The Artist Explains: Dan Sadin - 'Sucker'
Photo credit: Joachim Zunke
LA-based rocker, Dan Sadin talks to us about his feel-good DIY visuals for ‘Sucker’, and the freedom found from not taking yourself too seriously and dancing like no one is watching you.
Where was the video for ‘Sucker’ filmed?
We shot the video in Downtown LA from about 7pm to 7am on a Tuesday night. We ended up driving home to go to sleep in morning rush hour traffic, yikes.
How does the video connect with the song?
This video is the brainchild of my good friend and director, Joachim Zunke. He's amazing. I had been playing around with the idea of doing a dancing video for a long time, and when I told him about the idea, he took it and ran with it so beautifully. His visual realisation of ‘Sucker’ has so many direct and indirect references to the song itself, but it is never in your face or overly self-explanatory. It leaves a lot open to the viewer, which I really love. It was also a really rewarding experience handing off a song that I had worked so hard on and felt so close to, to someone else completely outside of my world. My job is to make the music and perform it, that's where my strengths are. And to be able to hand it off to someone who's got such skill and who's artistic style is so complimentary of mine was such a cool experience. Jojo (Joachim) has such a vibe...if you met him you'd know what I mean...and I just trusted him completely. I'm glad I did, because I'm really happy with how it turned out.
Do you have any behind the scenes stories you can share with us?
I have a hard time asking for help. I'm honestly more modest than I should be and always find it uncomfortable to ask others to show up for me, even when I need them. This was an extremely DIY video with very little budget and the only way I got by was with the help of my friends. I took the opportunity of needing help as an exercise in asking for it, and everyone showed up in a way that I couldn't have even imagined. I felt so supported and loved, I'm truly grateful for everyone who stayed up all night with us to make this video happen – cause it wouldn't have if I tried to do it on my own.
Could you tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
Joachim had this idea of playing with what's real vs what's not in a really cool way. There's obviously a social commentary with all the selfies and the phone on fire at the end, but ultimately the video could be taking place on a few different planes of reality or fantasy. That's what I love about it...it's really up to you and how you see the world. Also for me, dancing felt like an honest form of expression, visually speaking. Movement in dance is so connected to how you're feeling and what you want to convey that it's almost like a song in its own way. I think that's really beautiful. I'm also not a dancer and I wanted to challenge myself and step outside of my comfort zone – to be more in touch with my own body in ways that I'm not used to. It felt more honest and vulnerable which was important to me. There was a softness to having me dance that felt balanced and grounded in a real way, the way that I am working to be as a person in real life. There's a little bit of trying to break down the images and visual associations of traditional masculinity into something a little more balanced, open, aware and vulnerable through the movement in the video.
What do you hope people take away from watching the video?
I showed the video to some friends just after it was finished and they were enjoying the video so much they were laughing the whole time. That was the best reaction I could have asked for. The video is shot in a way that it could be serious, but it's not...it refuses to take itself too seriously. It's easy to get caught up in something deeper, and while it's important to find that connection, it's just as important to remember to have fun and just let it all out. Sometimes you just have to dance like no one is watching you.
Interview by Karla Harris