Marnie’s wonderfully terrible “What I Am” music video from Girls is my new favorite thing
Lena Dunham is infamous for being completely unafraid to bare herself (and bare herself often) for the cameras on HBO’s Girls. Her cast mate Allison Williams isn’t quite as willing to get naked literally, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t willing to bare it all figuratively in the form of excruciatingly cringe-worthy (and equally wonderful) musical performances! Last season she wooed a cocktail party with her uber white girl rendition of Kanye West’s “Stronger,” and on last night’s episode viewers were treated to a music video she apparently made with her ex Charlie — a cover of Edie Brickell’s “What I Want” — that is pure overly-emotive perfection!
In the music video Marnie gets angry and all herky jerky in a dilapidated stairwell, dances cutely in bright colors, and makes all sorts of artsy faces and poses in between. Here’s some wonderful screen caps from the video mixed in with lyrics to Brickell’s “What I Am:”
I’m not aware of too many things
I know what I know, if you know what I mean
Philosophy is the talk on a cereal box
Religion is the smile on a dog
I’m not aware of too many things
I know what I know, if you know what I mean, d-do ya…
Allison Williams talked with Vulture about the video at the Girls Season 3 premiere. “Marnie so misunderstood the meaning of the song,” Allison said. “She’s very confident and also, her first instincts aren’t always right. I think that is a lethal combination: She just thinks she’s right instantly and executes quickly.”
Last night’s episode was directed by Jesse Peretz, who is a seasoned music video director and was also responsible for putting together the “What I Am” clip. Jesse isn’t very active on social media, but of course he couldn’t resist addressing his campy masterpiece Sunday night. He posted this still from the video on instagram and captioned it, “On #Girls tonight:”
“I don’t even know how to talk about it — it was like a fever dream,” Allison said of the video shoot, which was all done in a single day. “And the way they edited it is so beautifully weird,” she added.
Allison also reveals that she warned Paul Simon, husband of Edie Brickell, that the video was going to be featured in the premiere. “I met [him] right after I’d shot the video, and I told him, ‘You’ve gotta tell your wife that this is coming, because she’s going to notice an uptick in ‘What I Am’ attention and I may have something to do with it.’ I do it with love — just tell her that.” Paul Simon later ran into Allison and revealed that he had told his wife and Edie was “excited.”
I’m not sure what Edie’s reaction was to the video, but the Youtube commenters in the Girls script were none too happy with it! Shoshanna reads some of the typically visceral comments like “Please stop it Disney Princess in the face and shut her the f*** up!” and Marnie just gives a “talk to the hand” gesture and states sadly, “I don’t read comments.”
You tell ’em angry stairwell Marnie!
And just in case you needed a reminder, here’s the full “What I Am” music video from Edie Brickell & New Bohemians:
