Father John Misty released a new song, “Pure Comedy,” with an accompanying video today on his YouTube channel. Though this song is itself an intimate piano/vocal ballad situated right between Randy Newman and early Elton John musically (typical Misty stuff), the scope of its narrative and video is enormous: This is the story of a human life, rendered in POV shots of the modern ‘murican Man at work, worship, and play. There are stock footage, nightmarish doodles, and–when the first chorus kicks in–Pepe the Frog dressed up as Trump. Later, there’s footage of the 45th president of the United States, mean-mugging (“Where did they find these goons they elected to rule them?”), and quick glimpses of Kanye and John Cena.
“Comedy/Now that’s what I call pure comedy,” FJM croons as the world crumbles to shit in the visual accompaniment, which is credited to “Matthew Daniel Siskin, and everyone in America.” Only you can decide, reader, whether this grandiose statement is profound or the last thing anyone needs right now. Watch below.
