By: James Brookes
March 29, 2018
Our favorite multi-talented musician is BACK with a brand new music video, Gas Maskers! See the latest from Michael Shipley below.
He’s the man of many talents. Singer, songwriter, writer, producer, and artist Michael Shipley has released a—HIGHLY anticipated—music video. You probably remember Shipleyfrom our coverage of his latest EP: Voices in the Dark. Lucky for you, we caught up with the Last Man Standing executive in a brief Q&A to see what his new music video is all about!
We want the scoop! For starters, what’s the “Unpredictable Girl” music video all about?
“”Unpredictable Girl” was inspired by a relationship I had with a woman I knew wasn’t right for me, but I loved anyway. The same things kept going wrong but I couldn’t stop giving the relationship another chance and another chance and another chance because I would tell myself that she might suddenly change. But of course, like most people, once you get to know them, she stayed very much who she was. It was my own craziness that kept saying she might change, that she was “unpredictable” in the face of relentless evidence to the contrary. That’s what the song is playing with. Musically, I was drawn to the contrast of those sustained vocal notes over a moving syncopated guitar rhythm. That guitar lick (which I recorded with a 101 degree fever) is a little Nile Rodgers and a little Afro-Brazilian, run through my white white brain. There is also a weird chord in the chorus that doesn’t technically fit in the key of the song, but it sounds right to me. One of my producers on this track kept trying to get me to change it to something more sensible, but nothing sounded as good to me. So my clever intellectual justification became that having a “wrong” chord in the song kept the music in line with the theme of unpredictability.”
The video is incredibly fun and comedic. What was the inspiration for it?
“My friend Geneva, who stars in the “Unpredictable Girl”, is a hair stylist and she hates it when my hair is long and sloppy. So I thought it might be funny to make a video where I’m trying to be a serious video star and all she cares about is catching me and cutting my hair. What we call in script-writing a “collision of wants”. I was actually getting ready to shoot another music video (which will be coming out soon) where I wanted my hair short anyway, so this seemed like a way to kill two birds with one silly stone. Again thinking in script terms, I had this vision for a story in three acts—initial encounter, surprising development (the dance) and a climax (the roof scene). I talked all this over with my friend Steven Lovy who directed the video and we fleshed it out into what you see onscreen. My other guiding impulse was that I get bored with videos that just do the same thing for 3 minutes, so I wanted to make sure there were twists and surprises all the way through.”
Rumor has it you are now producing the show, Mom (starring Anna Faris & Allison Janney). What’s it like juggling both music and high-profile shows?
“The rumors are basically true! I’m currently a Consulting Producer on Mom. That’s a fancy term for being a high-level member of the writing staff. It’s an honor to be part of this show, which stars the amazing Anna Faris and Oscar-nominee Allison Janney. After Last Man Standing was cancelled so late in the cycle, my plan was to just work on developing and selling my own pilot over this season. But when the offer of joining Mom came along it was too good to pass up. It is definitely a challenge to juggle not just the time commitments of a high-profile show, music, music videos and two babies at home, but also the different mindsets those parts of my life demand. I have to engage very different sections of my creative self and different aspects of my personality depending on whether I’m performing or working on a script or being a dad or recording. Sometimes that gear shift can be jarring almost the point of physical pain, but it’s very much worth it to me. I feel very lucky to be able to explore these different passions that feed such different parts of my soul. Life is short! I like to pack in what I can. And then I periodically collapse face-down on the carpet and have to recharge. But again, worth it!”
Alright, Gas Maskers! Watch the official music video for “Unpredictable Girl” below! Be sure to let us know what you think on social media at: @GasMaskMagazine! We know you’ll want to keep track of Michael Shipley too. Give him a follow on Instagram for all the latest: @michaelshipleymusic