DarbNation

Vids › The Weirdness, Part 1

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears – Mustang Ranch

2011

2.4K Likes

Best comments

1.“I saw this video and lost it. Then I actually lost this video and spent about half an hour scouring Google: 'music video brothel animated band van bouncer.' Then I found it, and I was like, OOOOOHHHH!!”

More comments
  1. 2.“I work security at the Mustang Ranch, and this was fucking hilarious, guys.”
  2. 3.“Got mine glazed at the Kit Kat (just outside Virginia City, NV)... Christmas Eve, 1978.”

The story

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears came out of Austin in 2007 playing a sweaty mix of blues, soul, funk and old-school rock and roll. Mustang Ranch is from their 2011 album Scandalous, produced by Jim Eno of Spoon. PopMatters called it a playful tale about the narrator and his buddies paying a visit to a notorious brothel. It opens as a talking blues, then kicks into a full boogie shuffle. One blogger described it as fairly autobiographical. We'll let Joe confirm or deny.

The video dropped in July 2011, and it's 2-D animation: a cartoon Lewis and the Honeybears heading to the Mustang Ranch, in a storyline the Austin Chronicle called risqué and right in step with the album title. Watch for a cartoon Jim Eno making a cameo. The producer got drawn into the story. Literally.

More Funk and soul music vids

  1. 1.TV on the Radio – Second Song★ favorite

    10K Likes

    4:22

    Best comments

    1.“This video was made with the following ingredients: white chocolate, coffee, salt, red food dye, painted glass, paper shards, green food dye, cut-out paper rings... and space stuff.”

    More comments
    1. 2.“How is nobody talking about how amazing this animation is? Props to whoever did this!”
  2. 2.Lesley Gore – You Don't Own Me★ favorite

    409K Likes

    2:04

    Best comments

    1.“She was only 18...”

    More comments
    1. 2.“I feel like she's TELLING people rather than singing to them.”
    2. 3.“You can really see how she feels: she starts off a little nervous, then brave, then confident and happy.”
  3. 3.Matt Berry – Take My Hand★ favorite

    14K Likes

    4:21

    Best comments

    1.“This video always makes me a bit weepy... I wish I had a better relationship with my robot son.”

    More comments
    1. 2.“Matt Berry, national fucking treasure. There's nothing I wouldn't watch him in. Even my wife!”
    2. 3.“When I first heard this, I thought it must be a classic from the 1970s. It's astonishing to find it's a wonderful, wistful original.”
  4. 4.Grace Jones – Slave to the Rhythm★ favorite

    48K Likes

    4:48

    Best comments

    1.“She was the internet before the internet knew what it wanted to be... except the cat things.”

    More comments
    1. 2.“I remember this album cover when I was little. This woman scared the SHIT out of me.”
    2. 3.“During a recent show she hula-hooped for 6 minutes straight while singing this live. She's 75!”
  5. 5.The Dazz Band – Let It Whip★ favorite

    49K Likes

    2:20

    Best comments

    1.“We were whiter than white, but Dad never missed watching Soul Train.”

    More comments
    1. 2.“Message to the millennials... these are your grandparents!!”
    2. 3.“Jheri curl juice flying everywhere, lol.”
  6. 6.Dennis Edwards – Don't Look Any Further★ favorite

    780K Likes

    3:59

    Best comments

    1.“Dennis was higher than a summer electric bill.”

    More comments
    1. 2.“Dennis' jaw has a personality of its own.”
    2. 3.“Nobody said anything to Dennis because they were all just as high. This is a masterpiece.”

Get the essays free

Bi-monthly-ish. Unsubscribe if it sucks.