Up close and slow motion footage of a possum eating and a raccoon washing in a cat bowl accompanied by the music of Robert Robinson is both fascinating and a little bit creepy.The best way to describe the new video for the Sore Eros guitarist is a nocturnal National Geographic film shot on a back porch and sound tracked by some haunting loner folk. Filmed by Robinson's friend Andrew Drazek who discovered some furry friends eating food he'd been leaving out for a neighbourhood cat, the video is simple but odd.“Dead Possums” is one of the strongest tracks off Robinson’s solo album “Connecticut River” that was released on Feeding Tube records earlier this year.Robinson is certainly an interesting guy. He continues to work on Sore Eros material including an upcoming full length produced by the War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel and has an upcoming VHS solo album featuring submitted footage that will be accompanied by a vinyl record that he says will sync in some Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon/Wizard of Oz like weirdness.We had a quick chat about dead possums and the new album.Noisey: Do you see many dead possums where you live?
Robert Robinson: The majority of possums that I see are alive and kicking. But I have caught a few lifeless guys from the corner of my eye while driving on the highway. Which is always a bummer, but I’m usually glad that it’s not a dog or a cat.What’s with marsupials and road kill?
The idea of them playing dead isn't just a figure of speech. When threatened they actually mimic the smell and appearance of a dead animal. And they do it unconsciously too, like when a human faints. Unfortunately if they do this as a response to the threat of oncoming traffic, they aren’t so lucky.Was the song written about road kill?
I don’t think so. It's a love song more or less. How does the idea of love fit with road kill? It doesn’t until the love ends, then it makes perfect sense.That VHS with the Dark Side of the Moon/Wizard of OZ vibe sounds wild!
This project was hair-brained idea that’s been in the works for over three years now. We had an open call for video submissions, with the assurance that everything that was given to us would be used to create a video collage. We got everything from old home movies; found footage, video art to simple stuff people shot on their cell phones. When we finally had about a half hour's worth of material, our friend Dan Cashman (who’s a great video artist) compiled and edited the footage to go along with music that Sore Eros recorded.“Connecticut River” is available now through Feeding Tube records.
Advertisement
Robert Robinson: The majority of possums that I see are alive and kicking. But I have caught a few lifeless guys from the corner of my eye while driving on the highway. Which is always a bummer, but I’m usually glad that it’s not a dog or a cat.What’s with marsupials and road kill?
The idea of them playing dead isn't just a figure of speech. When threatened they actually mimic the smell and appearance of a dead animal. And they do it unconsciously too, like when a human faints. Unfortunately if they do this as a response to the threat of oncoming traffic, they aren’t so lucky.Was the song written about road kill?
I don’t think so. It's a love song more or less. How does the idea of love fit with road kill? It doesn’t until the love ends, then it makes perfect sense.That VHS with the Dark Side of the Moon/Wizard of OZ vibe sounds wild!
This project was hair-brained idea that’s been in the works for over three years now. We had an open call for video submissions, with the assurance that everything that was given to us would be used to create a video collage. We got everything from old home movies; found footage, video art to simple stuff people shot on their cell phones. When we finally had about a half hour's worth of material, our friend Dan Cashman (who’s a great video artist) compiled and edited the footage to go along with music that Sore Eros recorded.“Connecticut River” is available now through Feeding Tube records.