DAVID BOWIE continues to make his presence strongly felt in the world of music videos, a realm in which he’s known as a true pioneer. His video for “I’m Afraid Of Americans” has received two nominations: “Best Male Video” by MTV and now “Best International Video” by Canada’s Much Music (the only category in which a non-Canadian can be nominated), where the video is competing against LL Cool J’s “Phenomenon,” Madonna’s “Ray Of Light,” The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Ava Adore” and The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony.”
Directed by Dom & Nick (Oasis, Chemical Brothers), the video hauntingly depicts BOWIE as a paranoid Englishman who’s chased through the streets of NYC by a psychotic cab driver played by Trent Reznor. For the “I’m Afraid Of Americans” EP released late last year, Reznor remixed five versions of the song including the version that’s used in the video. The EP has since sold over 100,00 copies in the U.S. alone.
BOWIE and Reznor first worked together in 1995, when Nine Inch Nails toured with BOWIE on his “Outside” trek, which according to the Los Angeles Times, “brought two of the most exciting forces from two different rock generations.” In the same article (both BOWIE and Trent were interviewed on location at the video shoot last fall), writer Elysa Gardner asked, “Why the collaboration?” To which BOWIE quipped, “We’re the two most intelligent people we know. Who else could I give my mixes to? And who else would he work with?” Trent also told the paper that this joint effort was “better than any (video) I’ve ever done with my band.”
Meanwhile, BOWIE’s visionary world continues to evolve as he’s just launched BowieNet–his own Internet service provider to North America. Stayed tuned for further developments…