For the next release, Rich Friends, we tapped Always Sunny in Philadelphia favorite Glenn Howerton to star in a decidedly darker video. Hosted on a custom-made site, the interactive experience looked and felt like the viewer was being overtaken by pop-up ads. As the banners filled up the screen, they interacted with each other to tell a twisted story of an abusive relationship—and its bloody end. Even though Rich Friends was not a promoted single, the video got a massive amount of coverage and made Thrillist’s Best Music Videos of 2017.
Another video, “Live in the Moment,” called on an array of local Portland talent to create a unique music video featuring a 10-foot-tall, skateboarding puppet.
Wieden+Kennedy creative director Erik Fahrenkopf had this to say about the process:
“The guys from Portugal. The Man asked us to create a music video for their single ‘Live in the Moment.’ We said, ‘Yes!’ Then we said, ‘Hold on, when’s it due?’ And they were like, ‘I don’t know; you should talk to our manager, Rich.’ And Rich said, ‘Real soon.’ We said, ‘What if we worked with Lance Woolen to build a 10-foot puppet and had him ride around on a Cadillac like it was a skateboard, and then he gets chased by a 10-foot cop on top of a giant Segway?’ Rich said, ‘I don’t know, lemme ask the band.’ They said, ‘That sounds pretty stupid. Can we shoot it next Thursday?’ We said, ‘How about Wednesday?’ And they said, ‘Wednesday’s actually better.’ And we said, ‘Let’s shoot in Portland, with a local crew. Even the stuntman.’ And they said, ‘Stuntman?’ And we said, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna kickflip a Cadillac.’ And they said, ‘If we don’t total the Cadillac, can we have it?’ And we said, ‘Of course.’”
Beyond videos, our collaboration with the band touched nearly everything they did—from designing shirts for their late-night appearances; to custom strains of marijuana designed to be smoked while listening to the album; to hand-crafted lyric videos done in a single take; to projected graphics for concerts and festivals. And there’s a ton more coming.