Directors Ian Kibbey and Corey Creasey, known collectively as Terri Timely, gave the warping, distorted “Actor Out Of Work” a straightforward video treatment that runs nicely counter to the song’s strange chord shifts and collusions. The setup: Annie Clark sets herself up with a chair and a boombox in a Los Angeles warehouse and asks a series of actors out of work to cry on commend. They do a good job. She, in the meantime, intones the Actor standout with a straight, albeit intensely dramatic, face. She does a good job, too.
You can check out some of Clark’s thoughts on the clip over at Spinner. She’s seemingly obsessed with animatronics, which she’s now mentioned a couple of times in relation to this record. Next video?
Actor is out 5/5 on 4AD.
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her takeaway show resonates as one of the best I’ve ever seen.
that being said, I really could have just watched her face the entire time. without the other people crying. dang. so cute.
takeaway shows: i love the ‘marry me’ one where she’s lying on a bed singing ‘marry me’ and before she says ‘john’ i say ‘okay!’
i love her ‘marry me’ takeaway show video the best. the one where she’s lounging on a bed strumming her guitar and singing ‘marry me’ and before she says ‘john’ i say ‘ok’
that, was awesome
Love the video beautiful Annie! It was great meeting you in Houston (on the way to the airport with you and Pam). Blessings! Umbe
Those eyes…she looks like a Margaret Keane painting.
Awesome video!!! She is definitely rising on my Gotta Listen list.
Great song, bad video. She’s so talented and she just sits there pitifully lip-syncing along with an embarrassing concept. Watching her play this song on guitar rules, watching her sit there like a cute robot drools.
I actually like the video quite a bit, but I’m disappointed too that there’s not even a little bit of her playing guitar. I mean seriously, girl can shred. Watching her tear it up is part of the charm.
girl of the year.
Great song, great video!
Looking forward to the release of her new album.
how is this a great song? repeating chord and melodies that have heard million times!
That’s why it’s an amazing song- how many songs can you name that have heard million times?
whoa, anyone else thrown by her walking away from the tape deck and then sitting down next to the tape deck in the next frame? haha.
‘how is this a great song? repeating chord and melodies that have heard million times!’
you’re a womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer…
I’m only posing on this entry because of the picture of Annie Clark with her mouth open.
I didn’t watch the video, the Image was enough. 1 step closer to indie girl fantasies.
lmao. that’s the only reason anyone watched that. She looks like a good lay.
Annie looks like she is ready for some cock.
Scott, Amrit,
Not the first time this site has posted a screen grab of a female artist mouth agape like a blow-up doll. Why? That’s an awesome video for an awesome song by a talented artist. She’s attractive, but she’s not explicitly selling herself on her sexuality.
Its the ones that don’t explicitly sell their sexuality that you want to see looking like a blog-up doll. Didn’t you learn in preschool that everyone wants what the cant have?
Hi MF,
Years ago, the photo editor with whom I worked at another music website gave me some tips about screengrabs. One was that you should avoid pics in which the mic is blocking the artist’s face (seems DUH but I hadn’t considering it until then) and another was that a video still should capture the artist singing, mouth open. Closed mouth = not as dynamic I guess? The fact that Miss Clark has her mouth so cartoonishly agape in this grab is honestly just a coincidence. Agree this is a great video.
Thanks for the well reasoned response. I congratulated Stereogum on the lewdness of a similar mouth agape screen grab of Jenny Lewis. I got a response from Amrit to the effect of “thanks”. Former child actress and short baby doll dress wearing Jenny seems worthy of such a treatment. Annie Clark wisely markets her beauty, but is not selling her skin, is undeserving.
I know, personally, every time I open my mouth it is exclusively for oral sex.
The many lineal feet of penis that has been in Eric!’s mouth exclusively for oral sex has thus been noted in the annals of Stereogum.
I like this video because if I sat face to face with Annie Clark I’d probably start sobbing hysterically too
judging by the album cover and the repeating elements of this video, i’d say she really likes her face.
wicked good song. waste of a music video.
Due to the fact that her last album was named after an Arrested Development quote, do you think that maybe this, “Actor Out of Work,” is none other than Tobias Funke?
I’ve become addicted to this song. And the video is good, too.
Is it just me, or do the backing vocals sound like They Might Be Giants’ “Where Your Eyes Don’t Go”?
has anyone noticed her face is perfectly symmetrical
women shouldn’t play guitars.