The video for this 2002 Foo Fighters single features Dave Grohl and Jack Black as blue collar dudes killing time in a down-at-heel motel. The original video idea involved filming Black in drag for five minutes, but director Jesse Peretz had a different idea…
00:00
An establishing shot reveals two trucks pulling up at a shabby motel. There’s vacancies, too. Our protagonists are in luck. Unless they had the foresight to book in advance. There’s websites for that now.
00:10
Their driving suggests they’re agitated or just need the toilet.
00:15
It’s Dave Grohl, who’s wearing a mesh t-shirt which was last vaguely popular in the 80s. It was a different time then. People were consumed by the need to look like a sporty teabag.
00:17
A hefty wad of phlegm from the Foos frontman, there.
00:21
Enter Jack Black. Whatever they have planned, he’s ready to do this. So ready.
00:25
Their characters may be a little intoxicated.
00:33
They enter their motel room. Probably going to crack open a few cold beers, eat some snacks and watch the game – whatever game that is – before getting an early night. Right?
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00:38
Our perspective changes to that of an old video camera. Jack turns on the stereo. It’s Foo Fighters’ single Low. Handy, that.
00:50
Why, it’s two guys cutting loose after a long day. We’ve all been a bit boisterous in a motel room. Dressed in mesh shirts.
01:00
Jack shows off the moves that have won him numerous high profile acting roles – and broke the hearts of many.
01:12
Dave is going to break that bed if he’s not careful.
01:22
Look, it’s just two dudes having an arm wrestle. Hope they’ve got licenses for those guns. AMIRITE?
01:33
Dave seems agitated. On edge, like a monkey being cajoled into a drunken prank. He unleashes some sweet karate moves. Everyone turns into a martial arts expert after a couple of cold ones, don’t they?
01:38
No idea what Jack is up to, to be honest.
01:40
Shots of bourbon. Mmm. That’ll sit well on all that beer.
01:53
A consolation hug for Dave. Not sure why.
01:56
That’s enough, Jack. Dave doesn’t like it.
02:03
It’s turned into a slap fight.
02:13
Jack’s popped a video on the telly. It sure as fuck isn’t Top Gun.
02:18
Whatever it is, Dave is having a lovely time. On his own.
02:30
Cue scenes of abject misery and Jack Black’s arse crack.
02:31
#jackblacksarsecrack
02:33
He’s using a framed photo of flowers to waft the smell in his pal’s face. What a gent.
02:35
To be honest, Jack’s looked much better.
02:38
With a thumbs up, Dave swerves the fun bus right into Sexy Town, population 2.
02:40
A case is opened. There’s more wigs than you’d find in Steel Panther’s tour luggage.
02:41
The silly sausage. He’s only gone and packed his girlfriend’s massive shoes by mistake! She’ll be furious.
02:42
Right?
02:48
So has Jack. What were they thinking?
02:57
Just some guys messing about with wigs. We’ve all done it.
03:03
Oh dear God.
03:05
To Dave’s credit, he can still karate kick in heels.
03:11
If you’ve ever wanted to see the fella from King Kong and School Of Rock strut around like a frumpy cheerleader, look at the screen. Look at it.
03:25
A bit of lipstick, there. Don’t overdo it, Dave. You’ll look like a clown.
03:30
Is it us or is the heating on? We’re sweating buckets here.
03:50
The pair are just basically wrecking their motel room in THE SEXIEST MANNER POSSIBLE.
03:58
We can only see what’s happening in the dark thanks to the night vision option on the camcorder. How we wish that wasn’t an invention.
04:15
Lads.
04:24
Grohl posing next to a painting of a horse. In the dark.
04:27
Dave’s crying now and starts to suck his thumb like a baby.
04:40
Jack is now puking into a toilet. Maybe downing a bottle of vodka was a poor decision.
05:05
Maybe it’s time for bed. So that’s how you kill time in a shabby motel.
05:11
Our protagonists emerge in the harsh morning sun. With a fist bump and a nod, they return to their trucks and head off. Job done.
What did we learn from Low?
From re-watching this Foo Fighters video, we’ve discovered that two men can have an entertaining evening without being glued to their mobile phones or laptops. They are, however, appalling at holding a video camera steadily. The whole thing was like a grubby version of Cloverfield.
