Modest Mouse Debut Video Directed by Heath Ledger
- Posted on Aug 4th 2009 1:00PM by Liz Colville
- Comments (51)
Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock revealed in a 2007 interview that his band was working on a video with actor Heath Ledger for 'King Rat,' a song that didn't make the cut on their 2007's LP 'We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.'"Heath and I have a mutual friend and when we were in Australia, my fiancé and some of us in the band went out on a boat with him and his family and friends, and talked about the idea," Brock said at the time. "He's got a video production company and was interested in working on something. We were talking back and forth for a while. The idea seemed sort of dropped, but then he just sent me an email saying that he wanted to do it."
That video never saw the light of day, following Ledger's death in January 2008. Until now.
Co-directed and illustrator Daniel Auber jumped in to finish the video, with animation by Norris Houk and Jade Taglioli. Sara Cline of the Masses, the production company where Ledger was a partner, produced. The clip is making its debut on Tuesday, as the song, 'King Rat' also makes its debut on Modest Mouse's latest, 'No One's First, and You're Next.'
Proceeds from iTunes sales of the video are being donated to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society during the first month of release. Sea Shepherd is "committed to ending the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species," according to a press release.
Watch the video for 'King Rat.'
Reader Comments(1 of 3)
Paulaat 8-05-2009
Never Mind!!!!!
judeat 8-05-2009
Loved Heath...
Is it my imagination or does Heath look like he was loosing his hair?
jonnyat 8-05-2009
no its not ur imagination he really does look like it
drpepper199at 8-05-2009
It ran in the Ledger family. Kim (Heath's father) was entirely bald. You could in fact start to see his hair line.
Jessy H.at 8-05-2009
He was. In his family all the males start losing their hair at a young age.
van vat 8-05-2009
Do you care if he was losing his hair. He was losing his daughter and his life. Is hair important?
Miles Hardenat 8-05-2009
Hey Jude, don't bring us down. it's not nice to speak ill of the dead, especially something as trite as losing his hair!!!!
pattyat 8-05-2009
Baldness comes from the female jeans. So it wouldn't matter that his father was bald. If his mother was, then it would be from that. His hair was always thinner but just not so easy to see when he had it longer. Who cares. He was sexy and a great actor. He will never be forgotten.
Glenda Jo Orelat 8-05-2009
This is a truly amazing video - a simple presentation that packs a helluva punch. Thanks Heath
diop productionsat 8-06-2009
Cool Video. Work of an original mind.
Bobbiat 8-05-2009
I just want to say how proud I am of Heath Ledger and that he was an awesome human being in every sense of the word. And the fact that the procedes to this video are being donated to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is TOO kewl! I love them and what they do and I am fully supportive of their "tactics." As long as they keep the Japanese whalers busy, no whales are murdered. Some people forget sometimes that whales are NOT fish, but mammals like us. RIP Heath and traverse on in the southern ocean Captain Watson and crew. I love you all and would join you all in a heart beat if my health would let me. Seriously!
Avenomat 8-05-2009
Its a little disturbing
Robat 8-05-2009
I double clicked on the video and it played for me. Ledger isn't in the video. It is all a cartoon, sort of. But its a good song!
Bethanyat 8-05-2009
I love this video. He did such a great job. Its truly sad that he died. Hes defenitly missed.
Joeat 8-05-2009
the video is there you might not HAVE THE RIGHT media player or programs in your computer to run it or you migtht have to reload the page
Bobbiat 8-05-2009
I agree there is something a bit gaunt looking about him and his hair line does seem to be receding. If the photo was after his role as the Joker, I have heard that the part he played really took a lot out of him and that he spent a lot of his time during filming kind of staying in character as many method actors do and playing such a dark character must have effected his psyche immensely. Do you think? I was noticing that this band reminds me a little of Radiohead too which is interesting because they are well known for the depressing tone to some of their music.
Jessy H.at 8-05-2009
his hairline was receding even before he started looking gaunt.
It's hereditary among the males on the Ledger side, from what I read in a book I bought about Heath.
Cherylat 8-05-2009
You will have to have Quicktime. The vid is there.
jimat 8-05-2009
What a hideous dark cartoon. Have you thought about who might want to sit through something with such a grizzly message? Maybe the crickets in the audience will watch.
Maui Monkeyat 8-07-2009
Hideous????? Jim you are the exact person that needs to view this video and of course you don't get it. It's supposed to be grizzly. It's the truth. Poor soul.