the music and us, and it’s just getting better, it’s getting better all the time.
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