Fred Thomas Good Times Are Gone Again Lyrics

An Annotated Guide to Fred Thomas' "Good Times Are Gone Again" Video

Mon, 08/06/2018 - 2:30pm past christopherporter

Pretty in Pink: Fred Thomas in a clip from his music video  "Proficient Times Are Gone Again."

In Pitchfork'south review of Fred Thomas' new song and video, "Expert Times Are Gone Again," Contributing Editor Jayson Greene notes the melody is "a little less agonizingly specific than Thomas' usual fare."

That's true of the song's lyrics, but if you know Ann Arbor, the music video is filled with scenes that are very specific.

The promo prune is for Thomas' new album,Aftering, which comes out September fourteen on Polyvinyl Records. The video features Thomas interacting with friends and strangers -- who immediately fall ill equally if he passed on an instant plague, echoing the vocal's lyrics: "Bad things are happening at present / Sharp days are wrapping around us."

It'southward the song of the bummer summer.

Ann Arbor is featured throughout the video: Thomas spends time walking alone through Buhr Park and strumming his guitar behind the long-running punk articulation Far House; and he spreads his illness at Encore Records, The Hosting art space, Lab Cafe, a recording studio in Ellsworth Commerce Park, his bandmate Chuck Sipperley's abode, and his own apartment where his married woman, spoken-word artist Emily Roll, starts foaming toothpaste at the mouth.

"We kicked effectually a few different ideas well-nigh what we wanted the video to await like," Thomas said, "but ultimately the vibe of the song was that feeling when things apace go from feeling fine to feeling out of control and panicked, bad. The idea was that I would be the apotheosis of that feeling and the people I came into contact with would react to extremely."

"In a way, this video started early this twelvemonth," said video director Jeffrey Freer. "I ran into Fred at a evidence at Electric Eye Buffet and nosotros were chatting about projects nosotros were working on. I told him that I had just started a band [called ZZVAVA] with Nick Zomparelli, Anna Parker, and Jordan Collingridge. Fred told me that he had a record coming out and needed a music video made for a track off the album."

Freer has been creating diverse video projects and posting them on his YouTube page for the past 10 years and Thomas liked what he saw.

"I was very excited when he asked me," Freer said, "considering I've been a fan of Fred's various musical projects. Fred had worked with Nick already, producing a solo E.P. under the name NO Information, and had mentioned that he was kinda waiting for Nick to become a band together. He proposed an 'creative person trade,' if you will: I make a music video and he records and produces ZZVAVA's record," which is currently being mixed.

The "Skilful Times Are Gone Once again" promo came together several months afterwards when Freer got an e-mail from Polyvinyl saying information technology needed the video turned in within 10 days.

"The offset solar day of shooting was good, merely I was a little worried that I didn't go enough footage," Freer said. "Those worries were totally squashed by the 2nd 24-hour interval of shooting. That day was very fluid, we moved from location to location with ease. Everyone was and so responsive, kind, and ready to participate. Fred is astonishing to work with, very understanding, creative, and ready to exist in the moment. Sometimes the pressure of a deadline tin can really motivate y'all to simply try things, allow things menstruation.

Buhr Park gets a lot of screen time in the video as Thomas walks the park'south paved path alone, no guitar, singing the chilling words directly to the camera or staring at information technology with deadpan depression. Daytime in a park isn't normally full of evil vibes, but Thomas chose Buhr for a specific reason.

"I used to alive across the street from Buhr Park at the Sunnyside trailer park and sometimes we'd walk around the park," Thomas said. "Emily once said she didn't like the park because it felt a picayune eerie and similar she was walking around a John Carpenter flick. That'southward exactly what we were going for with the video."

Below is an annotated and time-stamped listing of Ann Arbor locations and artist appearances in the video, plus the lyrics. Open the video in a carve up page and follow forth:

♦ 0:00 - Artist Anya Klapischak, who runs the artist-space firm The Hosting, is shown walking her dog, Moya, around N. State Street, almost to the infirmary surface area.
♦ 0:22 - Musician Chuck Sipperley'south Old West Side habitation
♦ 0:33 - Backyard of the Far House punk abode near Packard and Stone School Road.
♦ 0:35 - Interior of musician Darrin James' studio in Ellsworth Commerce Park. Thomas is shown recording the ring Tall Boy, which is working on its debut anthology.
♦ 0:twoscore - At The Hosting on N. State Street. Thomas is playing guitar here with Anna Baghina, who plays in his live ring and as well has her own group, Soviet Girls.
♦ 0:46 - Far House
♦ 0:48 - The Hosting
♦ 0:52 - Pink bedroom at The Hosting. The drawings on the wall are of inspirational women, including jazz artist Alice Coltrane and soul singer Betty Davis.
♦ 0:58 - Buhr Park
♦ 1:01 - Far Business firm
♦ 1:09 - Pink bedchamber at The Hosting
♦ 1:xiii - Buhr Park
♦ one:18 - Thomas' Lower Burns Park apartment with his wife, Emily Ringlet.
♦ 1:34 - Buhr Park
♦ i:38 - Far House
♦ 1:48 - Lab Buffet on Eastward. Liberty Road.
♦ one:59 - Buhr Park
♦ 2:04 - Encore Records on E. Freedom Route. Thomas bumps into the musician Evan Haywood. Thomas is holding a copy of Joni Mitchell'due south The Hissing of Summer Lawns anthology -- very intentionally since "Expert Times Are Gone Again," like the title track to Mitchell's LP, expresses the menace and sadness hiding behind something that seems idyllic. Also shown are Encore owners Jim Dwyer and Bill McLelland, with the latter's belly laugh morphing into a semi-comedic face up of fear.
♦ 2:18 - Buhr Park
♦ ii:28 - Exterior of Ellsworth Commerce Park. Thomas shakes hands with drummer Nick Zomparelli of the bands ZZVava, Wild Savages, and more.
♦ 2:38 - Buhr Park
♦ ii:46 - Pink sleeping accommodation at The Hosting
♦ ii:51 - Buhr Park

Lyrics:

Suddenly we're in a unlike place
Skillful times are gone again
This year nobody'southward talking almost
How incredible their summertime'due south been

Bad things are happening now
Sharp days are wrapping around us

All of this could be so beautiful
It wouldn't take a lot
Y'all all the same recollect you lot're the only one
Who had to fight for what they've got

Old words come out of your oral fissure
Bad things are happening at present
Bad things are happening now

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Christopher Porter is a library technician and the editor of Pulp.

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Fred Thomas' album " Aftering " comes out September 14 on Polyvinyl Records.

charonwhauter.blogspot.com

Source: https://aadl.org/node/379677