I have always liked the Radiohead classic ‘Creep’.
In recent years it has seen a resurgence as a hit thanks in part to people like Brian Crum on the AGT talent show, as well as through multiple interpretations and celebrity covers. Still, I like the original version released back in 1993. I reckon that 30 years on, as an alternative classic, it really hasn’t aged a bit.
‘Scooter Man’
Inspired by good renditions of the song, I always wanted to learn the lyrics of ‘Creep’ for those awkward karaoke nights when people called for something a bit different. There are only so many times you can make up the words for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and yell along with ‘Living on a prayer’…
On a different note (terrible pun intended), I have recently been making some amateur music videos which you can find on my YouTube channel. In searching for a different subject and a new music genre altogether, I thought about tackling Creep. So another music video was in the making, but it had to be completely different from the others. This time I wanted include a few more real characters aside from myself, so I decided to call in a favour or two with people I knew in Krabi. This included, among others, the resident ‘Blue Steel Band’ at the great night spot ‘Boogie Bar’ in Aonang.
Blue Steel Band
My alter ego, known locally to some as ‘Scooter Man’, would be the central character in the video. The visuals and the story line seemed like they would be fairly easy to develop. The biggest challenge was sourcing a non copyright (un-blocked) downloadable audio track, in a lower key. For some reason the artist and the karaoke developers had prevented Youtube downloader software from accessing the files. This proved to be a real pain.
In the end I resorted to playing the best karaoke version I could find through my mini system, recording it multiple times using an iPhone. Not the best solution… The vocals were a bit of a struggle as well. Whereas in previous efforts I had been able to get a great sound using the stairwell of the bungalow where I lived in Penang, the acoustics in the Aonang villa were just not quite right. It took several attempts to get close to what I was looking for, but even then I was not totally satisfied.
The random Tee Pee in ‘Attitude Cafe’
One unexpected development resulting from this project is that I inadvertently stumbled on the idea of recording for small devices. Because the actual audio track had a lot of bass, this was greatly reduced when played back through an iPhone, so after the first release of the video, I re recorded the whole thing for iPad and iPhone. If you happened to catch the first before I replaced it, I think you will agree the second version is better.
Shooting the video was a lot of fun. Over several weeks I was able to get some practice and shoot incidental footage with the ‘Blue Steel’ band. We eventually made a recording where the timing of the band and the visuals matched the Karaoke version I settled on for the backing track. A little re working with iMovie ironed out the creases. The band loved the whole idea of the music video.
The girls of Blue Dragon Cabaret
Next, I created some scenarios that would involve incidental crowd interaction and one busy night I called for volunteers from among the patrons of the Pink Lady Karaoke Bar. They were all more than willing to participate.
The ‘girls’ on Aonang main street, spruiking the Blue Dragon Cabaret show, were also very cooperative.
I knew of a remote cafe near the limestone karst outcrops behind Aonang that had some cool tents and a tee pee as part of their concept. It also happened to be located within a rubber plantation, so it made the perfect unusual setting from which to start the video.
Flying the drone
Once all that was finished, all that remained was to capture some incidental drone footage, taken first thing in the morning to avoid the heat and catch the best light of ‘golden hour’. Then a few extra tripod shots and it was done.
The end result is what it is, though be mindful it was made for fun and not to be taken too seriously. If you want to watch it, click here.
As mentioned above, it is best viewed using a mobile phone or iPad. If you play it through a proper sound system there will be too much bass. So I hope you will enjoy this little project, there will be more coming soon, I just need to settle down and focus on the next subject.
