John C. Reilly and Jack White have a bond that goes much deeper than their mutual affinity for dressing like 1930s medicine show hucksters.
Videos by American Songwriter
In an exclusive interview with Vulture, John C. Reilly explained how the pair met—and became fast friends—backstage at a White Stripes show: “We met and discovered we had all this stuff in common. We’re both from the Midwest. We’re both from big, Irish Catholic families. We’ve stayed friends after all these years. Whenever he comes to town, I go see him, and we’re thick as thieves.”
In addition to their similar upbringings, the two share a love for traditional American musical forms like blues, old-time, and country. Reilly, himself an accomplished singer and performer who has released his own music on White’s Third Man Records label, even went so far as to cast White in a hilarious cameo as Elvis Presley in the biopic sendup Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
And now, after a bit of pestering, White has returned the favor, featuring Reilly in the eponymous role of Archbishop Harold Holmes in the song’s brand new video.
You can watch the (awesome) video below. (People are already quoting White’s Elvis in the comments.)
It Took Some Convincing
It appears Jack White was reticent to make a music video, with his extensive tour schedule taking up sufficient time and energy to leave him drained. But “Archbishop Harold Holmes” (off White’s latest, No Name), was a sleeper hit. (I, for one, took to it immediately! It’s a banger.) When it began to chart on alternative radio, Reilly had the wind in his sails that he needed. White relented, and Reilly was approved to produce and star in a new video for the song, with Gilbert Trejo in the director’s chair.
“It’s almost like a perfect fan fantasy. When you’re listening to a song and you’re imagining, ‘Oh, if I did a video, it’d be like this and it’d be like that.’ I got to do just that,” Reilly told Vulture.
It’s safe to say Reilly’s and White’s aesthetic visions (even beyond their sartorial choices) are a great fit. Reilly, in the role of the eponymous preacher, channels the unhinged energy of White’s vocal as he lip-syncs the lyrics, which take the form of a not-totally-trustworthy preacher’s sermon/sales pitch.
“Because I know Jack so well and for so long, I felt confident that we could get something that would be at least in the ballpark of what he was into,” Reilly told Vulture.
Image credit: YouTube
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