Considering that anything Sean Lennon creates is immediately compared with the work of his father John Lennon — aka one of the greatest songwriters and most famous figures of all time — it's not surprising that eight years have passed since his debut album, Into The Sun. His new release, Friendly Fire, finds him in a distinctly different head space than what permeated Into The Sun. Gone is the light-hearted genre-hopping, replaced with a more melancholic sound that mixes strains of his father's distinctive timbre with the West Coast singer-songwriter vibe most associated with producer/musician Jon Brion — who performs on the album. Maybe it's a reaction to the critical attention he's always been subject to; Maybe it's all due to the tragic, romantic triangle he found himself in while working on the songs.
Accompanying the new album is a DVD that ties together videos for each song on the album. Utilizing a variety of styles — the main reference points seem to be all foreign films, especially those directed by Federico Fellini — Lennon stars alongside a cast of well-known starlets, including Lindsay Lohan, Jordana Brewster, Devon Aoki, Asia Argento and his real life ex-girlfriend Bijou Phillips. Quintessence Films director Michele Civetta took some time out from working on his movie Coin Locker Babies to discuss the video accompaniments to Friendly Fire.
Video Static: Let's start at the start... How did the project come together?
Michele Civetta: I've been working on a film called Coin Locker Babies, based on the novel by Japanese writer Ryu Murakami for a number of years. Sean is a big fan of the novel and got involved with the project a few years back. This fall I decided to shoot a camera test for the film with my DP Steve Gainer and it ended up becoming the "Parachute" video. We had such a blast shooting it on an ultra shoestring budget that Sean came back and suggested we shoot a video for every track on the record. We initially planned to create ten autonomous videos, but we're both fans of overindulgent '70s rock odysseys like Tommy, The Wall, and Head, so it evolved into more of a conceptual accompaniment for the record.
VS: I didn't notice a lot of the typical elements or influences from music videos in these clips. They’re definitely not edited or shot like traditional music videos.
MC: Film references were stronger as that is really where my heart is. I like videos a lot, but I've always been more compelled by the more narrative driven ones of yesteryear. If anything, there is a tinge of influence from Hipgnosis, Storm Thorgersons' design team that's responsible for a ton of the Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Edgar Broughton Band artwork.
VS: Even beyond the focus on narrative though, I noticed the way the shots linger and the lack of quick edits. Those things are pretty antithetical to the usual music video structure.
MC: It's easy to make images compelling when you chop them up in a Cuisinart. There is something to be said for long takes. Also the music is very melodic and orchestral so it didn't call for quick rhythmic edits.
VS: The transition between the pieces is usually that TV with the fireplace within... Seemed kind of mysterious.
MC: The TV in the house was a final interstitial element we shot while editing the finished film... The fire image is a play on the record's title. The other idea is that the fire in the TV is primal and it represents mankind and civilization, but when projected through the cathode ray tube it takes on an alien presence. Kind of like the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It's an object used in the videos to transcend time and act as a virtual rabbit hole of sorts.
VS: So, there's not really a narrative tying these together, is there?
MC: The project would have been approached differently if it was a true concept record. Many of the songs have been written over the years and then a few of the final tracks, including "Friendly Fire," were written around the time we filmed “Parachute” and while Sean was finishing the record. One of our best friends Max LeRoy died in a motorcycle accident and Sean wrote the title track "Friendly Fire," about
him. The song references the betrayal and affair that occurred between Max and [Sean Lennon’s girlfriend at the time] Bijou Phillips. There is a real sadness in the song, since it was Sean's way of processing his feelings; It was almost a first attempt towards reconciliation with our friend and then a week later he was gone.
VS: And the video for that song is definitely the DVD’s centerpiece in terms of the narrative.
MC: We wanted it to anchor the sensibilities, since everything else is so quixotic and bizarre. It seemed like an obvious choice to make that film be the reality from which all the others are stemming. That Sean and Bijou re-enacted their breakup and betrayal seemed like it was taking a real bite out of the postmodern construct of the concept; I thought it was uniquely brave of them both.
MC: Yeah, that was more of a gag. We had a scheduling change and one of our actors couldn't show. Since it was supposed to be a French New Wave ultra arty homage of the breakup story, it was a perfect subject for parody. We decided I should act and Sean should direct the scene. It just felt appropriately irreverent and a bit of cosmic retribution for the torture that Sean was being put through on a daily basis (learning how to swordfight, rollerskate, etc.)
VS: It was also interesting how Sean is constantly cast as the underdog in these videos and that he doesn't always emerge as the hero.
MC: Yeah, I think that was wholly intentional. Sean is a strange amalgamation. He is very brave and heroic, but I think that many of the videos played on subconscious undercurrents. What was terrific about the project was that we had so many opportunities to put Sean's personality on display and this character is very similar to who he really is in life with his friends; a total goof.
VS: I can totally imagine the scene where a schmuck in a movie theatre line says, "Hey Julian, I love your work" to him being directly taken from real life.
MC: Happens all the time when we're together. I've also heard people come up and unknowingly say, “Hey man, you look like John Lennon!” But, as Sean says, it's the ones who come up and want to talk about his Mom that you have to really watch out for.
VS: The ones that invite him to primal therapy sessions?
MC: Exactly
VS: That self-awareness and self-deprecating humor is definitely evident throughout all the videos. Like, when Sean calls it "a series of shorts that quite simply fall short" while in line for the movie.
MC: That is a typical play on words for Sean. He is always twisting speech in funny, anachronistic ways. I don't think he took the project overly serious as a grand statement. It was really an attempt to create a bunch of different little statements and experiments. Also, we couldn't help but reference the semi-pretentious nature of making ten films about oneself.
--> Watch the Friendly Fire trailer. There is also a video for "Dead Meat" which compiles clips from the full piece.
Sean Lennon Friendly Fire (Capitol)
Michele Civetta, director | Manu Gargi & Griffin Marcus, producers | Quintessence Films, production co | Bryan Newman, DP | Steve Gainer, DP for "Parachute" | Josh Ferrazano/Thought Crime & Jenny Golden/Nuncle Group, editors
