Courtney questions Jen on the making of the Mount Beauty clip…
Epic video, how long did it take to make?
It was a three day shoot, which is epic for a three minute song. We shot over 30 different locations with at least ten extras so we ended up making a short film of sorts. It was ridiculous, really: halfway through Bec and I realised that perhaps we’d bitten off more than we could chew. But we made it… just.
The cinematographer Ellery Ryan did the Aussie cannibalistic Van Diemens Land, but also did Aussie drama The Secret Life Of Us. Is your video cannibal-drama?
Not strictly. Although I do hail from the Maori Ngapuhi tribe notorious for their wartime cannibalistic practices, we decided to open up the theme a little to include classic Aussie bush animals having a crack at me. I had to ward off leeches and rabies-infested wombats.
Is it true Bec had you jumping in and out of the river at 6am?
Yes. One morning was spent jumping in and out of the Yarra in Warburton. The river runs straight down from Mt Donna Buang so the water is the product of freshly melted snow. Bec’s been harbouring some deep-seated resentments against me so she wrote that part into the clip as payback.
The video’s almost as good as the song itself, who made that?
I took my band (Jen Sholakis, Bones Sloane and Courtney Barnett) to Headgap in East Preston. It’s nestled inconspicuously between a plastic manufacturer and a chicken wholesaler. I’m pretty sure you can hear those influences in the song.
Jen questions Court on the making of the History Eraser clip…
Cool video, where did you find all that lycra?
Bec [directed, and] also doubled as Art Department and sourced everything, including the old school dragsters. The boys were strangely excited about the lycra.
Was it rigged who would win the race?
No. Bones is just a really good cyclist.
The flag-waver was a really good actor, what’s the deal?
That’s where we blew most of the budget. We decided we needed at least one professionally trained actor in the video and apparently she went to NIDA.
In the song that accompanies the clip you mention going to a party where art school students make paint by mixing acid wash and lemonade. Is this an actual practice? What colour paint does it produce?
It’s kind of a sugary psychedelic purple that glows in the dark and smells like absinthe.
What’s this song even about?
I don’t know.
