Joe Stakun Presents: Pissed Jeans & Braden Overett - "Romanticize Me" (Sub Pop)
Although he largely retired from competitive figure skating around 2009-10, Braden Overett has decided to make a comeback, of sorts... call it a "blaze of glory" by way of Pissed Jeans new Joe Stakun-directed music video, "Romanticize Me." While the phrases Hardcore Punk and figure skating don't exactly line up, Stanuk makes it work much better than I could've (n)ever imagined; Upon announcing his retirement nearly 4 years ago, Overett penned an insightful article for USFS SKATING magazine, which blatantly laments, "In my mind, I was different... When I was done, it would either be because I had won the Olympics 19 times and broken all possible world records. I would have reached the pinnacle of sports fame, driving a different exotic car every day of the week and buying small countries with my 900 bazillion dollars. Or, I'd walk into the rink one day and there would be a giant neon sign reading: "Braden Overett's Retiring Today!" as though it were the day fate assigned me to launch myself whole-heartedly into my next great adventure. Guess what? None of that happened." Extremely well said, if I say so myself!
Braden Overett's Pigf*ck-tinged hybrid "Romanticize Me" skating routine is so well done, that you almost INSTANTLY forget that you weren't ever really into bedazzled figure skating routines, until about 30 seconds ago ha. But I mean, Pissed Jeans seem like a group of fairly well-traveled, cultured men and if you look close enough, director Joe Stakun has included 4 headshots of the band members right above the "Information Center." Overett is initially introduced as a Zamboni-riding ice rink janitor with pipe dreams of becoming a world class figure skater. Yeah, I'm not even gonna front and pretend like I'm even vaguely familiar with a bunch of skating terms and fancy tricks... But Braden Overett's definitely kicking, spinning, nailing mid-air splits, skating backwards, and righteously shreddin' all over the blank ice canvas. Notorious Seattle-based label Sub Pop released Pissed Jeans latest album, Honeys at the top of the year and man, it's an adult angst-filled, 12-fingered punch to the face! I was lucky enough to see Pissed Jeans live at an incredibly shitty hole-in-the-wall venue/bar in South Philly back in the winter-time with my buddy Jay Morroni; Needless to say, it was easily the most enjoyable Hardcore show I've seen in 10+ years!