Not even the mighty Led Zeppelin can hold a candle to Teddybears in terms of the debauchery and sheer excess on display in this parodic video. Director Ace Norton and crew use the framework of a documentary to show the band's fictional rise and fall, all the while poking fun at some classic rock 'n' roll footnotes (ie: The Riot House on Sunset, The Beatles "Bigger Than Jesus" press conference and the time Led Zeppelin fucked a groupie with a mudshark.)
As with any good documentary, the camera doesn't shy away from the "truth," no matter how ugly it gets. So, be prepared for a good amount of nudity, drug use, honey binging, vomiting and much more in this director's cut of the video.
Ace Norton tells us the who's who and a whole lotta dirt:
The label gave us these three ridiculous bear masks and basically told us to make a music video. We took a renegade "run and gun" approach to the entire shoot, mimicking a documentary.
The entire crew doubled as actors. The three Teddybears were actually friends of mine — one of whom was the editor on this project. My producer, Charles Spano, played the role of the rock journalist, the gaffer played the role of the tour manager, and I played the role of egomaniac director "Dallas McBride".
The bears never broke character and for the entire shoot had themselves convinced they were the biggest band in the world. When they got interviewed at KROQ by DJ Jed The Fish, the actors had him convinced they were the actual band. Jed took them around the studio and introduced them to everyone; he even bought them lunch. When they broke the news, Jed couldn't help but laugh. (see photo with Ace Norton, Jed The Fish and the "Teddybears")
--> watch "Cobrastyle" (Director's Cut) in Quicktime, Real or Windows Media
Teddybears "Cobrastyle" (Big Beat/Atlantic)
Ace Norton, director | Charles Spano, producer | Partizan, production co
Steve Drypulcher and Hiro Murai, DPs | Brandon Driscoll-Luttringer, editor
