Pop-Up Video Facts For David Usher's "Black Black Heart"

With David Usher's current video, "Alone In The Universe," kicking up the jams in the lucky #16 slot on the MuchMusic video countdown, it was odd to receive a phone call from Princess Charlotta inviting us to another video shoot.

In a few weeks fans will most likely be delighted with the follow-up video and single, "Black Black Heart." Until then our own black hearted one, M&M has compiled a fun list of pop up facts with a little help from the dreamy David Usher, who, albeit tired, sat down for a few minutes to chat between takes.

From what M&M saw, he believes it'll be a very "arty" video with a movie like quality that captures the mood of the song perfectly. They've hired some big guns to make the thing; there's a big production budget and some great cameos.

According to David Usher, "It's all about compulsions. That's what it is essentially about. It means different things to different people. Obsessive compulsive means something different to different people. The idea that every person has their own way of living and own way of looking at the world, that's what the song is about. Often the ways that aren't the status quo are the more interesting ways to live. The other way to live can be much less interesting. So, everyone has their own standards."

Those with owl eyes should be able to spot the phone number written on his left arm and might wonder, "What's up with that?" We did, so we asked.

David Usher replied, "We just needed something to balance out this [white wristband] so that seemed like the logical thing to do. I usual write things on my arm. I'm always writing things on my arm. Whenever I need to remember lyrics or when I get an idea, a phone number, it's the closest pad really."

Special guests for the video include rock goddess Kim Bingham, a.k.a. Mudgirl, from David's backing band and My Brilliant Beast's Julia Galios.

"She [Bingham] sings on the song. It's a sample, but in the Jeff Martin mix she is in there [vocally], but on the other version [Mark Mackoway/Byron Wong] she isn't." M

artin was going to make a cameo, but we've been told that this isn't going to happen. He also wasn't scheduled to appear on the set until later in the evening. There's actually been enough film shot for two versions of the video. One using the Mackoway sound mix, the other with the Martin mix. In fact, the sound guy had a few minor problems knowing the difference between the two.

David explained, "I tend to do a lot of remixing. I like doing mixes and creating sounds. The song on the record is much different then when we play it live. The way we play it live sounds more like the way Jeff Martin and I did it. I don't feel I should be restrained by anything."

During the video, Usher wears a pair of headphones and sits on a chair next to a crate of records. Unfortunately, we don't know what the crate contained.

"I did not bring that crate of records. I don't have any records. All my records are at my parents' place. I haven't looked through it [the crate]."

Other interesting pop-up factoids include the toilet overflowing, Life brand cereal was served in catering and the apartment setting was bigger than the average bachelor in Toronto. To M&M's knowledge no one used the bathtub just to cool off during the hot day.

"Black Black Heart" was directed by Craig Bernard (Econoline Crush/Snow) and the director of photography, Ross Richardson, has worked with Papa Roach and the Deftones in the past. The special effects are being created by Jeff Campbell who is known for his work on The Cell and The Fight Club.

But enough of the video — when is the tour happening?

Usher says, "September 2 is the first show. Then we fly out to Vancouver and spend two months touring Canada. Then we're off from there. Asia is next. Thailand is releasing it first in the fall. I just want to go to Asia. It's not really a goal to conquer Asia, but it is a goal to travel a lot. I'm really focused on this record — I have a band that are really a group of friends and to tour places we want to tour is going to be a lot of fun. It's better than any other reason, because those [tours] tend to be fucked up, anyway."