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August 25, 2005
Supergrass' Mermaids video for 'Low C'
Supergrass spent an afternoon with the mermaids Tuesday and got a taste of life underwater. "It was like a dream," said Mick Quinn, bass player and vocalist for the English band Supergrass, as he dried off after the shoot.
The four-member group donned white dress shirts, black shirts and ties and jumped into the mermaid lagoon at Weeki Wachee Springs to dance with the mermaid performers for a scene in the video of their latest single, "Low C."
The scene, shot by an underwater photographer in the lagoon and from dry confines of the theater, was part of a three-day shoot at the attraction. Director Garth Jennings visited the park as a child and when the band approached him with the single, Jennings said he thought of the park immediately and wrote the video around it.
The 10-member crew also filmed scenes on the park's riverboat and at the homes of former Mermaid Barbara and current Mermaid Carli as she got ready for her shift at the park.
"It's an affectionate portrait of this place," said Jennings, who has directed other videos for Supergrass. "I thought it would be interesting to see the amazing people behind it and how special that all is."
Gaz Coombes, lead vocalist and guitar player for the band, said he liked the idea from the start.
"It should be beautiful spectacle," Coombes said. "The song has always had that kind of vibe."
Jennings teamed up with his longtime partner for the video, producer Nick Goldsmith. The pair has worked on scores of music videos together, including pieces for R.E.M., Beck and Fatboy Slim. The also collaborated for the recent feature film, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
The Supergrass video is scheduled for release in mid-September. Chris Hufford, the band's longtime manager who was on hand for the shoot, said the band is getting a quality video for its $100,000 budget.
"This is just a classic idea," Hufford said.
Mermaid Heather (the attraction's mermaid performers do not give their last names for security reasons) said it was a change of pace to swim with a band, even if they did have less-than-stellar breath control.
"It was a blast," she said. "They're a fun group of guys."
Supergrass, also comprised of keyboard player Rob Coombes and drummer Danny Goffey, formed in 1994 and by 1999 had released three platinum albums. "Low C" is a single on their fifth and latest album, "Road to Rouen," released earlier this month.
The band has enjoyed success in England for years, but are more of "an underground band" here in the United States, Hufford said.
That may change, though, as the band is slated to appear on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno on Sept. 29. That will likely be a lot easier than dancing underwater for Rob Coombes.
"I have a new respect for the mermaids," Coombes said, "because it's very tough what they do."
This story was found at: http://www.hernandotoday.com/MGBGW5M8SCE.html
Posted by adriaan at August 25, 2005 12:03 PM