Culture
The artist spoke with Input about his cinematic inspirations and what it was like surfing atop an 18-wheeler.
Country musician Orville Peck dropped his second full-length album, Bronco, in early April and has already put out five movie-quality music videos to go with it.
In a recent conversation with Input, Peck dove into the creative process and the works that inspire him.
Peck worked closely with friend and director Austin Peters (who also did his “Queen of the Rodeo” video, pictured) on all five videos to formulate the specific moods and references they were trying to hit with each.
Peck’s a big fan of film and cinema, he says, which naturally spills into his own approach to visual arts. He’s spoken often about his appreciation for David Lynch and John Waters, both of whose influence can be seen splashed all over his music videos and general aesthetic. But in Bronco, we get so, so much more.
“With ‘C’mon Baby, Cry,’ we wanted it to be our Bob Fosse movie-musical vibe.”
Orville Peck
“C’mon Baby, Cry” is all about the glitz, the glamour, All That Jazz. It’s big, it’s bright, it’s... masking a lot of darkness and difficult emotions.
Spot the famous faces throughout.
“‘Daytona Sand’ is my action film.”
Orville Peck
One of Peck’s all-time favorite movies, he tells Input, is Midnight Cowboy, the 1969 “unlikely friendship” drama starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. The “Daytona Sand” video, on top of its Mission: Impossible-style action, includes some clear nods to that film, he says.
It was also the most fun to bring to life.
“I got to stand surfing on an 18-wheeler truck driving through downtown Miami. We had a police car chasing a horse. I got to steal a convertible. I mean, it was absolutely crazy.”
Orville Peck
“We came up with the concept and [Peters] and I were laughing, thinking, this is never going to happen. None of these setups are going to be possible. And then you film in Florida where everyone's like, ‘Yeah, he wants to stand on a truck, put him on a truck.’”
Orville Peck
In “The Curse of the Blackened Eye,” Peck goes somewhere darker. Here, he’s flanked by actor Norman Reedus, who we see transformed from man to monster.
“‘The Curse of the Blackened Eye’ is my creature feature.”
Orville Peck
“Hexie Mountains” is probably his favorite song off the album, Peck tells Input.
The video takes a more wistful tone than some of the others, featuring actress Riley Keough and a lot of moody motel shots. Peck and Keough have been friends since she sang backup vocals for his cover of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”. She also happens to be Elvis’s granddaughter.
“I'm a big fan of bluegrass, and so [“Hexie Mountains”] is kinda my nod to that, it has more of a bluegrass folk feel and I sing about escapism, which is something I've sort of battled with my whole life.”
Orville Peck
The last of the videos released so far, “Let Me Drown,” is stripped down to the basics: just Orville Peck live, backed by a full ensemble, belting his heart out in a church (which is actually the famous Ocean Way Nashville recording studio).
In its simplicity, “Let Me Drown” feels larger than life — like a grand finale. But it seems it’s just a taste of what’s to come.
“I wanted to make a video for every song on this album, but the record label starts to like, you know, look really shifty around the room at that,” Peck tells Input with a laugh. “But there's going to be more for sure. I feel like I'm going to just keep trying to make them on this album until they're all done.”